Diabetic Dog

[jsherwin]

I got a call from a guy this morning that is and wants to continue to be an avid outdoorsman. He is a severe diabetic, as he puts it - briddle. His family will no longer let him go off in the woods by his self and have told him to get a dog that can detect his problems. He has done a lot of leg work in looking but also has heard stories about people paying $10,000 to $18,000 dollars for one of these dogs and they not living up to what there supposively been trained to do. Saying that I'm clueless in this area and he said Wild Rose has a 2 year waiting list right now and they get about 25 calls a day asking for dogs.
Sounds like a successful market. But i just wanted to see if any of ya'll knew anyone local are anywhere to turn.

Thanks
God Bless
Jonathan

[BucksandDucks]

Jonathan, Get in touch with Charles Dwyer. That is what his organization "retrieving freedom" is about. They are putting dogs with families that are Diabetics and other disabilites. That would be my first call if I had any questions. Hope it works out for your buddy.

[cdwyer]

Thanks Chris!

Jonathan,

I am currently training two dogs as a pilot program for the organization. I would be happy to discuss with him the opportunities we may have.

I went to a Diabetic Alert Dog trainer symposium in Dallas that was led by Debbie Kay of Chillbrook Kennels. She was telling a story of a DAD dog that was out duckhunting with its owner. A group of ducks came in, several were shot, the dog made a retrieve and as it was about to leave for the next retrieve, the dog no-goed and alerted. The owner checked his blood sugar and it was low. He medicated and sent the dog for the next retrieve. This group of people I was with were not hunters, so that story says a lot. Makes perfect sense to me and probably the rest of the people on this board.

However there are currently no standards for the DAD industry Debbie is trying her hardest to put some details based on fact to establish a standard. The mechanical monitoring devices that are in use only claim to be 80% effective. It "feels" like these dogs could actually beat a mechanical device! However there is no way to gurantee 100% ability to alert. Everyone wants help especially for children for night alerts. Dogs sleep too... I'm using an Australian Sheppard as one of the two, the other a Golden. The sheppard as a breed is a very light sleeper and has a tendenacy to herd/protect. The one I have is 19 weeks old and has been sleeping with me. Anytime I move, she runs up and licks me in the face and promptly goes back to the end of the bed and plops down. Well see!

[jsherwin]

Thanks guys,

Charles can you inbox me you number please sir.

[Natty]

It's just incredible to me that dogs are capable of things like this. Blows my mind. How exactly do the dogs pick up on low blood sugar?

[Natty]

It's just incredible to me that dogs are capable of things like this. Blows my mind. How exactly do the dogs pick up on low blood sugar?

[donia]

the odor your body gives off (when in ketosis)...pretty sure in your breath.

[teul2]

Very cook topic. Much better than the belitteling of gulfcoast like I thought the title inferred.

So, how to you train a dog with out putting a diabetic person at risk?
I guess i mean, how do you replicate the scent the dogs key on?

[cdwyer]

Jonathon-901-569-8176

The way you train is all reward base and it starts with simple targeting and incorporating scent.

You use saliva soaked cotton swaps from a donor, best if its the person's you are training the dog for specificly but not necessary. When their blood sugar hits 60, you soak the cotton with saliva, store the swab in a special container and freeze it. Kinda funny how the world goes round, my freezer that for years has been full of training ducks is now full of little bottles of frozen spit!

[teul2]

my freezer that for years has been full of training ducks is now full of little bottles of frozen spit!

Ha!
That is very cool.

[GulfCoast]

Yes, I am a diabetic, dogg.

SME will not let me hunt by myself unless its down here. I had a "wee problem" when I got first diagnosed and we were messing with my meds, and my duck hunted partner ratted me out like a little fink.....

Be careful who you get a dog from, there are scam artists out there. Google "diabetic dog fraud litigation" for who to avoid.

Charles, if'n you need spit, let me know. But if I hit 60 bg, you will need a spatula to get me up off the floor. These dogs could save a lot of lives of kids and older people that take too much insulin by accident, usually before they go to bed, drop way out, and never wake up. Its called "waking up dead." Its a real scary issue for brittle (struggle for control) diabetics.

If you are training a dog to alert on "general freaking worthlessness" you should get spit from GH22.