Dogs for diabetes?

Question:

I have heard that there are some dogs that can 'sense' low blood sugar level. There were 2 stories I have heard. One where the dog was a chihuahua and when the owner would get low during the night this dog would wake him up. The other story was similar but it was a child who had diabetes and the dog would wake the parents or the whole house up with barking in the middle of the night. I believe the second dog was a golden retriever or a lab. Has anyone ever heard of this? If so, please share your story and include the breed of the dog. I may be getting a dog soon. : )

Answers:
A Dr Cook, in the UK, has been looking into this for a while. The problem is to train the dog, as I understand it, not that some dogs can detect (smell, probably) low glucose.

And you will have the same problem whatever sort of dog you get. I'd suggest that you get something sturdy and even tempered given the number of kids that seem to be floating all around. Labs have a good reputation, but do try to get one from a good breeder, whatever sort of dog you get. The puppy mills and their equivalent too often produce problem animals, from poor breeding or poor care (early and large vet problems) or poor treatment. If all you know about humans is that they're unreasonable and dangerous, you're not likely to immediately understand that three (or five) shrieking kids are no threat.

Training your pooch to detect low blood sugar is going to be a problem. How can you set up experimental situations for the dog to practice on? That stuff would be dangerous outside of a medical facility. Better, perhaps, to train the dog to alert to odd behavior, though being kids there will be a lot of that. And better still, however difficult, to train the kid to be as aware as possible of his own situation. There's never a time too early to do that for a Type 1 kid. However much a pain (literally and figuratively).

Other Answers:
I have heard of this also. It was in the news last week. I have also heard and read that some dogs can detect cancer.

I also recently read a story of a man that was saved by his dog. He had gone into a diabetic coma and his dog got to his cell phone and dialed 911. This dog was the first animal to recieve an award for using a cell phone to save someones life. The article also mentioned that the owner said that the dog would lick his nose when he sensed that the owners blood sugar was low, and the onwer would always check it. Sure enough, his dog was right every time. (Sorry I don't remember if the breed was mentioned, but this topic is really interesting.) i havent heard of that (well i dont watch or read about the news much since i just turned 11) but maybe i should get a dog then

I once had a cat (American Shorthair) that could sense my low blood sugar attacks before they actually happened. I didn't know I'd selected such a gifted cat but I'm thankful I did. She'd make a nuisance of herself by walking up and down my chest and meowing in my face until I'd get up (and ultimately check my blood sugar). I'd say 9 out of 10 times she was dead on.

Good luck with the dog.

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Dogs for diabetes?

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