Any pet owner will tell you how amazing pets can be- and not only because of the warm greeting you get when you come home, the unconditional love and affection they give you or the never-ending entertainment they provide. Your average domestic pet, such as a dog, cat or even a lizard can also benefit your general health by reducing stress levels and anxiety, increasing physical activity, easing loneliness and more. Furthermore, experts are beginning to see more and more evidence suggesting that pets can positively benefit specific medical conditions. The greatest effect is seen in dog owners, but the effect is not exclusive to pooches.
Having a pet has been linked to lower risks for developing heart disease and longer life expectancy- due to lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels and higher survival rates after a heart attack when comparing to people who do not own pets; Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. Playing with your pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax. In addition, pet owners over the age of 65 make 30% fewer visits to their doctors. In multiple studies dogs have been able to detect certain kinds of cancer by smelling breath, stool or urine samples.
In the last few years there have also been a few reports of dogs detecting hypoglycemia in their diabetic owners. A research study conducted in Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland suggested that over a third of dogs living with people with diabetes would show behavioral changes when their owner’s blood sugar level had dropped to hypoglycemic levels. Most animals tried to attract their owner’s attention by barking, licking, nuzzling, jumping or staring. One explanation was that dogs can smell the different composition of our sweat or breath.
A recent observational study carried out by researchers from the University of Bristol examined whether dogs could reliably be used as an early-warning system for hypos. Specially trained dogs (“glycaemia alert dogs”) were found to accurately and consistently detect the signs of low or high blood sugar in their owners. Some dogs even brought the measuring kit to their owner when sensing low blood sugar. The glycaemia alert dogs placed with people with diabetes significantly improved the owner’s control over sugar, independence and quality of life.
The enormous potential of these trained dogs is clear- on the lives of people with diabetes and the general costs of long-term health care. But the results of this study have to be taken with a grain of salt- they were based on a very small sample of people, so the results should be interpreted with caution. Also, it was less clear how beneficial the dogs were to longer term diabetes control and disease complications. Another downside – “diabetes-sniffing” dogs have a waiting list of three years, so clearly the demand is much higher than the offer.
Until the benefit of “diabetes-sniffing” dogs is clear and the offer rises, if you are living with diabetes and are concerned that your symptoms are poorly controlled, there are many options which can help you better understand and manage your condition. Using your Dario can give valuable insight on the trends and patterns of your condition so you can be more in control. In addition, we encourage our users to join the Dario Lounge to talk to people that are sharing similar experiences.
By Liran Julia Grunhaus