Most of us treat our dogs just like a family. Who wouldn't right? With the unconditional love with drippy little smooches they can give, who could resist their charm? But aside from that, a recent study shows another reason to love these furballs even more, especially to those people suffering from type 1 diabetes.
One of the dogs' best characteristics is their sense of smell. In fact, PBS reported that this is all made possible because of dog nose's three hundred million olfactory receptors. Also, a huge part of the dog's brain is molded to respond basically to stimuli for smell alone.
Given this, experts have organized a research that can maximize the ability of these furry friends, which can possibly save people who are experiencing low glycemic rates, hypoglycemia.
Led by a group of researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, science found a way on how this dog's powerful skill can be used as a means to detect hypoglycemia in people suffering from type 1 diabetes.
Throughout the study, the team work hand in hand with the Medical Detection Dogs, a UK-based charity focused on training canines for medical purposes. The dogs they included in the research were all certified and have been in the advanced training stage.
According to Medical News Daily, featured dog breeds include Labrador retriever, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever mix, collie mix, poodle, lurcher, labradoodle, Yorkshire terrier, and cocker spaniel.
The study, which was reported in the journal PLOS One, shows how effective the dogs were in detecting hypoglycemia to people who are experiencing it. Exposed to over 4,000 instances, the dogs have accurately detected about 83 percent of it.
In the course of the study, the dogs were exposed to their owner's blood sample records and trained to pick up stimuli that are related to the symptoms of hypoglycemia. As the dogs learn the skill, they also alert their humans whenever they have hypoglycemic episodes in return.
"Since the usage of such dogs is growing, it's important that any dogs used for these purposes are professionally trained, matched, and monitored by professional organizations like Medical Detection Dogs.," says Nicola Rooney, the lead author of the study.
The expert also added how important it is to maximize the ability of these pooches for the benefit of improving the lifestyle of those who are sick. She explained, "It's also vital that research continues both to asses true efficacy and determine ways to optimize their [dogs] performance."
