We cherish our dogs for many reasons, but mostly because they give us unconditional love. People living with chronic illness not only enjoy their medical alert dog’s companionship, but also rely on their dog’s life-saving abilities.
Research has proven that dogs have a natural ability to sense changes in the human body through their acute sense of smell. A dog’s scent receptors are believed to be thousands of times more powerful than human scent receptors.
Dogs have been trained to smell cancer, low blood sugar, and epileptic seizures. Many believe they also predict such conditions as heart attacks and strokes. Research is beginning to validate this claim.
Dog4Diabetics in Concord, California is a non-profit organization that provides medical alert dogs to people with insulin dependent type1 diabetes.
The Golden Retrievers in the program receive two years of training at Guide Dogs for the Blind and three to six months training at the Concord facility. The dogs are trained to smell changes in body chemistry caused by low blood sugar levels and to alert their owners with a “jump alert”, putting their paws on their owner’s lap. These amazing dogs can also be trained to dial out for help on a K-9 911 phone, or to get juice out of the refrigerator for their owners to drink as a way of quickly raising blood sugar levels.
Medical alert dogs also have the ability to detect the onset of an epileptic seizure one half hour before it strikes. Before a seizure a chemical is released into the bloodstream that alters the person’s biochemistry.
These remarkable dogs also have the ability to detect cancer. This canine skill first became known when a woman’s dog alerted her to a melanoma by constantly sniffing at it. Medical alert dogs have also detected lung and breast cancer. Current research by the A.V.M.A. has been testing whether the dogs can detect cancer merely by sniffing the breath of a patient.
Our beloved dogs have always been our best friends. They bring such joy to our lives, enriching us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Now it is becoming clear that they protect us in a physical sense - Yet one more reason to love and appreciate our wonderful dogs!
