Our Animals Know!
They know when we are feeling blue.
They sense when we are ill.
What is it that our animals know that we do not? For all humans are supposed to be the most intelligent species sometimes I am not so sure. I have suffered from Grand-mal seizures since the age of 16 I am now 56; throughout the years I have had encounters with dogs and cats alike before, during and after seizures.
My Furry Nurse
My one friend (Laurie) had a cat named Freedom (she is now in cat heaven) but she used to curl beside my head while I was having a seizure. My dear furry nurse (Freedom) wouldn't leave my side until she was satisfied I was out of danger. Now Freedom was not a cat that had any special training as a furry nurse she would just tend to me on her own and I loved her for it. Freedom and I had a special bond and I greatly miss my dear furry nurse. My friend (Linda) has told me that when she is feeling under the weather her cat (Samson) stays by her side keeping a close eye on her. He becomes more subdued and attentive towards her giving her the comfort she needs. Linda has said Samson knows when she is not feeling well; she gets this sense because of his behaviour towards her at times when she is feeling ill.
Dogs Sense Seizure Coming On
Another instance was when my friend (Jenny) was visiting; we were sitting out in the garage sipping on some cold drinks on a lovely summer day. When all of a sudden Jenny said my German Sheppard's (Sidney and Sheba) starting behaving strangely. They both started to whine seeming upset they then lay down encircling themselves around my feet. Jenny said a few seconds later I had a seizure; she said the two dogs never left me until they knew I was okay. My friend (Jenny) was amazed at the reaction of the two dogs because she said "it was as if they knew you were going to have a seizure before it happened." This was a total surprise to me I had never been aware that my dogs reacted in this manner towards my seizures. I have been alone when most of my seizures have occurred and I don't remember much of what happens when they happen. My dogs could have reacted in this manner before but with no one else around I myself did not know what and how they were reacting during my seizures.
Specially Trained Dogs
This happened years before I had ever heard of dogs being specially trained in detecting seizures thus being able to alarm the person that they are going to have a seizure. This is amazing because it can give the person time to lay down on their side and prepare for the seizure instead of crashing to the floor in mid-seizure suffering injuries as a result. I heard about one dog that has an average of 40 minutes previous to the seizure in signaling his owner.
Our Pets Know when We are Under the Weather
What is this special gift that our dear four-legged friends possess that allows them to sense when we are ill or that something is amiss and not right with us. We must learn to try and understand our companions behavior as it could mean something very important. I have read and heard of many stories of dogs or cats behaving differently when their owners became sick. Dogs that normally would be full of energy, running around wanting to play fetch etc. all of a sudden become very subdued and tend to stay close to the person who is ill. They seem to have this combination of sense and smell that alerts them to the person who is unwell. We know special detection dogs are used to smell out all kinds of things even illnesses such as cancer. They are able to detect if a person's body temperature is not normal this being another clue that leads them to know a person is ill. It is even thought that wolves when hunting sniff out an ill animal in the herd this is called "Culling of the sheep"; this is a good thing as they get a good meal and the herd remains healthy and strong.
Summary:
If we pay closer attention to the behaviour of our four-legged companions it could possibly save our lives. They could very well tune us in to a potentially life-threatening ailment that may be cured if detected in time. All we have to do is watch and listen to our four-legged guardians.
