Dogs may help diabetes patients regulate blood sugar: Study

Trained dogs have the potential to vastly improve the quality of life of people living with Type 1 diabetes by helping them regulate their blood sugar in a non-invasive way, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal PLOS One, found that on average trained dogs alerted their owners to 83 per cent of hypoglycaemic episodes in over 4,000 hypo- and hyper-glycaemic episodes that were examined.

A hypoglycaemic episode is where blood sugar drops dangerously low and if left untreated, can lead to unconsciousness or even death.

The findings by researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK confirm that alert dogs can help Type 1 diabetes patients regulate their blood sugars in a non-invasive way and avoid the risks of hypoglycaemic episodes and hyperglycaemia.

"We already know from previous studies that patients' quality of life is vastly improved by having a medical detection dog," said Nicola Rooney from the University of Bristol.

"However, to date, evidence has come ..