Diabetes Alert Dogs: How Your Dog Can Save Your Life!

Low blood sugar is scary, but often a diabetes canine companionsfact of life, for many people with diabetes. Well, it turns out that dogs are being trained to alert owners if they begin to experience low blood sugar.

Apparently, when low blood sugar occurs, typically below 80, there is a chemical change or odor that occurs on a person’s breath. Dogs are being trained to detect this odor and alert their owner.

Incredibly, for one type 1 diabetic, since getting her canine companion, she has not needed any visits from paramedics to treat her low blood sugar. In the 18 months before getting the dog, paramedics had to visit her 178 times!

Estimates place the number of diabetes companion dogs in the United States at approximately 150. The demand is so great that dog training schools can’t keep up with requests.

Doctors warn that a companion dog shouldn’t be your only warning device. Yet, for all you dog lovers out there, it is certainly a nice option to have. You also get the added benefit of bringing your dog practically everywhere since it is considered a service dog. Nice! You can read the full article at The Star Tribune.