[acb-diabetics] Dogs for Diabetics

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Diabetes Alert Dogs

Amy Stockwell Mercer

Oct 28, 2010 

 

Tarra Robinson was afraid that she was going to lose her job. Diagnosed with


type 1 

diabetes

 when she was 18 months old, Tarra had recently developed hypoglycemic
unawareness, which  affects about 17% of 

type 1 

diabetics

. Tarra was passing out at work, and once she even crashed her car when her 

blood sugar

 dropped unexpectedly. She went on a pump and tried a 

CGM

, but nothing seemed to help. She was still having frequent, dangerous lows.

 

Scared of losing her job and her license, Tarra began to research Diabetes
Alert Dogs. It took a year and a half to raise the nearly $10,000 dollars
required,

and then the training process for Duchess, her Labrador/Golden Retriever
mix, began. "I can't explain what she's done to my world," Tarra says.

 

Trainers say that Diabetes Alert Dogs are right 90 percent of the time.
These service dogs are "scent trained" with cotton balls of sweat from a
person's

body during a 

low blood sugar

. After a period of extensive training, Duchess came home to Texas with
Tarra. Now, when she senses a low blood sugar, Duchess knows what to do.
First,

she will lick Tarra's hand. If Tarra doesn't respond by saying, "Glucose"
which is the command for the dog to go get the glucose tabs, then Duchess
will

paw her leg or thigh and eventually her chest. Duchess sleeps next to Tarra
at night, and will get on top of her to wake her up if she senses a low.
"She

doesn't give up," Tarra says.  "She's very good at her job."

 

Science

 

Thus far, attempts to demonstrate that dogs can detect 

hypoglycemia

 are based on little more than anecdotal reports. Dr. Deborah L. Wells,
Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology at Queen's University in
Belfast, has

studied dog responses to their type 1 owners. Her study, Canine Responses to
Hypoglycemia in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes, was designed to explore
whether

there is any validity to the notion that untrained domestic dogs can detect
hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes. Dr. Wells says, "We interviewed

(by survey) over a hundred people with type 1 diabetes to quiz them on their
dogs' responses to their hypoglycemic episodes. In a nutshell, we discovered

that a very high proportion of owners believed their dogs were responding to
their lows, displaying 'alert-style' behavior (e.g. pawing at the owner,
barking,

etc.).  Many dogs also woke their owners up from sleep at night when they
were going low."

 

According to her report, "The findings from this study suggest that many
dogs can detect hypoglycemia, often without the use of visual cues and
before the

animals' caregivers are aware of their own symptoms. Although it was not the
goal of this project to explore how dogs detect hypoglycemia, the results

hint at an odor cue, although other signals (e.g., changes in owner behavior
due to impaired cognitive functioning) cannot be dismissed. Research is
required

to elucidate what mechanisms might underlie the ability of dogs to detect
hypoglycemia and to determine whether animals can be trained to consistently

alert their owners to the onset of hypoglycemia."

 

Rachel Thornton was a desperate mom willing to try anything to keep her
daughter Abi safe. Diagnosed when she was 11 years old, Abi experienced
several

scary low blood sugar episodes that prompted her mom to search for help.
Rachel was excited when she found a kennel with diabetes service dogs. The
Thorntons

were given an untrained dog, however, and ultimately lost a great deal of
money. "There is a sense of urgency that drives a parent's desperation, and
these

places can take advantage of people." Rachel says the Diabetes Alert Dog
world is small and growing too quickly. Many kennels have popped up in the
last

few years, and several lawsuits have been filed. "The service industry has
some problems," she says. "There is no governing agency, no standards for
DAD's,

no certification process, and agencies are cropping up overnight." After her
negative experience, Rachel decided to make a concerted effort to educate

the public about diabetes service dogs. She now works as a trainer for
Wildrose Kennels in Mississippi.

 

Kennels

 

The Wildrose Diabetes Alert Dogs Foundation (

www.

uklabs.

com/

alert

_

dogs.

php

), located in Tupelo Mississippi, has been training hunting and sporting
dogs since the 1970s. The foundation (Wildrose DAD) provides service dogs to
type

1 diabetics. Funds donated to the foundation are used to support programs
designed to deliver trained dogs to qualified individuals with type 1
diabetes.

Cost depends on the amount of training and ranges from $1500-$8,000.

 

According to the website, "Wildrose British Labradors are known for their
amazing scenting ability, temperament and trainability, the perfect sporting
companion.

In the spring of 2008, we received a request for a diabetic alert dog. We
were informed that some Wildrose dogs were being effectively used to alert
children

with type I diabetes. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that
puppies from Wildrose progeny were alerting high and low blood sugar levels
for

diabetics across the United States and in Canada. Since that time an
intensive training program has been developed utilizing the natural scenting
instincts,

intelligence, desire to please and the smaller size of Wildrose Labradors,
making them exceptional candidates for Diabetic Alert Dogs.

 

Located in California, Dogs 4 Diabetics (

www.

dogs

4

diabetics.

com

) was incorporated as a non-profit in 2004. Most of their dogs are obtained
from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, and retrained for
diabetic

alert work. D4D estimates the cost of training each dog to be approximately
$20,000. However, as a non-profit, D4D places dogs with diabetics at a
minimal

cost. ($150 for application fee and materials).

 

According to their website, "In order to qualify, the diabetic must be at
least 12 years old and have been diagnosed and on 

insulin

 therapy for at least one year. Due to the high level of interest in this
program, it may take up to two months before you hear back from D4D, though
you

are always welcome to email any questions. If, after being reviewed, we find
that your request meets our criteria, we will forward you an in-depth formal

application. D4D's dogs are placed by matching them with each client's
individual needs, not on a first-come first-serve basis. The matching
process takes

into consideration the lifestyle, personality and abilities of each client.
The other consideration is the client's ability to attend our 2-week team
training

class. Please note that participation in classes does not automatically
guarantee you a dog. D4D works primarily with black and yellow Labrador
Retrievers

because of the breed's intelligence and willingness to work with people, but
occasionally other breeds may become available.

 

Dogs at Wildrose and D4D are scent trained. Using cotton balls and "bucket
training," dogs learn to pick up the scent of low blood sugar and to perform

a customized behavior when they alert to that scent.

 

Success Stories

 

Reb Boyd was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the fourth grade. Reb says he
always struggled with lows and that his mom got up several times during the

night to check his sugars. Reb's parents went to Wildrose kennels and now he
is the proud owner of Lilly, a British Labrador Retriever who, Reb says
"goes

everywhere with me." Reb is now living away from home at Furman University
in Greenville, South Carolina, and says he hasn't had any lows since he's
had

Lilly. He continues to train the dog and says it's an ongoing process.

 

Rachel Thornton's daughter Abi is also living away from home in her freshman
year of college, accompanied by her dog Mr. Darcy.. On the Wildrose website

she writes, "Mr. Darcy is officially a college student starting Friday! We
registered for classes today - Darcy was a show-off and alerted to three
lows

while we were standing in the never-ending lines! Thanks Darcy!" Mr. Darcy
even has his own Facebook page, where you can follow his adventures: (

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Darcy/117723032874?v=wall)

 

Rights

 

While Reb's experience at his small college has been positive, Tarra had
some resistance bringing her service dog to class. "I have also had some
issues

with professors not wanting me to bring Duchess to class with me, but now,
after having her with me for the past couple of months, they have seen how
helpful

and necessary it is for me to have her. By law, of course, I can bring her
to class, but one professor let me know he did not agree with the law."

 

The Dogs 4 Diabetics website explains, "In accordance with the federal
American Disabilities Act, businesses and organizations that serve the
public must

allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas
of the facility where customers are normally allowed. Diabetes is covered

under this law, and your medical alert dog will come equipped with a service
vest to be worn when entering places pet dogs aren't allowed to go. Some of

the education you will receive before getting your dog involves this very
issue; the diabetic is encouraged to have the dog with him or her at all
times,

as you never know when low blood sugars will occur. Your service dog will
accompany you to restaurants, grocery stores, on public transportation, and
to

movies and business meetings. Younger diabetics take their dogs to school
and after-school activities. These are working animals, not pets, and have
special

rights that enable them to do their jobs."

 

At first glance, these dogs seem like the perfect solution. For many people 

living with diabetes

, the challenge to maintain healthy blood sugars feels like a constant
struggle. How much easier would it be if there were someone else to share
the burden,

a guardian angel that could tap on your shoulder (or lick your hand) when
your sugars started to drop? And who wouldn't prefer a furry pet to another
piece

of durable medical equipment? Diabetes Alert Dogs may be the next great
answer for many people living with diabetes. However, no good answer is ever
easy.

 

Do Your Research

 

Rachel gets three to four calls a day from parents wanting dogs. "I do my
best to talk everyone out of it," she says. Bringing a service dog into your
home

is a long-term commitment. With most reputable organizations, there is a
one-to-two-year wait because the demand is so great and the training so
intense.

It's important to do your research and to understand the responsibility that
will fall on your child's shoulders. The dog will need to sit under the
child's

desk at school. It can't be touched by other children while working, so the
school needs to be supportive. Diabetes alert dogs take time, training, and

commitment. But the rewards can be great. Rachel Thornton says that her
daughter has more confidence now than ever before. She adds, "Abi is no
longer

scared to go to sleep at night. I don't have the science or the facts, but I
see it happening."

 

* * *

 

Resources:

 

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