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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Dogs May be a Diabetic's Best Friend


I was just getting ready to retire for the evening, and ran across this interesting article in the Chicago Tribune . . . Charles

Irish researchers hope to prove that a dog's keen sense of smell gives it the ability to watch over the blood-sugar levels of diabetics.

Canines already lead the blind, alert the deaf and help physically disabled people with daily tasks.

Researchers at Queen's University in Belfast are taking the "helpful companion" idea a step further by gathering evidence that could verify that dogs can reliably detect dangerous blood-sugar level drops in diabetics.

At least two organizations in the United States already train dogs to detect low glucose levels. But exactly what the canines notice when a person experiences a blood-sugar low is still a mystery, according to Dogs for Diabetics, in Concord, California. The organization is working with a forensic laboratory to identify a possible odor.

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