Diabetes-sniffing Dogs Save Lives

Posted on June 25, 2009 in Animals, Health & Medicine

Although heroic dogs have also been known to detect illegal drugs and certain cancer cells, new diabetes research shows that canines can also sniff out tiny changes that occur when a person is about to have a hypoglycemic attack.

Super-sensitive dog noses can detect when blood sugar levels fall, which doctors hope will allow the pets to warn their diabetic owners in time to get them medical help. A survey last December by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast found that 65 percent of 212 people with insulin-dependent diabetes reported that when they had hypoglycemic episodes their dogs reacted by whining, barking or licking.

Animal trainers are now working with rescue dogs that will be paired up with diabetic owners, many of them children. The Cancer and Bio-Detection Dogs research center works to develop the dogs’ ability to detect signs of a diabetic attack.

It’s also possible that scientists could develop an electronic nose that mimics a dog’s sense of smell. Although models are now about 15 years behind dogs’ keen senses, the noses could serve to sniff out diabetes and other dangerous diseases.