DIABETES HYPO ALERT DOGS

What a fantastic idea. I would love to have a dog for my son that was able to assist him but unfortunatly being based in Germany with the armed forces i guess this is something we will have to look into whe we get back to UK.

Anne

Anne you can bring your pet back from Germany nowadays on a passport
Hana

Hi caa, interesting you choose to say that dogs trained as Hypo Alert Dogs or Bio detection dogs are registered assistance dogs - they are NOT at this time, as far as I know and if you look on their website you will see they do not claim to be.

There are some of us (me and approx 4 others) who have been through a long training process with another registered charity and whose hypo-awareness dogs meet the stringent criteria of ADUK (mostly via Support Dogs, who generally train dogs for people with epilepsy or autism).

There are also very many people who benefit from having pet dogs who successfully alert them to impending medical emergencies. However, having a dog who helps you at home is a totally different thing from having a registered assistance dog who must meet at all time stringent requirments of health, behaviour and b***sH*t from the public.

Most of us who meet the requirements for an assistance dog have Unstable diabetes (used to be called brittle but no longer), with fitting hypoglycemia, a partial or total lack of hypo awareness and usually a further complication such as retinopathy, neuropathy etc. Please do not assume that having a hypo awareness dog is an easy option for people who can't be bothered to care for their diabetes -

it is a massive, life-changing and amazing thing, but if one more person tells me ' I wish I could take my dog everywhere; I will scream!

If it is so entertaining to have an assistance dog,how entertaining is it to have broken bones, brain damage, a three-year restricted driving licence, an alarm in your bedroom and a holdall of pump atachments permanently about you, plus be unable to go out if your dog has a cold, or the squits? Not very I don't think, for god's sake, let's stop assuming that a hypo dog will cure everything for people who sometimes mis-judge their insulin - that is NOT the point.

I adore my dog, he has changed my life and enabled me to get back my life and I will jump through rings of fire for the people who trained him, but please don't assume a dog is a pump or a ping or a transplant - it is a relationship of immense value you need to work at. Don't dismiss us by believing it is simple

Hi there, I have a two year old staffy who isn't trained in anyway but is absolutely fantastic at detecting when Im having a hypo also she is great at detcting when my brother is going to have an epileptic fit!

Laurenxx

aardvarkark said:

Hi caa, interesting you choose to say that dogs trained as Hypo Alert Dogs or Bio detection dogs are registered assistance dogs - they are NOT at this time, as far as I know and if you look on their website you will see they do not claim to be.

There are some of us (me and approx 4 others) who have been through a long training process with another registered charity and whose hypo-awareness dogs meet the stringent criteria of ADUK (mostly via Support Dogs, who generally train dogs for people with epilepsy or autism).

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I wanted to find out what the position is regarding these Hypo Alert dogs at present in the UK. This is the message I had back after I asked the organisation concerned to clarify things.

Dear Ken

Only a hypo alert dog that has been trained specifically by our charity, Cancer and Bio-detection Dogs would be registered as an Assistance Dog, and would wear a coat to show as such. Cancer and Bio-detection Dogs are part of Assistance Dogs Europe and International and in the process of applying for membership of Assistance Dogs UK. We currently have 8 partnerships at the moment.

I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Simone Guest-Brainch
Cancer and Bio-detection Dogs

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hiya. im 15 and have type one diabetes. i have just found out about the alert dog and think its a brill idea as i have no warnings when my sugars go really high. then fit. so i think this would really improve my life. can someone pleasepleaseplease tell me the easiest way of applying for an alert dog xx

Hypo alert assistance dogs are placed with those who meet the application criteria. Recipients are given training in handling and caring for an assistance dog. Training assistance dogs is an expensive exercise, we rely on donations to fund this.

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Here is a link to the organisation that provides the animals and, How to apply for a Hypo Alert Dog

http://www.hypoalertdogs.co.uk/apply.html

These dogs can aid diabetes management, giving their owners advanced warning of both impending hypoglycaemic and hyper episodes.

Ken

That's a great and fantastic idea. I would gladly love to have a dog for my 2 daugthers that was able to assist them, but unfortunatly being based in Canada with my fellow doctors, I guess this is something we will have to look into whe we get back to Malaysia.

jadedl said:

hiya. im 15 and have type one diabetes. i have just found out about the alert dog and think its a brill idea as i have no warnings when my sugars go really high. then fit. so i think this would really improve my life. can someone pleasepleaseplease tell me the easiest way of applying for an alert dog xx

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If you test regularly your meter will tell you when your BS are really high

I met one of these dogs a while back, on a fundraising stall.
Amazing that they can do so much. This one was adorable into the bargain!

I'm going to say dogs are also helpful in relieving stress because active pets like dogs can motivate a person to take exercise, which is good for relieving stress levels and health in general.

I have an hypo warning dog :mrgreen: Both my dogs are able to hypo warn 8)

Ellie is a German Shepherd and just under 10 months old, She will wake us (both hubby and I are T1) if our BG's become low at night

Jones is 2 years old a German shephered/corgi cross he's more of a day lad though, and starts to nag if he thinks you'll not responding/treating your hypo..

I adopted both my dogs from rescues, Jones was 14 months old, and Ellie was just 5 months old I've trained both dogs from scratch as niether had any training at all. Jones I've also had to tackle agoraphobia issues, poor thing was terrified of the world out side the kennel enviornment he spent all his life in :cry: