When we are out in public with Apollo, we get asked a lot of the same questions about diabetes and service dogs. Im not an expert on either, but both are my life, so I feel like I have something to contribute. Heres a few: Diabetes...dont you just have to eat better, take a few supplements...fish oil and cinnamon...okra...and its stable? -if only that were true life would be MUCH easier. Most of the misconceptions of Type 1 diabetes have to do with the fact that its confused with Type 2. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. Its not a result of bad nutrition. Yes, certain foods can wreak havoc on blood sugars, but eating a strict diet and a bunch of supplements wont stabilize blood sugars consistently. Food is not the only factor that contributes to blood sugar fluctuations...hormones, stress, emotions in general, even extreme heat/cold. We have tried sticking to a food regimen but two things happened...my boy was more upset about the regimen than his disease, so emotions kept that from success...and with T1 no two days are the same...so what works today, may not work tomorrow. Is Diabetes THAT bad that you NEED a service dog? -short answer...yes. For Rileys health (all the way around), and the fact that entering puberty has completely changed the T1 game, we knew this was the way we wanted to go. Ry stopped feeling his highs completely and only his lows when he is in a danger zone, if at all. He was getting frustrated and was VERY down. Apollo has changed every aspect of his life and ours, for the better. But thats because Ry wanted him as badly as we did and does most of his handling. Its a commitment we were more than willing to make. How does Apollo know hes high or low? -Scent. He was imprinted as a puppy with smelling low blood sugar scent samples given by T1 diabetics. As he grew up they used low samples to train him to alert to lows, and then he would alert to highs. He stayed with a T1 trainer to give him real time training opportunities to ensure his accuracy. Some dogs dont have the drive or desire to alert consistently. Thankfully, our pup has quite the nose! :) *Why cant we pet Apollo? -The point of having him is for him to focus on Riley. If he gets used to being touched in public, he will enjoy that (he is a lab, after all) and look for it. He will lose his concentration and miss scent cues from Riley. Ultimately, that could put Ry at risk. We know its hard...but we want Apollo to have the least amount of distractions as possible when doing his job. He has Diabetes? Well, at least its not a life threatening disease, like cancer. -No, he doesnt have cancer, leukemia, or a brain tumor....praise God. We know things could be worse...no doubt about that. But, let me tell you...having a chronic disease is NO FUN. Theres hospital visits, blood tests, needles, etc. Ry had to grow up fast...be responsible for his health and keep track of ALOT of diabetic gear. Although you cant tell the struggle on the outside, theres a battle everyday for him on the inside. Not to mention the stress of knowing what we do now affects his health in the future, is a bit nerve racking. Theres a lot of sleepless nights for everyone, and scary moments. So no...its not cancer, but yes, its life threatening...T1 is inconsistent, irrational, frustrating...T1 doesnt play nice.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:05:53 +0000
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