There Are 5 Core Foundations Of The Diabetic Alert Dog 101tm Program
1. Stably temperamented dogs. Dogs need to be free from all signs of aggression and anxiety. 2. Affordable training. It shouldnt cost you $25,000 to train your own dog for diabetic alert. There has to be a better way. Thats where the Diabetic Alert Dog 101TM program comes in handy. 3. Ensuring that our dogs are happy and are allowed to be dogs. Some service dog organizations have a 75% drop out rate. Some of these dogs are dropped from the program for being unable to shut down everything that is dog about a dog. We think dogs should be allowed to play with other dogs, that dogs should be allowed to play with a ball or engage in a little telephone pole sniffing every once and a while. What is so wrong with that? We think there has to be a middle ground between robot dogs and ill behaved dogs. 4. Training using strict positive reinforcement methodologies. Dominance methodology creates a confrontational relationship with your dog. Do you really want to train a dog that is supposed to be saving your life in a confrontational manner? No way! If you wouldnt do it to your two year old, why would you do it to your dog? What the Diabetic Alert Dog 101TM training methodology creates is a dog that who thinks you are the sun, moon and the stars, a dog that thinks you are the granter of all good things in their life, a dog that not only enjoys his job but is obsessed over it 5. Creation of a THINKING dog Have you ever had a low blood sugar before? What does it feel like? It seems like the first thing to go is critical thinking skills. What type of dog would you rather have? A dog that you have to tell what to do when you are in a state of brain dysfunction or a dog who assesses the situation a responds to it again and again and again trying to get your attention in many different wa Continue reading >>
Pet Talk: Diabetic Alert Service Dogs Can Add Years To 9-year-old’s Life
When 9-year-old Kiernan Sullivan started school this month, he attends each class in the company of his new best friend – a 2-year-old service dog named Kermit. “It’s fun but hard,” Kiernan says of his new charge. “You have to feed him, take him out to bathroom and take him out for walks.” Kiernan has Type 1 diabetes, which usually affects children and young adults and accounts for about 5 percent of all diabetes cases. It occurs when the body does not produce insulin, a hormone needed to convert starches, sugars and other food into energy. Kiernan, who was diagnosed when he was six, experienced a grand mal seizure in November. The experience was scary, but his parents thought they could manage Kiernan’s disease with careful meal planning and regular insulin shots. Then one Saturday morning in March, Kiernan’s mom, Michelle Sullivan, awoke to a horrifying scene. Her husband, Stuart, had left early that morning to go grocery shopping so the family could do something together. He kissed her goodbye and closed the bedroom door so she could sleep in a bit. She awoke to her husband’s terrified screams as he came home to find their son lying unconscious on the kitchen floor. Kiernan had wandered into the kitchen to find some sugary food to bolster his blood sugar but found only sugar-free licorice. Bright red licorice was still smeared on his face when his parents found him. The Sullivans realized they needed help. Thanks to the help of a staff member at Kiernan’s school, City View Charter School in Hillsboro, they found out about Dogs Assisting Diabetics. About Dogs Assisting Diabetics The Forest Grove-based nonprofit was founded by dog trainer Kristin Tarnowski and Darlene LaRose Cain, a former national chair for the American Diabetes Association. Since Continue reading >>
Insurance Should Cover Diabetic Alert Dogs
Service dogs transform the lives of their charges. From assisting the blind and deaf to helping returning veterans cope with PTSD, the positive impact of their help upon their owners cannot be denied. People with diabetes can also benefit from being paired with a service dog. With the proper training, dogs can use their superior sense of smell to alert their owners to fluctuating blood sugar. This is especially important among Type 1 diabetics who suffer from a condition known as Hypoglycemic Unawareness. This condition prevents a person from feeling when his or her blood sugar is rapidly falling or is dangerously low. Other symptoms, such as stomach cramps, nausea, dizziness, or even seizures, are the only hints sufferers receive without testing their blood sugar. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can even result in unconsciousness, coma, or death in as few as twenty minutes. For those with Hypoglycemic Unawareness, an alert dog might mean the difference between life and death. Diabetic alert dogs are trained to recognize symptoms of fluctuating blood sugar, sometimes both highs and lows, and alert their charge to their condition, even waking a sleeping person should the need arise. There's no denying a diabetic alert dog could save countless lives and improve the quality of life for their owners. So why don't more people have them? Their cost. According to Dogs4Diabetics, a diabetes alert dog typically costs around $20,000, but other sources cite the price tag as high as $50,000. For the average person, this enormous price tag can prevent people with diabetes from acquiring the service dog assistance they require. People with diabetes shouldn't be asked to shoulder this financial burden on their own when they pay insurance premiums! Tell the U.S.'s top five Insurance pr Continue reading >>
Diabetes Alert Dogs: What You Should Know
Cynthia Hatch, a mother in Brookfield, Wisconsin, is convinced that her family’s diabetes alert dog Sunny, a golden retriever/Irish setter mix, has saved her son Nathan’s life multiple times. Nathan has all the latest diabetes gear: a CGM tied into a pump that automatically shuts off when his glucose goes below a certain level. But he also has a rare combination of type 1 diabetes and Addison’s disease, another autoimmune condition where hormonal imbalances can cause severe and precipitous drops in blood sugar. Sunny is an additional tool in Nathan’s arsenal, and is one of a growing number of dogs in the U.S. being used to alert their owners of oncoming lows or highs in blood sugar. Many different organizations now train dogs for this purpose; some are for profit and may charge tens of thousands of dollars for a dog trained from birth until over two years old. Others, like Dogs for Diabetics, are non-profits that charge people no more than a small application fee, but are very selective in terms of the clients they will take on. Dogs for Diabetics’ founder, Mark Ruefenacht—a forensic scientist with type 1 diabetes—is considered a pioneer in the field, the person who first set out to test this ability in dogs in a systematic way. Back in the 1990s, he was traveling for work, accompanied by a seeing eye dog that he was helping to train. (On his mother’s side, several people suffer from advanced macular degeneration; on his father’s a relative has vision impairment from diabetes, so Ruefenacht thought that a seeing eye dog might be a part of his own future some day.) Alone at his hotel, Ruefenacht had a severe episode of hypoglycemia, and his dog worked to rouse him until he could treat himself. That chance event got Ruefenacht thinking that maybe identif Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dog Fundamentals – Free Training Advice
Mary McNeight, CPDT-KA, owner and head trainer of the Service Dog Academy shared some of her diabetic alert dog training fundamentals in a free webinar earlier this month with attendees from all over the country. With her background in training service dogs, and seeing the effects of diabetes through personal experience and with family members, McNeight set out to make training dogs for diabetic alert accessible for everyone. Attendees from all over including Denver, San Antonio, Anaheim, Brooklyn, Michigan, Virginia, and New Jersey also got a sneak peak at Diabetic Alert Dog University – the next phase in McNeight’s quest for offering low-cost diabetic alert dog training to type one and type two diabetics, hypoglycemics, and pre-diabetics. “I did find your webinar useful and your approach compatible [sic] with my own training beliefs. I am fascinated by the whole process!” In this program, dogs are allowed to be dogs through the use of games, solving puzzles, and making service work incredibly rewarding. By using positive reinforcement methods, Service Dog Academy’s diabetic alert dog program keeps a dog’s spirit intact. The puzzles and games that are part of the training have been developed to create an improvisational dog. Furthermore, by working with your own dog and doing the training with your dog, it will give you the ability to keep up with the training. Unfortunately, when an already trained dog is given to a person he may lose his ability to alert within a few months. With this program, in addition to the basics of alerting to blood sugar changes, getting drinks from the refrigerator, retrieving your meter and getting help, this program gives you the fundamentals to teach your dog more complicated tasks when you come up with them. The main goal of Continue reading >>
Service Dogs That Can Monitor Their Owners’ Diabetes
Hypoglycemia unawareness is a common — and dangerous — condition that can develop in those with type 1 diabetes. This condition means you don’t experience the symptoms most people do when their blood sugar gets too low. Normal symptoms of low blood sugar include sweating, shaking, or confusion. At very low levels, you may experience seizures, or go into a coma if your blood sugar is too low for too long. One of the solutions for this condition is man’s best friend: a diabetes service dog. Dogs have a naturally heightened sense of smell that makes them excellent hunters. Professional trainers have learned to harness these skills by training dogs to recognize certain smells. These could include the fruity smelling ketones a person’s body produces when they are experiencing a hyperglycemic episode when blood sugar is too high, or the unique scent a person gives off during a hypoglycemic episode when blood sugar is too low. A diabetes service dog isn’t a replacement for checking blood sugar levels. However, it is a safeguard for those who experience episodes low or high blood sugar, especially if they do not have warning symptoms. There are several service dog-training programs across the country. Examples include the National Institute for Diabetic Alert Dogs (NIDAD) and Diabetic Alert Dog University. These organizations train a dog to recognize the difference between certain scents. This includes the scent a person releases when their blood sugar is high or low. According to Dogs 4 Diabetics, there are two different levels of service dogs for people with diabetes. Medical response dogs for diabetes are trained to respond to signs that an owner may be experiencing low blood sugar levels, once they have become symptomatic. A diabetic alert dog, on the other hand Continue reading >>
Can Diabetes Alert Dogs Help Sniff Out Low Blood Sugar?
For people with diabetes who take insulin, the risk of losing consciousness from low blood sugar is a constant fear. Devices called continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can alert wearers to dropping levels, but not everyone has access to them. And even among those who do, some prefer a furrier and friendlier alert option: a service dog with special training to alert owners when their blood sugar reaches dangerously low levels. These dogs are trained in a variety of ways, and although they receive certification, there is no universally accepted test to ensure their competence. Fully trained dogs can cost in the $20,000 range and typically aren't covered by insurance, although some nonprofit organizations can help offset the cost. But as the popularity of diabetes alert dogs to detect hypoglycemia has increased dramatically, their effectiveness is largely unknown, according to Evan Los, a pediatric endocrinologist at Oregon Health & Science University who has studied their use. "Though dog trainers and dog users are generally enthusiastic," he notes. Moreover, it's not clear exactly what the dogs may be detecting. Are they actually "smelling" low blood sugar, or are they reacting to typical hypoglycemia symptoms in their owner, such as sweating or shaking? Two new studies add scent to the trail. One, published in the journal Diabetes Care, suggests that the dogs may be smelling a particular substance in the person's breath that rises as blood sugar falls. But a second study, presented by Los at the recent meeting of the American Diabetes Association in New Orleans, found that although the dogs do appear to detect low blood sugar, they also often alerted owners when they didn't have low blood sugar, and were usually slower than a CGM to alert to actual low blood sugar. Sniff Continue reading >>
Diabetes Alert Dogs
Breanne Harris, 25, first encountered a diabetes alert dog when she was a counselor at a camp for children with diabetes. Two people from Dogs4Diabetics, Inc., (D4D) – a nonprofit organization that trains assistance dogs to detect hypoglycemia in people with diabetes – brought an alert-dog-in-training to camp. Every night, the counselors would make midnight rounds to check campers’ blood glucose levels. In the dormitory, the dog tore free from the trainer, ran to one teenager, jumped on the bed, and tried to awaken the girl. “We checked her blood sugar immediately, and her sugar was 32 mg/dl, which is severely low,” says Harris, who has lived with Type 1 diabetes since she was 4. “I was sold at that point and applied for a dog.” Kristen Beard, 24, who also has Type 1 diabetes, got a golden retriever puppy named Montana when she was about 19. One night Montana would not leave her alone as she slept. “He was crying and pawing at me. I was mad because he woke me up, but once I became aware, I thought maybe I should test my blood sugar. I tested it, and it was low,” Beard says. “I thought it was a fluke, but he started doing it regularly.” Now he wakes her at least twice a month to warn about her falling blood glucose. “He just started doing it on his own, and I reinforce the behavior with treats,” she says. Veterinarian Nicholas Dodman recalls a client who had a German shepherd that was afraid of men, including the woman’s husband. The dog would avoid him even if they were in the same room. But one night, the dog woke him. The man realized that his wife, who had diabetes, was becoming hypoglycemic. After that, if the woman’s blood glucose dropped dangerously low, the dog would overcome his fear and wake up the man to help her. “It was the on Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dogs: A Preliminary Survey Of Current Users
Methods for monitoring blood glucose (BG) levels play many essential roles in diabetes management, and one of the most important is alerting individuals to the occurrence of hypoglycemia. A growing number of individuals with diabetes are turning to the use of Diabetic Alert Dogs (DADs) for hypoglycemia detection, despite their high cost. Testimonials from DAD owners and trainers have reported in the media that the accuracy of trained canine alerts matches that of BG monitoring technology (1,2) and described other benefits attributed to DADs, including improvements in glycemic control and quality of life (QoL). However, with the exception of one abstract from a case study (3) there is no scientific evidence that confirms the ability of DADs to detect hypoglycemia accurately or to improve clinical outcomes and QoL. We have recently conducted an exploratory study based on a survey of DAD owners from a Virginia-based nonprofit organization, Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers, Inc. (SDWR). To gain information about their clients’ experiences, SDWR conducted an online survey, which was completed by 36 DAD owners—23 parents of children and 13 adults with type 1 diabetes (means/standard deviations of child/adult age 8.4/3.1 and 36.4/14.1, respectively). Data were deidentified by SDWR then sent to the University of Virginia for analysis, and the study was approved as exempt by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board. Survey items inquired about the accuracy of DAD alerts, as well as frequency of hypoglycemia, diabetes control, and QoL prior to and since DAD placement. Respondents were asked how frequently they experienced hypoglycemia with no corresponding DAD alert in the past month. Over one-third (36.1%) reported no occurrences without a DAD alert in this tim Continue reading >>
Diabetes Alert Dogs: Everything You Need To Know
Note: This article has been reviewed by Dr. Dana Hardin MD, and Dr. Jennifer Cattet Ph.D. Many individuals with type 1 diabetes spend their days worrying about the possibility of having a low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia). Aside from frequent testing of blood glucose levels (self monitoring of blood glucose, SMBG), they may experience uncomfortable signs of hypoglycemia such as sweating, shaking, or confusion. These early symptoms of hypoglycemia are helpful, even though uncomfortable, because they help the person with diabetes know it is time to check their glucose level. Once the person checks and learns they are hypoglycemic, they are taught what food or drink to take to raise their blood sugar. If the low blood sugar is not treated in time, persistent hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, blackouts, or even coma. Unfortunately, over time (generally after 5 or so years) a person with 1 diabetes no longer feels symptoms when his/her blood glucose is low. This condition is known as Hypoglycemia Unawareness. When hypoglycemia unawareness develops, the person is at much greater risk for the development of persistent hyperglycemia and all of the dangerous problems listed above. Patients have reported feeling ok and not knowing they had low blood sugar until they wake up on the floor, or they have had a seizure. Some don’t realize what happened until they are taken to the hospital. If you are one of these individuals, you probably worry about your next hypoglycemia episode on a daily basis. You would likely feel much better if you were aware of something or someone which could help you monitor and alert your oncoming low blood sugar drop. Well, good news! A diabetes alert dog (DAD) can help you become aware of hypoglycemia even if you don’t feel any different. To give Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dog
There are many tools to use in dealing with diabetes, and the Diabetic Alert Dog is one more tool to add to the toolbox used to help families deal with their child who has diabetes. With the use of a Diabetic Alert Dog the child can gain the independence they need as they grow up and mature and the parents are not afraid to allow them to do so. Here at 4 Paws we place Diabetic Alert Dogs with children who have insulin-dependent Type 1 Diabetes. As with all medical alert dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs are trained to smell the chemical body changes that occur as the insulin levels increase or drop. When a child is experiencing a high or low, their body is releasing chemicals that change their typical scent. A 4 Paws Dog with the right training in scent-based work is able to respond to those chemical changes, at the onset of the changes long before any adverse medical reactions occur, by alerting the parents or caregivers to the change at its onset. The parents and/or child are then able to check their blood sugar level and take appropriate action. Training Diabetic Alert Dogs for children means that we must train a dog that is unique in its ability to meet the needs of both the child with diabetes and the child’s family. Most agencies do not work with children, especially very young children. Here at 4 Paws we have no minimum age requirement and believe strongly in early intervention. In addition to the alert work, these dogs provide a measure of comfort for the child, increased self-esteem and confidence, a distraction during unpleasant medical procedures, and of course companionship. USA WEEKEND recently published an article on Megan Rittinger and her service dog, Pip. Full story . . . Continue reading >>
What Are Diabetic Alert Dogs (dads)?
Diabetic Alert Dogs — affectionately known as DADs — are service dogs that are trained specifically to assist diabetics. Their primary task as service dogs is to alert diabetics of an oncoming hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event (low or high blood sugar!) DADs are able to do this by reacting to particular smells that are emitted from the human body due to chemical shifts caused by either hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia (undetected by a human nose). There are various ways that the dog can alert their human of a low or high blood sugar, which all depends on how it is trained. These skills require rigorous training from professional service dog trainers. In addition to being on alert for blood sugar malfunctions, Diabetic Alert Dogs are known to provide a tremendous amount of love and emotional support to its owner, resulting in an increased sense of security and balance in the daily life of someone with Type 1. How can I find my own DAD? Getting a Diabetic Alert Dog of your very own is a process. The first step is to find a legitimate, accredited organization made up of trainers that will assist you in both the acquiring and the training of your new DAD. Alternatively, there are Diabetic Alert Dog Training schools that will assist in the training and development of the dog of your own choosing. After being matched with the right dog for you, you may be asked to provide a “scent collection kit” so that your dog can learn your body chemistry during its training. Home visits are scheduled in order to begin the bonding process. Organizations & Resources How long do I have to wait for my dog? The average wait time for your DAD to be ready to come home with you for good is approximately six months to a year. What is the cost? The exact cost will depend on the particular o Continue reading >>
How To Prepare For The Cost Of A Service Dog
We know investing in a service dog can be an expensive, yet life-changing opportunity for you and your family. Because SDWR provides the best service dog training, we know that you won’t regret purchasing a service dog from us. Read on to find a few simple yet effective ways to prepare for the cost of a service dog. Fundraising for Service Dogs One of the best steps to saving for a service dog is through fundraising. Fundraising for service dogs lets you stay involved in your community, lets you stay active, and gives you a sense of satisfaction through raising awareness for a greater cause. There are many creative ways to run a fundraiser, whether through school, church, soccer games, online and more. Take the time today to brainstorm a few great fundraiser ideas, and ask around to see how your community is willing to help. Apply for Our Service Dog Grants SDWR takes pride in giving back to our friends who might need an assistance dog. We periodically award service dog grants to a few select winners who have completed the required applications. You can visit our Facebook page from time to time to check when submissions are open. You never know if you could be chosen for a service dog grant. Plan & Prepare Once you have a service dog, there will be costs associated for caring for it. Just as you might have budgeted to afford the cost of a service dog, you will have to budget for their care and upkeep. SDWR also offers payment plans to families and individuals looking to invest in a service dog. This is another option you might want to consider when planning for the cost of a service dog. We Promise You Every Penny is Worth It It’s hard to put a price on the love, protection, security and safety assistance dogs provide to children, families and individuals. With the Continue reading >>
Type You Support Group
Frequently asked questions about Medical Assistance & Diabetic Alert Dogs What is a Service dog and why does it have special rights for access? Service dogs are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities – such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides public access rights for these dogs and their disabled handlers. What is the difference between a Medical Assistance Dog, a Diabetic Alert Assistance Dog and a Medical Response Dog? Medical Assistance Dogs are service dogs that have been trained to respond to an identifiable element that is available to their senses in order to support the medical condition of their handler. Diabetic Alert Assistance Dogs are a specific type of Medical Assistance Dog that has been trained to use their highly sensitive scent capabilities to identify the changes in blood chemistry that occur during rapid changes in blood sugar levels. Medical Response Dogs are another type of Medical Assistance Dog that has been trained to assist persons based on recognition of symptoms pertaining to a specific medical condition. The differences between medical alert and medical response training is the trigger that the dog has been trained to identify. In the case of a Diabetic Alert Dog, the trigger is the change in blood chemistry, allowing the diabetic to treat hypoglycemia prior to becoming symptomatic. A Medical Response Dog for diabetes responds to the handler as symptoms are occurring. D4D’s testing and experience with its clients has shown that there is a 15 to 30 minute difference in this response. How can the dog notify its handler when it se Continue reading >>
Diabetes Alert Dogs To The Rescue
If you have hypoglycemic unawareness, a service dog can truly be your best friend. If you’re among the 40% of people with diabetes who have hypoglycemic unawareness—a condition in which you don't realize your blood sugar is dangerously low—a service dog can help keep you safe. Diabetic Alert Dogs, also known as DADs, often wear a backpack containing medical info, a sugar source for their owners in case of a low blood sugar event and emergency contact information. They have a keen sense of smell that can detect fluctuations in sugar levels often before a blood glucose monitor can. These dogs undergo a rigorous scent training program that’s similar to the training methods used to train drug sniffing or search and rescue dogs. "Ultimately our diabetic alert dogs are trained to alert their owner to a high or low blood sugar," says Kelly Camm, development director of 4 Paws for Ability, a service dog agency that specializes in offering trained service dogs to children and veterans, in Xenia, Ohio. If the dog senses that its owner has a sugar level that’s too high (or too low), it will alert the person right away. Diabetic service dogs are also trained to test breath for low blood sugar, pick up and carry objects such as juice bottles, retrieve cell phones and act as a brace to help a person who may have fallen down. “For the most part, our trained dogs will either lick the person or sit in front of him and bark if they detect fluctuations in blood sugar levels,” Camm says. However, some diabetic service dog training companies say that a bark is not a desired primary. That's because a bark can be very disruptive and stressful and service dogs can actually be asked to leave public places for barking. If it’s a child who is diabetic, the dog—which might be a g Continue reading >>
