Dogs have played a role in health care for hundreds of years. In fact, dogs were used to guide blind people back in the 16th century. Today, dogs are being trained to sniff out various conditions such as nut allergies, diabetes and Addison’s disease. Some studies suggest that they can sniff out malaria and Parkinson’s disease.
There was a recent study done that showed that dogs can potentially sniff out Type 1 diabetes. The study was carried out by the University of Bristol Veterinary School. The study lasted for 12 weeks. There were 27 dogs in the study. They had been trained to detect hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia is a condition where the blood sugar is too high. Hypoglycemia is a condition where the blood sugar is too low.
The results of the study showed that the dogs were able to detect hypoglycemia 83 percent of the time. They were also able to detect hyperglycemia 67 percent of the time. Dr. Nicola Rooney is one of the researchers who was involved in the study. She said that a person’s quality of life is improved when they have a medical detection dog.
She also said that previous studies have illustrated how medical detection dogs can help on a small scale. This is the first study to show how medical detection dogs can help on a large scale. There are a variety of ways that a dog can alert a person when their sugar is too high or too low. They may nudge them or paw them.
A medical detection dog can prevent a person from suffering serious diabetes complications. They can check their sugar after their dog alerts them. This can alert them to either get something to eat or take steps to prevent their blood sugar from getting higher. Some dogs are trained to get snacks for their owners or get the emergency phone.
