A Sniff Sense
Seizure-alert dogs

by Mandy Evans

Dogs play an important role in the lives of families as a happy distraction to a hectic life. A dog owner knows when he has a bad day his dog will be there as a non-judging, cheerful party welcoming him home. There are some people who rely on dogs for more than their happiness but for their health. Service dog trainers are offering individuals who suffer from seizures a new option to a more fulfilling life.

Seizure-alert dogs use their keen senses to recognize specific changes in their owner prior to a seizure. The dog is able to provide their owner with an obvious signal to notify them thereby providing enough time to take action to control the situation. This dog is now not only a best friend but a life enhancing partner.

Seizures can be debilitating to the sufferer because they can cause symptoms of extreme fear, injuries from falling, disorientation, public embarrassment and much more. By having a trained seizure-alert dog the owner not only can rely on being notified prior to the seizure so they can sit down but they have a friend to stand by them through the episode.

Recent studies have shown Dogs help lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Stress can be a key factor in the frequency of seizures. By having a dog with them stress levels decrease and for some the occurrences decrease.

Information on how dogs are able to detect a seizure is anecdotal. No formal studies have been done to provide us with a cohesive conclusion. There seems to be a pattern of recognizing the person is going to have the seizure and then alerting the owner. The question is how do they know? Assumptions have been made that the dog perceives a slight change in a person's body language or behavior. Or the odor of a person changes prior to a seizure. Whatever the method may be these very special dogs can not be trained in the traditional sense they need to be encouraged.

The alerting process for the seizure can be difficult to recognize initially. It takes a good observer to recognize the dog's unique method of notification. Some dogs lick their owners hand, bark at them, whine, get restless and even gather their toys in front of their owner. Since each process of notification is different the owners become keenly aware of their dog creating a wonderful relationship.

For more information on seizure-alert dogs or if you suffer from seizures and are interested in obtaining one, please contact one the following organizations.

www.k94life.org
www.deltasociety.org
www.caninecompanions.org
www.ismi.net