One of my characters has juvenile diabetes (I'm a pediatric nurse, so I've got that down pretty good) but he has a service dog who alerts when he has dangerous blood sugar fluctuations. I actually had a patient years ago whose dog laid on top of her and had unwrapped every single peppermint in the dish she kept next to her bed on a nightstand. The dog had them scattered all over her, and the morning home health nurse arrived to find her unresponsive. The dog was amazing! The lady turned out to be okay, by the way.

Anyway, I desperately need to speak with anyone who has a dog who alerts to health crises. Hearing and visual impairments, seizures, etc. I'm going to go with German shepherd for the breed because they're sooo very intelligent.Thanks so much in advance!

Donna

P.S. I'm a nurse and would be willing to help anyone who has any questions regarding nursing. : )

Hi Donna,

I'm sorry to say I don't have any leads for you at the moment, but I find your topic fascinating! Can't wait to hear more about what you are doing!

If I think of anyone, I will let you know ASAP.

Lucy

Hi Donna, I don't know if you're still around, or still seeking info on therapy dogs?  I only joined this site a couple of months ago and found this question, today.  I've raised/trained therapy/guide dogs in the past as an outside puppy raiser for Puppies Behind Bars-Google them as they're an outstanding organization.  The only reason I stopped was b/c they went from guide dogs to bomb sniffing and PTSD and the commands are so numerous that they limited the outside training.  In any event, they strictly use Labrador Retrievers due to their loyalty and the fact that literally nothing phases them, fireworks, thunder or any other kind of loud noises therefore permitting them to completely focus on their task at hand.  I've a therapy dog who's a K9 1st Responder in my home state; we go to any/all disasters.  But, he also goes to hospitals where I've seen him react in kind to special needs kids, and that's w/ no particular training.  We did spend a considerable amount of time w/ the children of Sandy Hook, so that could have be a part of it.  There are dogs that are specifically trained to p/u drops in sugar levels, which as you know, the person gives off an odor similar to a person who's been drinking...ketones? (spelling?)  Same holds true for seizures as in there are changes in the body which a dog can/will p/u.

Don't know if any of the above is helpful, or if you're still around.