News

Aramis is a ‘wonder dog' for diabetes

FEB 16, 2006

Natalie dropped into The Bush Tele Shop last week with her dog Aramis. We love to chat to people at The Bush Tele Shop, especially when they bring their doggie in to say, “Hello”. But Aramis is a very special dog. He is a Diabetic Awareness Dog in training.

Aramis is from a charity called Paws for Diabetics Inc that trains diabetic awareness dogs for diabetic people.

Natalie of Berowra Heights was diagnosed a year and a half ago. “A worry for me is the hypo’s. (Hypoglycaemic attacks),” said Natalie.

Diabetic Awareness Dogs are trained to alert the diabetic owner of an impending hypoglycaemic attack even before the owner gets symptoms. If given warning, the Diabetic can easily avoid an attack by eating jelly beans or something sugary. “If you can be warned before you get the symptoms or even become unconscious, these dogs are a great asset,” said Natalie.

Diabetic Awareness Dogs are especially useful for elderly people living alone, or parents who worry about their children having an attack, especially at night. These dogs are trained to wake the diabetic before they become unconscious whilst asleep, or if the diabetic person will not wake, they are trained to alert someone else in the house.

“As I am a chronic asthmatic and get sick with that often, sometimes it is hard to control my blood sugar levels. This is where Aramis will be of great assistance,” said Natalie.

Aramis begins his training which will take between a year and 18 months. Aramis, a Shetland Sheepdog by breed, is from a bloodline of alerting dogs (his parents both ‘alert’), but he is only the second dog in Australia to be in training as a certified Diabetic Awareness Dog. Aramis has the same rights as a guide dog. He will be permitted to go into public places and travel on public transport. “Like a guide dog, when he is out with me, people must be aware not to pat Aramis as he is ‘on the job’,” said Natalie.

Paws for Diabetics Inc. is a charitable non-profit organisation of dedicated volunteers, involved in the training and placement of diabetic alert dogs. These dog are the latest tool in Diabetes management, as they give their people warning well in advance of an impending hypoglycaemic episode, allowing for prompt treatment to avert the episode from happening. A hypoglycaemic attack left untreated can lead to coma and even death, so these dogs are real life-savers.

Dogs are placed free of charge to those who meet the criteria, and recipients are given extensive training on handling and caring for an assistance dog. Training the dogs is an expensive exercise, and we rely on donations to fund this training.



Source: The Hornsby Bush Telegraph