The best trained alert dogs have the potential to improve the quality of life of patients with type 1 diabetes

A new study from the University of Bristol, in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs, has shown that the best trained alert dogs have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of people with diabetes of type 1.

As reported in PLOS One, average trained dogs alerted their owners on 83% of episodes of hypoglycemia on more than 4,000 episodes of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia that were examined. A hypoglycaemic episode occurs when blood sugar drops dangerously and if it is not treated, it can lead to loss of consciousness or even death.

The results confirm that alert dogs can help type 1 patients to regulate their blood glucose levels in a noninvasive manner and to avoid the risks of hypoglycemic episodes and hyperglycemia.

Lead author Dr. Nicola Rooney of the Bristol Veterinary School said: "We had already learned in previous studies that patients' quality of life improved considerably with the presence of a medical screening dog. However, to date, small-scale studies have provided evidence.This study constitutes the first large-scale evaluation of the use of medical detection dogs to detect hypoglycemia. "

In this study, Bristol researchers evaluated the reliability of 27 trained blood glucose alert dogs, whose owners provided detailed blood registers for six to twelve weeks for each dog alert.

Medical Detection Dogs train pet dogs to react to the smell of human illness and help homeowners live with life-threatening illnesses. Familiar with their owners, dogs are conditioned to react by alert behaviors when their owners' blood glucose is outside the target range.

Encouraged by his dog's alert behavior, if such out-of-range episodes occur, the patient can take appropriate action, usually by administering insulin or by eating to maintain the proper level of glucose. .

Dr. Rooney, Lecturer in Animal Welfare and Behavior, added, "Our research shows that a dog's effectiveness is affected by the individual dog and his relationship with his human partner. Since the use of this type of dog is developing, it is important that all dogs used These goals are trained, compared and monitored by professional organizations such as Medical Detection Dogs. It is also essential that research be done continue to evaluate the actual efficiency and determine ways to optimize their performance. "

Dr. Claire Guest, General Manager and Co-Founder of Medical Detection Dogs, said, "These results are great news for anyone living with type 1 diabetes and other ailments." Medical screening dogs are primarily intended for to patients looking for more effective and independent ways to manage their condition.

"Our dogs also serve the medical community as a whole by providing proactive, natural, non-invasive solutions that bring innumerable psychological benefits.

"As natural companions with an extremely refined sense of smell, why could not they detect changes in our personal health?"