Service Dogs
Diabetic Alert Dogs
As with other medical alert dogs, Diabetic Alert Smart Pups are trained to smell the chemical body changes that occur as insulin levels increase or drop, and alert a child’s parents or guardian who can check blood sugar level and take appropriate action. - Source Smart Pups
PURCHASING A TRAINED ALERT DOG
Diabetic Alert Dogs assist children who have insulin-dependent Type 1 Diabetes
As with other medical alert dogs, Diabetic Alert Smart Pups are trained to smell the chemical body changes that occur as insulin levels increase or drop, and alert a child’s parents or guardian who can check 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.
At Smart Pups we believe in early intervention and with the working life of an assistance dog around eight to ten years, we recommend that you apply when your child is around four years of age. 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. Our Diabetic Alert Assistance Dogs are trained to accompany their child at all times and is certified for full public access. - Source Smart Pups
TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOUR OWN ALERT DOG
Paws for Diabetics Inc is a charitable non-profit organization of dedicated volunteers and trainers, involved in the training of diabetic alert dogs. We follow our code of ethics and strict guidelines in all aspects of training and accreditation of dogs and handlers.
These dogs are the latest tool in Diabetes management, as they give their owners warning well in advance of an impending hypoglycemic episode and have also been proven to be quicker and more real time accurate than CGM’s. This allows for prompt treatment to avert the episode from happening.
A hypoglycemic attack left untreated can lead to coma and even death, so these dogs are real lifesavers.
A trained alert dog can be of vital support to those who are hypo-unaware, which means that the person has lost the ability to feel the effects of an impending hypoglycemic episode. Also, for those people who may hypo very quickly, the dog’s early alerting support can make a vital difference in the response time. Parents and carers can benefit from the extra assistance in the management and supervision of their T1 children.
Having an assistance dog can provide confidence and companionship for their handler, giving back vital independence and quality of life.
Handlers are given extensive support to train their dog as an assistance dog and we provide accreditation for Public Access once the dog has completed the training requirements. The dogs are assessed annually to maintain the standard of training throughout their working life. - Source Paws for Diabetics
