Service Dogs

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Donna & Buddha

Donna & Buddha

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A while back I was reading one of my DS's magazines. It had an article about service dogs (or hero dogs or some such.) Anyway, one of the dogs profiled was a service dog that could detect low blood sugar. So I looked it up online and there they are : http://www.dogs4diabetics.com/

And I got to thinking, wouldn't it be great if we could train our own droolers to alert us when our diabetic cats are going hypoglycemic. Would save a bunch on test strips. I know my kitty's ears would thank me. I mean as long as he has to share a house with one of those smelly beasties anyway, might as well put the drooler to use.
 
that would be awesome :)

There is a show with Alan Thicke as host that is called something like Animal Miracles, and often profiles pets who can sense seizures, heart issues, etc. sometimes the pet has been trained, other times the animal is simply sensitive to such things...
 
I have such a dog. I've a deaf and blind double merle Australian Shepherd, Rosalie. Probably because she doesn't get conflicting messages from her ears and eyes, her sense of smell is very acute. She detects changes in blood glucose among other medical conditions that cause a change in scent to her. She's sniffed out liver disease, blood glucose, cancer and end-stage renal failure along with a simple upset tummy on occasion. She doesn't discriminate. If it smells off and lives - she'll alert me quietly.
 
OLM Catnip Cottage said:
I have such a dog. I've a deaf and blind double merle Australian Shepherd, Rosalie. Probably because she doesn't get conflicting messages from her ears and eyes, her sense of smell is very acute. She detects changes in blood glucose among other medical conditions that cause a change in scent to her. She's sniffed out liver disease, blood glucose, cancer and end-stage renal failure along with a simple upset tummy on occasion. She doesn't discriminate. If it smells off and lives - she'll alert me quietly.
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Hi Maureen-

I remember you mentioning your dog before and I think I saw a photo. I didn't realize she was an Aussie. What's a double Merle? How does she alert you and how do you know which issue it is? Or is it that she smells something is "off" and you need to figure out what the problem is? This is very interesting. I think I remember you saying she's a challenging pooch for other reasons. Tell us more!
 
Traci and Boomer said:
OLM Catnip Cottage said:
I have such a dog. I've a deaf and blind double merle Australian Shepherd, Rosalie. Probably because she doesn't get conflicting messages from her ears and eyes, her sense of smell is very acute. She detects changes in blood glucose among other medical conditions that cause a change in scent to her. She's sniffed out liver disease, blood glucose, cancer and end-stage renal failure along with a simple upset tummy on occasion. She doesn't discriminate. If it smells off and lives - she'll alert me quietly.
Click to expand...

Hi Maureen-

I remember you mentioning your dog before and I think I saw a photo. I didn't realize she was an Aussie. What's a double Merle? How does she alert you and how do you know which issue it is? Or is it that she smells something is "off" and you need to figure out what the problem is? This is very interesting. I think I remember you saying she's a challenging pooch for other reasons. Tell us more!
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Yes, she's an Aussie. The Merle gene is the gene that causes the mottling in their color. When a genetic combination causes two Merle Genes in the dog, that is a double Merle. That genetic combination causes an increase in deafness and/or blindness (or in Rosalie's case, Both). Check out amazingaussies.com and aussielads.com for more information.

She just smells something Off. We have to figure out what. She smells many conditions - anything that smells different to her in a person. She alerts us by a very obnoxiously persistent sniffing and licking at the same spot at the same animal or human. You can't get her to leave the person or animal alone. They can't get away from her - she will follow them and single them out and persistently lick lick lick at that same spot on the person or animal.

Yes, she IS Miss Rosalie Chiff, because whenever I put her out I use her formal name - OUT MISCHIEF!
She is the most handicapable dog I've seen.

When she was new in the rescue and available for adoption still, two of our State Policemen did meet her to evaluate her for use as a sniffing dog, and agreed her talents would be very useful to them. They found her most promising - but didn't select her because they confessed they hadn't a clue how to train her. Her handicaps would make their conventional methods of training impossible and they'd have to revise it just for her. Their loss, my gain (Most days. Some days, I might wonder....)
 
Maureen-

That is so cool! So....what would she lick or sniff if a cat was going into a hypo? Would she lick or sniff the entire body? Do you have any pictures of her? It makes me happy that a pooch like this can get around and live a good life. I'm trying to imagine how you potty trained her etc. My goodness, it had to have been challenging!
 
Traci and Boomer said:
Maureen-

That is so cool! So....what would she lick or sniff if a cat was going into a hypo? Would she lick or sniff the entire body? Do you have any pictures of her? It makes me happy that a pooch like this can get around and live a good life. I'm trying to imagine how you potty trained her etc. My goodness, it had to have been challenging!
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For hypos, she generally fussed rather determinedly about the whole cat, but she would focus on the head area, particularly near the nose and mouth (while dodging claws, usually Tristan's, as he would have silent hypos without symptoms.) Tristan could go very low without showing much symptoms, so Rosalie often alerted me first. Tristan was NOT impressed with her attentions. Towards the end she'd fuss at him a lot when he was NOT hypoing and I would get irritated at her for these "false alarms" only to learn that he was in end stage renal failure. She was right.

She goes with us to schools often for talks. At one such event in a room FILLED with kids she kept singling out one child, nosing his stomach. she kept returning to him and kissing at his stomach. I pulled the teacher aside and asked if there was anything wrong with that boy, medically. She said no, he was very healthy but did fuss about a stomach ache. She was sure he was just saying that to get out of something he didn't want to do. I told her Rosalie said he WAS sick in his stomach. She called his parents and he was taken home. He had the stomach flu - was just catching it.

Here she is with Rocky. He had FIV and passed away a bit ago.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j201/ ... IM1279.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j201/ ... Rocky3.jpg
 
Wow again! Amazing stuff. You must be awfully proud. She's pretty too! She's so special; I'm glad you guys found each other. It must be fun bringing her to schools and showing off her skills. I hope you'll give us updates on her from time to time!
 
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