Have you ever heard of medical alert dogs?

1. 60

   dingyskipperposted 13 years ago

   Have you ever heard of medical alert dogs?
   
   I have just seen a dog called Shirley on TV, she is a medical alert dog for a diabetic girl, dogs are also being trained to detect cancer and such. There are only 10 of these dogs in the UK

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2. 61

   katkinposted 13 years ago

   Yes, I have heard of these dogs, I read an article a couple of years ago about a dog who had detected cancer,but this is the first time i've heard of dogs being used for diabetics. I watched the same TV progrmme! I think this is wonderful - another way a dogs is 'mans best friend'!

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3. 84

   wychicposted 13 years ago

   Yes, medical alert dogs have been used for quite some time for people who might otherwise not be able to live independently. They are often used for people at a serious risk of heart failure, elderly people who might fall and need assistance, etc. The only medical alert dog I know personally is for an epileptic, and they certainly are very effective at helping keep their humans safe . Cancer dogs, on the other hand, are relatively new...I think just in the last three years or so that they've been trained.

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4. 49

   dogstohelpposted 13 years ago

   Medical Alert dogs can be trained to alert to all kinds of medical issues (epilepsy, diabetic issues, cancer, migraines, panic attacks, etc.).  Check out Dogs4Diabetics.com or Clickincanines.com for more info on diabetic alert dogs.

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5. 77

   CarolineChicagoposted 13 years ago

   Yes, I've heard of these amazing dogs. There is a woman on Facebook who I friended through our Great Pyrenee dogs (there's a huge Great Pyr community on FB). Her Pyr is actually a medical alert dog. I believe this woman has spinal bifada and some other serious ailments. Her Pyr helps her walk when she weakens, among other tasks. Amazing work these dogs do.

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6. 60

   Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

   Yes, dogs can be trained to alert to scents, such as the scent in the perspiration of a person with low blood sugar due to diabetes. Other animals can be trained as well. In Africa, rats are trained to detect tuberculosis: http://www.apopo.org/cms.php?cmsid=107
   
   Trained response dogs are probably more reliable though, as well as easier to train. For example, there are seizure response dogs and seizure alert dogs. Seizure response dogs are trained how to respond to a seizure, whereas alert dogs are trained to alert a person to an oncoming seizure.

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