The first academic study to assess whether dogs could be
reliably used to ¬provide an early-warning system to monitor glycaemia control
has been carried out by researchers from the University of Bristol and
published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Experts have proved for the first time that dogs trained to
respond to their owner’s low blood sugar levels can save them from a
potentially fatal hypoglycaemic attack. The animals use their acute sense of
smell to detect changes in the chemical composition of their owner’s sweat or
breath. They can be taught to raise the alarm by barking, pawing or even
fetching a blood testing kit.