Best Diabetic Alert Dog Breeds for Children

Diabetes alert dog breeds for children can quickly pick up when a child’s blood sugar levels drop below normal.

These puppies and adult canines can also detect high glucose levels in the blood before they become life threatening.

Labradors are among the best diabetes alert dog breeds for children. This is because of their acute sense of smell. Dog breeds that are trained for this purpose usually make good companions and are fairly easy to train. Some people have noted that cats that have lived with them for a while are also alert to lows.

The following organizations train dogs for placement with children or older persons who have diabetes:
1. 4PawsforAbility.org
2. EarlyAlertCanines.org
3. AlertServicesDogs.com
4. Wildrose Kennels

Some of these organizations accept a limited number of applications each year. For example, Wildrose Kennels will only accept new applications in January 2014. If you are an adult who worries about sleeping through the night safely, or you have an elderly diabetic parent, a canine that is trained as a diabetic alert dog can help to bring you peace of mind. Dogs and cats can be extremely sensitive to high and low blood sugar.

Hypoglycemia is used to describe low blood sugar. Some diabetics suffer from hypoglycemic unawareness. When this happens, an individual's blood sugar will drop rapidly without any warning, leading to confusion and disorientation. In fact, this affects more than 15% of all persons who have Type 1 diabetes. People with this condition may pass out while they are at school or work.

When someone has hypoglycemic unawareness, their blood sugar can drop before they have any time to do anything about it. They may suddenly feel lightheaded and before they can even reach into their handbag or the glove compartment of their car for a sweet, they start to pass out. They enter a state of confusion and may not even remember why they are reaching for something sweet to eat.

If a diabetic's blood sugar remains low for too long, they may have seizures or become unconscious. Emergency medical care is often required if someone does not step in to help them before things reach that stage.

Diabetes alert dogs can help children and adults who may not be aware of the symptoms that their blood sugar is dropping. These symptoms include rapid heartbeat, blurred vision and skin tingling. Diabetes alert dogs can also help people who do not experience any of the symptoms of low blood sugar. People with hypoglycemic unawareness have been able to benefit tremendously by having a trained canine with them at all times.

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Diabetes alert dogs use scent to pick up when a person's blood sugar is low and they are right 90% of the time. They are trained to detect changes in the sweat of a diabetic person and will lick their hand or otherwise signal them to let them know that their blood sugar is dropping. At night, they can wake their people if their blood sugar is dropping too low.

Diabetes alert dogs detect the signs of low blood sugar before their people can. They do not use visual cues, so they do not have to wait until blood sugar changes have affected the body so much that people can see the effect on someone's face or behavior. Diabetes alert dogs may usually be assigned to children who have been on insulin for at least a year and are at least 12 years old.

By law, diabetes alert dogs can accompany children to class or adults to work. The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act states that organizations that serve members of the public must allow these dogs to accompany their people into areas where customers are permitted to enter.

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