I was so fortunate to get my Diabetic alert dog Dutchess in August of this year. She has helped me trememdously since i have been working with her. I have meet so many other diabetics in the area verses before i had her. Which is wonderful most of the time. I have had a couple encounters from people who have diabetes who disagree with my need for the service dog which i find intersting enough. I know the cgms work well for most but it did not for me. I know most diabetics know you can't group us all in one group some things work well for others but not everyone. I know my problems with hypoglycemia unawareness is made much more difficult with how fast at times my blood sugars can drop. I know the cgms did catch some of my lows but not enough to keep me safe. I know i only tried one cgms and i have a feeling that the others were actually better but my insurance only would cover the medtronic version. I made a decision i thought was the best for me and has turned out to have helped in some really bad situations related to low blood sugars.
I was kind of thrown off at the comments from someone who also suffers from hypoglycemia unawareness that i randomly meet. I have meet a couple of people the cgms did not work well for and they tried for quite a while before deciding to go with a service dog. I know there has been a lot of controversy with the diabetic service dog if they are necessary or not. I just wish that people would not try to put me into the type 1 box where everyone's body's will react the same way. I know i have always struggled with dramatic swings in blood sugar. Thank you for letting me complain.
ignore them and always do whats best for you. if a friendly woofer helps thats great and not only will she help with your lows she will get you out walking and all the love she gives unconditionaly.
im a big fan of all helping animals and peeps should be more tolerant and open to the good they do.
I agree… ignore them. Everyone is different. Being hypo is nothing to play with. I’m LADA, but my levels normally run more low than high, and there were a few times that I was so low I don’t even remember what happened. I also passed out once. Very scary. If the dog helps you, and it’s what makes you feel safe, that’s all it’s about.
The dog has helped in so many ways i have lost weight, i don’t have issues with depression currently, and my A1c has improved further. I feel like someone took a great deal of weight off my shoulders from living in fear of what could happen.
I say do whatever works for you and everyone else that does not like it can deal with it. If having a dog makes your life a lot better then have a dog they are wonderful friends, companions and you have a bonus a savior. You only know what goes in your mind and no one around you can dictate what is going to make your quality of life better.
I guess i was shocked that another diabetic wanted to put me in a box of sorts where there is only one solution. It would have been easier if the cgms had worked for me. I plan to revist using the cgms as it continues to improve and hopefully it will help. I know i have some terrible lows and with really bad concequences. Dutchess is keeping me safe so i am truly blessed to have her.
I would like to train my dog as a diabetic alert dog. She does so much for me as far as depression that I really want to take her every where. Can you tell me more about your experience with your diabetic alert dog?
