Diabetic Alert Dog

Virginia-based Guardian Angel Service Dogs, which specializes in training alert dogs for diabetics..

Headed by Dan Warren, who suffers from type 1 diabetes and trained service dogs in the U.S. Marine Corps, Guardian Angel dogs complete an 8-phase training program where they learn to understand human scent and thus can detect whether a person has high or low blood sugar — sometimes 20 to 45 minutes before a spike or drop occurs. 

Murphy noted that when a person's blood sugar is high, he or she emits a sweet smell that is often undetected by humans — but dogs can smell it. When a diabetic's blood sugar is low, the body releases a smell of acetone.

"We custom-tailor the program for each individual's severity, age, [and] geographic location," among other variables, Warren said. The dogs are also trained to fetch glucose tablets, insulin supplies, and other essentials for diabetics.

Read Story : Family hopes diabetic alert dog will help boy live normal life - By Jaime Rebhan - Wareham, MA - Wareham Week VillageSoup