Diabetes Beagle warns of low blood sugar

Lifesaver on four paws by training to diabetic warning dog

04/03/2015

Dogs can be a great support to humans in many ways and e.g. Save lives as a guide or rescue dog. The animals have many abilities and are even able to treat diseases such as cancer or diabetes through their extraordinary sense of smell „sniff out“. In addition, since the four-legged friends have a strong observation ability, they can their owners after a special training, for. warn if there is a risk of hypoglycaemia. Here the news agency reports „dpa“ from an interesting case from practice.

Poodle can detect chemical processes in breath and sweat
Dogs can become lifesavers for their owners, as exemplified by the poodle „Rocket“, a trained diabetic dog who can smell dangers for his diabetes-afflicted owner. As Annegret Pross from Margetshöchheim near Würzburg with her four-legged walk, it stops suddenly, prevents them from moving on and looks at them - for Annegret Pross a signal that their blood sugar levels may be too low, the report said „dpa“. To be on the safe side, she lets Rocket smell her forearm, because the poodle, with his trained sense of smell, is capable of chemical processes in breath and sweat „sniff out“, that occur during hypoglycemia in the body of the diabetic.

In this case, the poodle hits clearly and presses the arm of his fox down firmly. For Annegret Pross this reaction means „danger“ and signals that she must now take countermeasures as soon as possible. Failing this, low insulin levels can lead to serious health problems such as fainting or even life-threatening coma. „Rocket hits at a low sugar value of 70 milligrams per deciliter. Then he gets nervous. I can help myself until I am 60, "explains the trained nurse „dpa“.

Diabetes Type 1 Patients Depend on Lifelong Insulin Syringes
Annegret Pross suffers since 1989 from suffering from type 1 diabetes, causing her pancreas to produce no insulin. However, this hormone is necessary so that the sugar absorbed from the diet can be transferred from the blood into the cells and processed. If there is a lack of insulin, the sugar accumulates in the blood instead, which subsequently raises blood sugar levels. Accordingly, type 1 diabetic patients such as Annegret Pross must inject insulin regularly to compensate for the deficiency of this hormone and to prevent health risks such as dementia, a stroke or heart attack.

Hypo however often not noticed in time
Type 1 diabetes is therefore considered a dangerous disease, which in any case requires close observation and intensive treatment. Before „Rocket“ trained to diabetic warning dog, her husband accordingly had to alert the emergency physician more often or drive them into emergency practice, reports Annegret Pross, which is now classified by their illness as severely disabled and incapacitated. A total of five times she had experienced that she was not aware of the drop in blood sugar levels in time: „My husband does not realize this until I cramp like an epileptic, because the brain no longer has enough sugar“, Pross continues.

Calm, balanced nature and good sense of smell important
In 2010, Ms. Pross finally found help with animal psychologist Maja Wonisch from Scheer in Baden-Württemberg, which was one of the first in Germany to specialize in the training of diabetic warning dogs. So far, the expert trained 90 dogs, the reliability of the animals would be 97 percent, said the „dpa“. „Such dogs have been trained in the USA for years. Here, the diabetic warning dog is slowly getting through“, Wonisch explains. Almost all dogs are suitable for special training, but it is important that there are no hereditary diseases and the animals „to have a calm, well-balanced nature“. In addition, a good sense of smell and a strong attachment to the owner / s are an important prerequisite - characteristics that the poodle of the family all fulfilled.

Costs of up to 15,000 euros
The training of the dog finally took about six months, during which he was trained to recognize the individual smell of his faucet, when the blood sugar level falls below 70 milligrams per deciliter. It cost around 4000 euros to train Rocket. „If you want to have a fully trained dog without having to cooperate, it can easily cost up to 15,000 euros, "says instructor Wonisch." Incomprehensible for Annegret Pross is the fact that so far only in very few cases there are subsidies from the health insurance: „The emergency doctor costs are still much more expensive than the training for the dog. "Instructor Wonisch recommends affected persons, nevertheless, to make an application to the health insurance and „To be prescribed by the doctor a handicapped companion dog as an aid“. If this is not enough, the costs could be deducted in any case from the tax, in addition, many municipalities would pass the dog tax, the information of the expert.

So far, no central standard in training
The Düsseldferfer Diabetologie chief physician Stephan Martin regards the training of the dogs however rather skeptisch because of missing standards: „There is currently quite a hype, but no central standard in the training of dogs, "said the physician to the „dpa“. Thus, although the sharp observation ability of the animals may be a good supplement, they are better yet „[...] training in hypoglycaemia that is offered and evaluated throughout Germany, "says Martin. (Nr)