HYPO ALERT DOGS

[caa]

I am working with a lady called Nina Bondarenko who is one of the countries top experts in training dogs. Nina trains dogs for things such as drug detection etc and set up the assistance dog training programme for Canine Partners and travels the world lecturing and demonstrating.

Over the 1 1/2 years Nina has trained two dogs to detect low blood sugar in their owners and to warn them and get supplies such as a blood testing machine and glucose or get help. These have been successful and make huge differences to their owners and families lives. So..... Nina is now setting up a registered charity and embarking on an official pilot scheme along with research projects that if sucessful will provide recognised 'Hypo Alert' assistance dogs that can go everywhere with you!.

I am writing about living with diabetes and the effects of hypos and although I have had diabetes for 36 years and am on a pump but I really would appreciate any information on hypos - awarness or lack of, how they makes you feel both physically and emotionally, the effects on your daily life and that of your families both short and long term etc.

Thankyou.

 

[chocoholic]

How interesting. I am not a dog lover (they frighten me and I think they sense it when I'm near them..it stems from an incident in my childhood) but the sixth sense of lots of different animals fascinates me. Things like animals taking to the hills hours before the boxing day Tsunami hit.......those sort of things.
As for hypos, well I've had quite a few of those. Up until I cut down on carbs. I always knew when readings were too low. The normal things that folk get....shakiness, sweating, confusion..just a general feeling of wobbliness. In recent weeks I've had one or two episodes when I haven't felt as described but when testing,have found my readings in hypo range.
I wouldn't say hypos have a great effect on my daily life, 'cause like most folk probably do, I just deal with them and within a short time I feel right as rain again.I think hubby probably worries more about me going hypo than I do.
Good luck to Nina. I can imagine anyone living on their own with no hypo awareness would be very eager to have a dog to prevent emergencies.

 

[chocoholic]

We then sit and share a biscuit between us

Aw, that sounds so cute.

 

[hails]

I just sent this link to my boyfriend... maybe I will get a puppy now

H x

 

[manxangel]

wow! that's amazing, i knew dogs could tell things humans couldn't but that is extraordinary!!!!!

I wonder if hubby with let me have a dog now?

That is amazing!! :shock: :mrgreen:

 

[DiabeticGeek]

I hadn't heard this before. It is fascinating, but it doesn't surprise me. Dogs have about 220 million scent receptors in comparison with a humans five million. Dogs live in a world of smell. Their eyes can't see anything like as much detail as can humans (their lenses are flatter and they have very limited colour perception). Smell is very much their primary sense. This means that they can smell vastly more things than we can, and they can distinguish real subtleties. That is why they can be trained to sniff out infinitesimally small traces of drugs or explosives. I have heard stories of dogs being trained to diagnose some forms of cancer, at an earlier stage than most technologies can detect them - so it doesn't surprise me that they can very accurately smell how much glucose is circulating in people's blood.

An elegantly tangental solution to the test strip rationing problem! :wink:

 

[caa]

Just want to say thankyou to everyone thats commented so far and I hope you won't mind your comments being passed on!

It is amazing what dogs can do and it seems not only can some detect lows they can tell if your high! that combined with the proven fact that 10 minutes of stroking a dog (or any pet) can lower your blood pressure and the added bonus of of getting you out and about walking well...how good is that????? and not forgetting being your very best friend you can tell them anything and they wont repeat it : :wink:

PS I'm thinking your BT strip comment is a very valid one!

 

[martinbuchan]

I thought about calling my 2 spanish water dogs diabetic assist dogs - they could bark at me if I even look at a mars bar.

Actually, I wonder if they pick up the behaviour changes we have when hypo (like the aura that epileptics get). If I can train my dogs, means I could take my SWDs into shops etc.

 

[caa]

They observe even the slightest behaviour changes, things like sweating and tremours and its thought they can detect changes of enzymes in the blood as glucose levels drop (and rise) which is part of the research being carried out at the moment.

Wish my dogs would block my running very fast towards peanut kitkats!!!!!

 

[caa]

IF ANYONE READING THIS WHOSE DOG ALERTS THEM TO LOW BLOOD SUGARS (OR YOU KNOW ANYONE) WOULD BE INTERESTED IN TAKING PART IN NINA'S PILOT SCHEME PLEASE PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IF YOUR DOG IS SUITABLE AND THE TRAINING SUCCESSFUL IT WOULD MEAN YOUR DOG COULD APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE DOG STATUS.

EMAIL ME [email protected]

 

[martinbuchan]

It would make Lassie proud.

 

[totsy]

i have two dogs,one whos on lots of meds doesnt do anything but my adorable border collie is very sensitive,she doesnt always pick up on hypos but has on many occasions woke me if hypo in the night and also if me or the kids arent very well she follows us all over and sits licking us so dogs obviously know
amanda

 

[Mads13]

Hi

This is my first post

I have many health problems but have recently been told that I am Hypo although I dont have diabetes yet. I have Lupus (SLE) as well as other problems. I am in a wheelchair most of the time and require a FT carer.

Would the alert dogs tune into most of my illnesses as well as the Hypo. My glucose levels often drop to 3 or under but sometimes it can be quite late in the hypo and would make my life easier if it could be detected earlier by a Hypo dog.

How would I find more information please?

Thanks

Mads 13
x

 

[hanadr]

I have 3 dogs,(3 generations of a family) who know if anyone, animal or human is unwell. they cling and refuse to leave. They also understand death. When the great grand mother of the pack died, they all looked at her body and went quiet.( she was 14 with congestive heart failure) I'll have to get them to monitor T1 husband's BGs. they're quite happy to confiscate carbs. Remember! chocolate is toxic to dogs.

 

[Giovana]

Is anybody getting the help of hypo alert dogs now??

I am very curious to know more details about this, and how "precise" their response to falling bloodsugar is.

cheers

Gio

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Dogs have about 220 million scent receptors. Dogs live in a world of smell. . Smell is very much their primary sense.

If dogs sense of smell is that good why do they have to stick their noses up each others backsides just to say hello? :lol:


There is a web site called Hypo Alert Dogs A registered charity.

Interesting stuff, but my Jack Russell is just too stupid to do anything that complex, bless her.

 

[Celtic.Piskie]

See, my dog's quite intelligent enough to do that, she's just never going to be well behaved enough, Malamutes are independant, and bloody mindded at times lol.

It's not a sixth sense, they assosciate the behavioral and other changes with whatever alert system works.