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When choosing diabetes alert dog, consider dog’s health, trainer’s experience
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A diabetes alert dog is not just any family pet — it is a significant investment and commitment. Therefore, health care providers should urge their patients with diabetes to do their research and choose a dog and trainer carefully.
According to diabetes alert dog trainer Becky Causey, owner of Causey Labradors and Training LLC, the first thing to look for is a trainer with established experience with service dogs.
"Patients should definitely check the references for previous clients, make sure their dogs are well-suited to the family and are working well," she said. "You also want to make sure that the dog being used comes from parents who have health testing. These dogs cost between $15,000 and $25,000. It’s a really big investment.”
Some organizations use rescue dogs, which may be admirable, but also a risk in terms of health history, Causey said.
"I recently spoke to a woman who had a service dog that... died at 5 years old,” she said. “It was a rescue, and it turned out the dog had a congenital heart disease that no one knew about until he was suddenly unwell. For a dog that is a rescue, there should be a reduced rate or some sort of health guarantee.”
Evan Los, MD, assistant professor of pediatric endocrinology at East Tennessee State University, said there is currently no certifying agency for diabetes alert dogs, and he cautioned against believing any promise that sounds “too good to be true.”
"If the trainer or dealer says, ‘I guarantee they’re going to pick up 90% of your low blood sugars,’ then it’s totally bogus,” he said.
Causey, whose son has type 1 diabetes, said she puts a great deal of value on the trainer's knowledge of the disease. She said a trainer who lacks knowledge or experience with type 1 diabetes is less likely to train their dogs effectively.
"I have a really hard time trusting a trainer who doesn't personally know anyone with type 1 diabetes, who can’t tell me at what point someone is low or doesn’t know the difference between a pump and a CGM,” she said. “Diabetes is the focus of training the dog. Some trainers are just collecting a sample and training the dog, without really understanding what they’re training for. I don’t see how these trainers can really understand the importance of the of the dog being able to do what it can do.”
Los said a diabetes alert dog can add to a type 1 diabetes management plan, but a dog should not be purchased solely for detecting hypoglycemia.
“A device isn’t fluffy and cute, but it’s going to work,” he said. “It has a customer service line, and your insurance will pay for it. With dogs, none of that.” – by Jennifer Byrne
For more information:
Becky Causey can be reached at 1092 Kearneysville Pike, Kearneysville, WV 25430; email: wvcauseys@frontiernet.net.
Evan Los, MD, can be reached at 408 North State of Franklin Road, Suite 31B, Johnson City, TN 37604; email: losea1@mail.etsu.edu.
Disclosures: Causey reports she is owner of Causey Labradors and Training LLC. Los reports no relevant financial disclosures.