Call me an eternal optimist, but I believe there is always hope for those who are willing to look for it. This does not change regardless of the situation. Diabetes is no different. As long as there is life, there is always hope, that is my sincerest belief.
Imagine being told that your child has been diagnosed with diabetes. The big D word. Oh no, what do I do now? What could I have possibly done to have prevented this? Did I do something so wrong that my child has to suffer for it? All kinds of things must go through a parents mind when such a diagnosis has been made.
Other than the genetic factor it is very unlikely that a parent has done anything at all to have caused a child to become a diabetic.
There is much research being done today to help find a cure and preventative for this disorder. It is a fact that diabetes has been around since at least the very beginning of the medical profession, of course, under various names. The point is that diabetes is not new, and many challenges await those who must endure the many treatment methods available today.
Whether you or your child has diabetes there are a range of treatment methods to be considered. These can be as simple as taking an oral medication each day, as you would a vitamin tablet, or as complex as an insulin injection pump. These treatment options of course are between you and your doctor. Regardless of the method, your medication routine is necessary for maintaining your health and is your responsibility.
Your responsibility for treating your diabetes includes recognizing when your sugar levels are at unacceptable levels. Whether high or low blood glucose levels, it is important to test your blood on a regular basis in order to know when to adjust your medication, or to grab a bite to eat. Often times, after years of these rituals, your body fails to give off recognizable signals that something is just not right. This is the scary part. Failing to recognize that you might be dangerously low can lead to an undesirable episode.
Needless to say, wouldn't it be great to have an emergency backup for those times.
There is new technology today (the application of knowledge for practical ends) that promises to assist the diabetic patient with applying these treatments at critical times in order to maintain optimal levels of health.
This new technology comes in the form of a living, breathing, emotional being. It is "man's best friend". We all know that dogs have a sense of smell that is hundreds of times more sensitive than our own. Because of their incredible ability to sniff out a variety of different odors, dogs have been used for centuries as hunting companions. They have also been used by law enforcement authorities to locate illegal drugs, as well as tracking missing persons. These are just a few of the many applications that dogs have been used for because of their amazing sense of smell.
In recent years notice has been taken that the family "pet" has the ability to tell when there is something going on with the health of a family member. You see, when you are ill your body chemistry can be out of balance. When this happens a persons scent changes. Even if that change is very subtle, it is very likely that any pet that is in your home is able to recognize it.
Even though your pet may recognize a change in your body chemistry, that does not mean that they know how to convey this message to you, or for that matter, that it would be beneficial to you if they could, or that there was something in it for them.
Fortunately, there are trainers available today to assist with the training of diabetic alert dogs. It is not recommended that an alert dog come from within the family home. The reason for this is that the family pet has become so used to all the scents given off by the family members, and there has been no importance placed on the particular scents involved with the diabetic, that it would be very difficult to train the pet to begin alerting.
Therefore, I would recommend that a person looking to find a dog for the purposes of alerting to a diabetics low and high glucose levels, search for trainer that specializes in diabetic alert dogs.
What you should expect from a trained diabetic alert dog is one that is perfectly obedience trained. That means that your dog will listen to what you want them to do and do it every time. Your dog will also need to be public access certified. Your dog will need to be aggressive to the scent of your low glucose levels. Just as we people have different intensities to our personalities, the same is true for dogs. The aggression you will see in any particular dog will depend on that dogs personality.
If you happen to be looking for a diabetic alert dogs for you or someone you love, my wish for you is success. There are many out there who can produce a dog that will suit your needs. Happy hunting.
