4-LEGGED ALARMS

Dogs that alert owners to medical troubles ~

Bob Maher's diabetes was shutting his body down. He no longer got the shakes or the sweats to warn him that his blood sugar was plummeting. Instead, he would just pass out. It made him scared to drive, to be alone, even to sleep. A 2-year-old dog named Chewie is going to change all that.

The auburn Labrador mix named after the Star Wars character Chewbacca, has the ability to detect changes in Maher's blood sugar that are unrecognizable to Maher himself. Chewie then alerts Maher to correct it. To see the phenomenon "just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up," said Jennifer Kriesel, director of development at Canine Partners for Life, a Chester County, Pa., organization that trains service dogs for people with impaired mobility and medical conditions.In June 2004, Bob's wife, Jean, found him unconscious at their Plano, Texas, home. By the time the paramedics arrived, he had no pulse or heartbeat. After that, Jean Maher would wake up several times a night to check Bob's blood sugar, and when he was home she would not leave his side. Then Maher, 64, a project manager, was paired with his new best friend by Canine Partners for Life. Having a 24-hour canine companion "will give both of us greater independence," Maher said. Service dogs assist recipients by helping them balance or walk, opening doors, retrieving objects - even phones - and flipping light switches. Alert dogs were first recognized for detecting seizures, but increasing evidence suggests they can also detect other medical conditions, such as low blood sugar. Maher and Chewie are the first diabetes-alert team Canine Partners has paired up. When Chewie wants to alert Maher to check his blood sugar, the dog stops in front of Maher and refuses to move. Since meeting, Chewie has alerted Maher seven times. Originally skeptical of Chewie's alerts because they would sometimes come right after he had eaten - when low blood sugar should not be a problem - Maher checked his level and realized Chewie was right. Every time! At Canine Partners, about three out of every 10 service dogs appear to have this ability, according to Kriesel.It's unclear exactly how the dogs sense blood-sugar problems or impending seizures. It may be changes in a person's scent or electrical activity in the body or brain, Kriesel said. Each dog costs about $20,000 to train, although the non-profit agency asks for a $900 donation from recipients. Its waiting list for dogs is currently eight to 18 months. ~Shirley Wang Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0810petdiabetic0810.html