Thursday, July 25, 2013

Learn How To Keep Your Freedom With The Help Of A Jasper TX Diabetic Alert Dog

By Lance Aldinger


Jasper diabetic dogs are trained to alert their handlers to dangerously low or high blood sugar levels. This allows diabetics to take steps to return their levels to normal before complications develop. The service dogs' accuracy and speed are better than those of modern technologies such as continuous glucose monitors or glucose meters.

Type 1 diabetics must frequently check and stabilize their blood sugar levels. Hyperglycemia, persistently high blood glucose, can lead to neuropathy, kidney failure or heart disease. Hypoglycemia, low blood glucose, can cause convulsions, loss of consciousness, and eventually coma. Blood sugar levels can be raised by consuming carbohydrates or lowered with insulin injections.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include fatigue, confusion, dizziness and sweating. However, some diabetics do not experience these warning signs. Their condition is described as hypoglycemic unawareness. If their blood glucose drops to a dangerously low level, they will suddenly pass out.

The service dogs trained in Jasper, Texas are English Labradors, a breed with an acute sense of smell and the instinct to sniff out prey. They are imprinted with blood sugar sample swatches from the time they are 24 hours old. Researchers haven't yet identified the chemical odor compound which relates to hypoglycemia, but Labradors can use their noses to accurately detect it.

The dogs learn to detect blood sugar levels above 180 or below 80 and alert their handlers by pawing at them. They continue physical contact until the diabetic reacts, awaking them from sleep if necessary. The handler can use a glucose meter to confirm the dog's accuracy and proceed to inject insulin or eat something sugary.

Jasper diabetic dogs are socialized so that they can accompany their handlers in any situation. They provide diabetics with the freedom to get on with their lives without constantly worrying about their blood glucose levels. For people with hypoglycemic unawareness, the Labradors can be true lifesavers, ensuring that they never lose consciousness in hazardous circumstances.




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