I have been reading a great deal of article about people getting Diabetic alert dogs. The part I have issue with is that these articles do not state anything about Hypoglycemia Unawareness. Even if you have frequent highs you don't need a Diabetic alert dog but a CGM would work better. In fact one big struggle for Diabetic alert dogs is dealing with highs from what I have learned and also observed first hand. I know high blood sugars seem to really irritate Duchess and I try to avoid them anyways. I have also seen a great deal of people just diagnosed getting Diabetic alert dogs after several month of being diagnosed. I disagree with this completely because most people will not know if they can feel highs or lows as they should for a while before they can determine if that is so. I also know that you need to learn your Diabetes first before you get a Diabetic alert dog because you will not get the results you need without first knowing your Diabetes. Second when first diagnosed you have too much going on to take on a service dog and they require a great deal of time as well. I think people need to consider a Diabetic alert dog when you have repeated bad lows you can't feel , frequent EMS visits or use of glucagon for bad lows, seizures and other issues. I know I almost lost my job because of my frequent lows. So I had to make a choice to commit to finding what options I had.
I keep hearing from people that there is currently enough Diabetic alert dogs for everyone but that is not true. I know it will be much more difficult when I need to retire Duchess just because of how many people are getting Diabetic alert dogs who might not really need one. I wish I could go back to where I could feel my lows efficiently enough to get by and that is why I have Duchess. I know having a Diabetic Alert dog sounds like so much fun but it is a great deal of work. Honestly I have issues keeping up with it all myself. Especially during my recent Rheumatoid Arthritis flare-up. I know Duchess is not perfect and I keep working on things to keep here where she needs to be as a service dog. I wish others would spend a great deal of time considering how and what a Diabetic alert dog will change.
I know for me I will be Seizure free for two years in September with Duchess help but I also know that I did take some time before I got Duchess. I tried every device possible from insulin pumps, and CGMS to see if that would help me. I even paid out of pocket for the CGMS but gave up after a couple of months because it was missing my lows and was not accurate enough for me. After a couple more bad incidents at work and home I knew I needed help. I know I would not be able to hold a job today without Duchess help. I used to be at work and noticed that an hour or two would slip away because I was low and was drifting off into space. This is not good when you need to be accomplishing things and also are worried about your own safety. I know there is people of all ages who need Diabetic alert dogs but please spend the time really thinking about it because it will in the end affect all of those who really need one to have a some what normal life.
I keep hearing from people that there is currently enough Diabetic alert dogs for everyone but that is not true. I know it will be much more difficult when I need to retire Duchess just because of how many people are getting Diabetic alert dogs who might not really need one. I wish I could go back to where I could feel my lows efficiently enough to get by and that is why I have Duchess. I know having a Diabetic Alert dog sounds like so much fun but it is a great deal of work. Honestly I have issues keeping up with it all myself. Especially during my recent Rheumatoid Arthritis flare-up. I know Duchess is not perfect and I keep working on things to keep here where she needs to be as a service dog. I wish others would spend a great deal of time considering how and what a Diabetic alert dog will change.
I know for me I will be Seizure free for two years in September with Duchess help but I also know that I did take some time before I got Duchess. I tried every device possible from insulin pumps, and CGMS to see if that would help me. I even paid out of pocket for the CGMS but gave up after a couple of months because it was missing my lows and was not accurate enough for me. After a couple more bad incidents at work and home I knew I needed help. I know I would not be able to hold a job today without Duchess help. I used to be at work and noticed that an hour or two would slip away because I was low and was drifting off into space. This is not good when you need to be accomplishing things and also are worried about your own safety. I know there is people of all ages who need Diabetic alert dogs but please spend the time really thinking about it because it will in the end affect all of those who really need one to have a some what normal life.
I have spent years and many hours telling people that contact us exactly what you have so nicely written. But with so many NEW trainers looking for what they think is "easy money" these NEW trainers (that do not know anything about T1, the newly diagnosed minefield, that unawareness is really the only reason a person needs a dog and that most highs are from not testing regularly..(not ALL highs, but usually T2s that call.."I want a dog to tell me to test"..WTH...get a watch with a timer) !! Anyways most want what they want and won't listen..some have even called back to tell me that so and so trainer will sell them a dog, when we wouldn't. OOkkaayy, but just because you can buy something doesn't mean you should and that often ends being an expensive pet... I even said the exact same things to a now famous blogger with black dogs, who now blogs the things I told him...that he did not hear some years back...and so it goes...and so it goes...
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised you are telling them too. I know most people get very upset when I share my perspective. I am in a very bad spot because the demand grows but I am not guaranteed to get another one as easily as I did the first time. The prices have sky rocketed and I know will make it very difficult for me next time.
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