Some highly trained dogs can sniff out upcoming health crisis in people

A mother on Instagram posted how her seven years old daughter has a medical watchdog alerting her every time the blood sugar drops below the baseline.

Kennedy has type 1 diabetes and requires constant monitoring throughout the day and night, with her safe blood sugar range lying between 75 and 145.

Apart from the monitoring devices, her family has also adopted a medical service dog, an animal trained to detect low blood glucose in the body.

Unlike pets, service dogs are highly trained canines undergoing rigorous training in responding to specific medical conditions and disabilities.

Many of them are trained in response tasks like: retrieving a medicine kit, bringing a phone or pressing an emergency button or bringing in help.

However, they are not a replacement for medical help or monitoring devices, experts have said.

Detecting medical emergencies

A medical alert dog is trained to usually alert the person before the onset of some medical conditions like dropping blood sugar in bloodstream, oncoming seizures, presence of allergens in the food, onset of  migraine attacks (especially ones with aura), anxiety attacks and changes in the heart rate.

With an extraordinary sense of smell, these dogs are able to detect changes in physiology. They do it by smelling altered components in a person’s sweat or saliva.

If they detect an incoming health danger, they alert the caretakers or the patient by pawing, nudging, crying, barking or bringing in help from the surrounding.

For instance, in type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make insulin and it has to be injected from the outside. A common downside of these injections is hypoglycemia or sudden dropping of blood glucose. This requires monitoring, even more so in cases of children like Kennedy while they are playing or sleeping.

A chemical called isoprene, found commonly in human breath, is found to rise in levels when the blood sugar drops. These dogs can sense the changed chemistry and alert the person, sometimes even before the physical symptoms start to show up.

While wearable or non- monitors are essential for diabetics, having a service dog can assist in bringing down the anxiety and offer a double reassurance. 

Speaking to DH, Dr Nimitt Nagda, a physician at the Zynova Shalby Hospital (Mumbai) said: “Service dogs are well- trained to detect medical emergencies, mainly when it comes to conditions like diabetes, which can be of support for both patients and caregivers. So, the dogs can sense through scent that the blood sugar levels go too high or too low. They can pick up these changes even before symptoms appear and alert the person by actions like pawing, nudging, or even constantly barking by looking at the person. The dog can also help with supervision at night or while doing daily activities.”

However, they are not a replacement for emergency care in a clinic or hospital, said Dr Nagda.

More independence, reduced anxiety

Many people with chronic medical conditions like diabetes or epilepsy feel dependent on others for safety and crisis management.

However, the service dogs can alert the onset of a medical episode much earlier than it shows up visibly, also they can assist the children who are going to school or to a playground, an elderly person who wishes to travel, thus making them more independent.

Speaking to DH, Dr Ravindra Zore, a chief intensivist and ICU head at the Zynova Shalby hospital said: “These dogs can alert by bringing a phone, medication, or glucose kit, or pushing a medical alert button, and saving the life of the patient. Sometimes, they are able to spot changes up to an hour before they occur, ensuring independence and safety for the person. This can help avoid urgent hospital visits and negative outcomes. For caregivers, it brings a sense of confidence, knowing there is someone there to help in  monitoring, especially for vulnerable individuals with extremely high diabetes and at risk of sudden episodes.”

Limitations

While service dogs can be helpful to some extent, their role in healthcare is only supportive and not frontline.

Moreover, these dogs are expensive and the owner has to consistently invest in their training. 

As per reports, there have been instances where service pets flagged danger when there was none and other times they missed symptoms when asleep or distracted.