News

Paws to help

DEC 27, 2006

By Leigh Tonkin

A Parmelia 11-year-old could be one of the first people in WA to have a special diabetes alert dog.

Corey Charles was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago and, unlike some people with the illness, is unable to recognise when his blood sugar falls dangerously low.
His mother, Tracey Charles, said he becomes confused when his blood sugar level fell and has to rely on people around him to prompt him to check his blood sugar.

"My fear is if he went to a friend's house he could become low and not realise and just wander off down the street," she said.

"He becomes very confused and if he doesn't realise he needs treatment he could fall into a coma. This is where the dog comes in - it would alert him and he could then treat himself."

The family are on the waiting list for a dog through Paws for Diabetics, which has to come from New South Wales and be put through a special training program to become a certified assistance dog.

The dogs use their strong sense of smell to detect subtle changes in their owner's pheromones and will tell them of an imminent fall in blood sugar in advance.

Source: The Weekend Courier