Seizure Dogs - Angles with Cold Noses

There is no question that seizure-alert dogs save lives; however, there is a misconception that any seizure dog can trained to alert. This is not so. Although it would be a wonderful gift for anyone who suffers from epilepsy to have a dog that can warn them of an oncoming seizure, studies out there are telling us that there are not many of these wonderful animals that can actually detect an oncoming seizure. In 1998 Deborah Dalziel and colleagues research coordinators for the University of Florida Veterinary Medicine, did a study on 29 dogs. Of the 29, only nine of the dogs actually responded to a seizure and only three of these dogs actually alerted their human companion to an impending seizure.

Now, this is not to deter anyone not to believe that these great dogs are not out there, they are, they may not be as accessible as people might want to believe. The studies done at the University of Florida were too small to be conclusive. The dogs that can detect oncoming seizures are still a big mystery of how they can know this, or what it is about their human parents that allows them the ability to detect oncoming seizures. Some theorize that it's the dog's sense of smell, while others think the dogs are responding to electrical impulses being emitted from their human companions, or the dogs themselves are just so attuned to their owner's body language that they can sense even the most minuet changes in the demeanor.

There are different types of seizure dogs depending on the skill set they either have or acquire through training. Seizure-Alert dogs assist their human companions before a seizure occurs. Seizure-Response or Assist dogs assist during and after a seizure. The Seizure-assist dogs can be trained to stay close to their companions for the duration of the seizure by lying next to them or even over them while the seizure is happening. Afterward they can fetch medications, a phone or caretaker. These dogs assist their companions but do not alert them of oncoming seizures. When referring to service seizure dogs, the emphasis is usually placed on how well the dog can assist the human companion.

The relationship between canine and human is a type of "Love at first bark". The person receiving a service dog must understand the type of commitment that comes with these animals, and must be physically, emotionally and financially capable of taking care of these dogs. It is a lifetime commitment and different than owning a pet. The training, health and good working relationship with a vet that understands the needs of these dogs, the dogs take their jobs very seriously; they seem to realize how important their jobs are. Playtime and exercise is also very important since these activities help in keeping the dog's stress level down.

There is no doubt, what ever specific job a service dog is suppose to do, they do it eagerly and without complaint. Most trainers would swear these dogs know they have an important job to do, and they are very happy to do it. For their companions, these dogs have opened a door for them, allowing them a greater independence than they ever thought possible. Adults have the opportunity to work and live on their own depending on what type of epilepsy they have.

Debbie's type of epilepsy is called Atonic Attacks which cause the muscles in the body to relax, making her to fall suddenly causing all types of injuries due to the falls, these seizures also leave her helpless. Her seizure dog's name is Max, a German Shepard. She received Max when he was 8 months old and had gone through extensive training to not only help take Debbie out of harms way during an oncoming attack, but he stands over her to protect her from people robbing her when she's down. Debbie has always been independent and works a full time job, but when ever she was out doing other things and have an attack, she had been robbed of all her jewelry and money, this happened at least three time before she received Max. She even had a nurse at a hospital relieve her of her rings. How sick is that? Robbing a defenseless woman when she's having a seizure? Now that Debbie has Max, she feels more comfortable getting out and about because Max does not let anyone near her while she's down.

Another woman told of her dog being so protective over her that when she needed help from EMTs, they could not get close to her because the dog would not let them. One EMT worried that the dog would have to be put down in order to help his companion, but with some kind and gentle talking, the dog calmed down enough for the EMTs to do their job. Even though the EMT knew the dog was doing his job, if he had persisted to protect his master, in order to save a human life the dog would have been put down. Maybe the dog realized that and that's why he backed off.

One mother of a nine year old boy cannot say enough good things about the seizure dog her son received. For most of her son's life, he suffered from seizures so bad that three times he had to be hospitalized due to broken facial bones and teeth. One time, her son had knocked himself unconscious because he hit his head so hard on the floor during a seizure. Now, because of her sons seizure alert dog Buddie, she doesn't have to hover over him every minuet of the day like she used to. Buddie is one of the special few that can warn of an oncoming seizure. "This dog is a Godsend", she say's. "He senses when Timothy is about to have a seizure and warns us by barking and running back and forth between him and either me or his father, telling us that a seizure may be on the way. Now, we get Timothy to a safe place before he has a chance to hurt himself." Timothy also gets to go outside and be with his friends with the dog by his side, which gives him some independence. After the novelty of having the dog wore off, Tim's buddies pretty much let Buddie do his job. Tim's seizures are also not so violent anymore, and he has them less often. Doctors feel that Timothy may be growing out of these violent episodes, but the family feels that with Buddie around, he has a calming effect over Tim's nerves. Sometimes the question of why doesn't need to be looked into so much, as just being happy with results.

There are plenty of stories like these about these wonderful dogs. Not only do most people love dogs in the first place, but doing these noble jobs makes them even more special. Any dog can be trained to be a service dog. It doesn't take a specific breed although some breeds are trained for certain types of service jobs, like with Max. A lot of these dogs are taken from the pound and donations. If done at an early age, even the family pet can be trained to be a service dog. Since a lot of people with disabilities are in a wheelchair, most of the dogs are on the medium to large size. Also, service dogs need to have the ability to "get stuff" and if necessary pull their companions to safety if the need arises.

Now, I need to say this story is to inform people of the wonderful things these dogs contribute to their human companions. I do believe most of these families believe these service dogs coming into their lives are nothing short of a miracle. The improvement seen in their epileptic family members is real. However, this story does not want to give anyone "false hope" that getting one of these dogs for a family member will cure that family member by any means. Studies have shown that animals do calm nerves, lower blood pressure, and bring happiness into the lives they touch. Angles come in all shapes and sizes, some don't even have wings because they don't plan on going anywhe, these angles are happy with us right here, with all four paws on the ground.