diabetes alert dog

Lilybean

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I'm really keen to buy a working strain lab as a family pet and also train him/her to be a diabetic alert dog. i've always had horses and dogs but at the moment can't fit horses into my life but i think a dog would be a great thing for the family, keeping us active and doing family things together. does anyone know of any advice for training dogs to be alert dogs?
 

totsy

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hya,
thats a great idea,
i must say my oldest dog was very useful as i used to have many middle of the night hypos and often she would jump on the bed and wake me :D
 

cugila

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Hi Lilybean.

There is a distinct shortage of links to UK sites but finally managed to track one down in Buckinghamshire. Have a read of this :

http://cancerdogs.co.uk/?page_id=8

Hope this helps ?

Ken
 

Lilybean

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Thanks! that's really very helpful. I will make further enquiries as to help with training and guidance and will keep you posted.

x
 

Katharine

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Many more trainee guide dogs for the blind don't make it through training than do. There is a waiting list to get these otherwise excellent dogs.

One of the Bernie forum's members called Casey and Willow has a diabetes service dog. The dog detects low and high blood sugars and has even "diagnosed" people at events they have attended by going up to undiagnosed diabetics, sitting down and barking!
 

yipster29

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I'm interested in anything you do find out too as I'm a dog fanatic and certain they can help. Saw a documentary on them and there's an article in the new sweet magazine. I lost my dog recently ( a week after my diagnosis, all very unexpected and topped off a rubbish week!) and when time permits to get another would be very keen to try and train them as demand far exceeding supply from what I can tell.
Please keep us posted on any findings! :D
 

sorceress

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Hi.
I am really interested in this as well.
I think it's a fantastic idea, and know my young son who is diabetic would love one.
Please let us all know how you get on with this. :D
 

sugar2

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Hi, I entered a raffle, to raise money to train a diabetic alert dog a few months ago. I think that this must have been teh one in Buckinghamshire. I think that it is afabulous idea, especially for people who have no hypo symptoms etc. Best of luck at teh DIY approach...you may have a new business if you succeed?
 

Lilybean

Member
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18
thanks for everyone's response. I will certainly keep you all posted and am doing lots of research. Working strain labs seem to be the best suitable dogs for this and bitches in particular. They are much more willing to learn, please and are easy to train. my baby is due in six weeks and i will play it by ear as to how well i adjust to being diabetic and not pregnant before i take on anything else but i certainly hope to get started within a year.
 

hanadr

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My Italian Greyhounds are useless at anything functional, except being a hot water bottle. I wouldn't recommend and Italian for an alert dog. A Springer Spaniel might be a good alert breed though. The police use them as Drug detection dogs. They can be very excitable and active, more so than most labs. I like Katharine's idea of "failed" guide dogs. these would also be used to intensive training.A friend of mine had a yellow lab that failed its railway station test. It startled when trains went through at high speed. This dog was wonderful. How about a labradoodle? I saw some of these when the Guide dogs charity were training them in my local town centre. Taller than labs and with curly coats, so much less Shedding.
 

donnellysdogs

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My border collie cross normally sleeps on the bottom of my bed. However, if I go hypo during the night, due to the quantity of sweat, I guess....she tries getting into bed under the covers. This is enough to make me aware of my sweating, and wakes me up enough to go and get my milk and sugar. She invariably gets away with staying in the bed as the reward for getting me out of my hypo.
Dogs are remarkable.....my other one, a golden retriever remains on her bed, not bothered at all.
 

Katharine

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Although I don't know the specifics, a poster on the Bernie forum said that dogs were trained to recognise high blood sugars by sniffing sponges soaked in glucose solution.
 

Sweet3x

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166
just said to my boyf 'ooh maybe I could try one of these dogs! You know I'm always looking for an excuse to get one!' to which he replied 'why do you need one of those? You've got me - it's worked brilliantly before. Maybe I should just start barking and howling when I notice you are high/low' :lol:

He is right, bless him - he's saved my life more times than I care to mention.

But awww I'd love a dog!
 

Katharine

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Given their cleaner personal habits I had always wondered about a diabetes alert cat. Sadly cats don't have any taste receptors for sugar, and so far our cat has not shown any ability at all to figure out when Steven is hypo. The rest of us know because he is pale and grumpy when he is low.
 

hanadr

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Cats aren't that involved with people either. Our 2 are only friendly on their own terms.
 

lauren_gee_x

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My Year Old Staffy Is Great At detecting When I Go Into Hypo Which Isnt Very Often And Has Onlt Happened Twice Since I've Had Her :D

She Also Can Sense When My Brother Is Going To Have An Epileptic Fit 8) She Has done All Of This With Absolutely No Training

Laurenxx
 

suzi

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I think dogs or cats, if connected with a human, can tell if somethings wrong. Years ago before my father was diagnosed with cancer our cat Tiger just sat and starred at him, much to his annoyance , as Tiger was usually so affectionate towards him. this went on for months until eventually my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, if only Tiger could have spoke, perhaps we could have caught his cancer earlier, its as if Tiger knew something was wrong.
Then a year after Andrew, my son was diagnosed T1, we got a cat called Fudge, she took to sleeping at the bottom of his bed, and alerted me twice by coming into my room and sitting on my face! and woke him numerous times, when he checked his blood he was always verging on low. Unfortunately she was killed on the road last October. We now have 2 cats but neither have shown any of the sixth sense that previous cats have.
I strongly believe through experience that cats as well as dogs can be alert guardians,
Suzi x
 

Lilybean

Member
Messages
18
loved reading all the posts of your experiences with your own pets. love them. they are angels and i'm very excited about having one of my own in the future. i'm still learning about training them but by the sounds of it, if you connect with your dog, little training is required.

a friend of mine has a sprocker and is soon getting a new puppy, a cocker ***** which they planned to breed from when she's old enough. they are both working strain so she is happy for one of their pups to come to me as she will have a job to do as a service dog as well as to be loved as part of the family. this won't be for a few years which is perfect actually and gives me time.

i did contact the local guide dogs but they have closed their waiting list for dogs as it is now sooo long. shame but an excellent idea. thank you.