Consider a Medical Alert Dog

Have you ever heard of a medical alert dog?

The term "man's best friend" refers to more than the loving devotion and companionship that our favorite canines give us. Dogs can be trained to do many things from helping police to guarding our homes from intrusion.

However, the most remarkable of these dogs have very special skills and undergo training to recognize and assist in medical emergencies.

There are many different uses for a medical alert dog. People with diabetes, hypoglycemia, seizures, and other medical conditions are finding that their dogs are sometimes the most help they have.

Psychiatric assistance dogs are not often categorized with medical response and alert dogs, although they go through much of the same training and can perform many of the same tasks.

Bull Terrier

If you have diabetes or hypoglycemia, you know how quickly your blood sugar levels can drop. A medical alert canine can actually sense the changes in a person's blood sugar before the person even knows there's anything wrong.

Specialized training helps these dogs to know what to do in these situations. Once they are fully trained, they should be able to find juice or crackers and bring them to you, alerting you to the impending problem.

If, for some reason your situation gets out of control, the dog can also be trained to help support or brace you and get you to a sitting position safely.

They can call 911, bring you the phone to call for help, or just perform simple tasks such as opening and closing doors or turning lights on and off when needed.

Seizure response dogs are in a class all their own, even when it comes to medical alert dogs. Some seizure response dogs can develop the ability to actually sense the impending seizure much the same way a diabetic dog can sense low blood sugars. Even if they cannot sense the seizure coming, these amazing animals know just what to do when the seizure hits.

They can call for help, pull dangerous objects away from the victim, or move the victim out of danger after the seizure is over. Some people with absence seizures are often in danger of walking into busy streets, obstructions, or dangerous situations and places. The dog is trained to block that person and redirect them to safer pathways.

These alert dogs are trained to react in many different situations. If you are able to get assistance yourself or dial a phone, the dog can bring the phone to you or help you find the assistance you need. If you are not, such as in a situation where you become unconscious, the dog can dial a special canine phone and get emergency help for you.

Any dog of any breed can be trained to be a medical alert dog if they have the right personality and temperament. The main factor in choosing the type of dog you want is the type of help you will need. People who are at risk of falling or having seizures may require larger dogs that can brace them or help them sit or lay down gently.

If you have a serious medical condition, consider getting a medical alert canine. It just may be the decision that saves your life.

Do You Have A Question About Medical Alert Dogs?

Ask Your Medical Alert Dog Question Here!

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

heather shuey  
I was wondering what the guidelines are for these dogs and if you can have other pets and what is the best age to train a dog to do this I am new to all …

jayci antunes 
Are there any small to mid size breeds used for seizures Response from The Alarm Guy Here is link to a site that can help. http://www.k94life.org/html/seizure_aler …

Sleep Apnea Sufferer 
I am wondering where and how to get a dog certified as medical alert dog when they picked up the skill themselves. My male chihuahua is very in tuned …

Curious person 
Do medical alert dogs have the same access as other service dogs to restaurants and other places of business? Yes they do have access as long as they …

Dog training 
Hi, so wondering about training one of my current dogs as a medical alert dog??? Where is the training done? How much is it? I also have 4 other dogs …

Click here to write your own.

Ask Your Home Alarm Question HERE!

From Medical Alert Dog to Medical Personal Alarms

Back to Home Alarms to Alert You

Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.