Dogs that are trained to respond to their owners’
hypoglycaemia could offer a very effective way to alert diabetic patients of
impending lowered blood sugars. The findings, published in the journal PLOS
ONE, is the first academic study to assess whether trained dogs could be used
as a reliable early-warning system to monitor glycaemia control.
The Company of Animals-funded study, led by academics at the
University of Bristol, investigated whether specially trained ‘glycaemia alert
dogs’ could accurately and consistently detect the signs of low/high blood
sugar in their owners and alert them when levels were reported to be outside
their target range.