Karen suffers from serious condition known as Addison’s disease that causes the adrenal glands to malfunction and not produce enough of the steroid hormone known as cortisol. Karen’s condition was exacerbated due to tumours being found on her adrenal gland that had to be surgically removed. This has meant that Karen has no cortisol reserve in her body at all. The symptoms are unpleasant enough but, if the cortisol levels become dangerously low, the patient’s condition becomes critical and can lead to death, if not treated quickly.

Karen contacted Medical Detection Dogs to see if they could help. No dog had been used to detect cortisol levels before but the organisation was willing to give it a try and with Karen’s determination to take on a challenge, Coco was successfully trained to be the first dog in the world to assist an Addison’s disease sufferer.

Karen has very little time from the time of feeling unwell to a full blown crisis but now Coco, who carries her injection kit with him in his vest, will warn her when the cortisol levels are dropping and will persist until he gets the message through. “People have already noticed that I am much more confident since having Coco,” says Karen. “I sleep better knowing he will alert me if my levels drop while I’m asleep. I can also relax when out and about knowing that Coco is there to look after me. As long as I have my knight in shining armour with a waggy tail with me by my side, I’m not scared of anything anymore”.

Geoff and ‘Buttons’

Geoff has suffered from Diabetes for a number of years. Geoff’s health became very poor after a number of years with hyperglycaemic blood and sadly in 2008 he had to have an amputation below the knee and suffered from severe kidney damage. Geoff and his wife were in constant fear or his unrecognisable hypoglycaemic events which would result in emergency paramedic callout and therefore Geoff continued to cause damage through high blood sugars. Since the placement of Buttons, who alerts accurately and reliably, Geoff is able to maintain healthy blood sugars in the safe knowledge that Buttons will alert him whenever his blood sugars start to drop to an unsafe level. This has dramatically improved his health, well being and the family’s peace of mind. He can now be left alone for short periods without fear of medical emergency.

At the age of 10 I was diagnosed with Diabetes. Right from diagnosis it was discovered I had insulin intolerance, only injecting small amounts of insulin and getting terrible hypoglycaemias. Into my teens these got worse and changing my insulin seemed to have little effect. I had tests and was told I had borderline Addison's disease, which subsequently I found seriously affects my diabetes and vice–versa. Things like temperature changes and hormones drastically affected my blood sugar levels, they were going very high and then drop dramatically. My family were terrified; I could walk around sounding totally normal with a blood sugar of 0.9. I do not get any warning signs when my blood sugar is dropping.

I got Poppy when she was a puppy and we instantly had a bond. I have a husband and four stepchildren. Poppy loves them all, however has always wanted to remain close to me. We started to notice that at certain times she didn’t want to be near me. She would start nipping my fingers if I was sitting with her and more and more she would want to get away from me. We noticed her behaviour was consistent with my blood sugar levels falling. I was told by someone about bio-detection dogs in the UK so I got in touch.

Poppy was assessed and her warning signals were very apparent, she was accepted by Cancer and Bio-detection Dogs for training as a Hypo Alert Dog. They have been supporting us and helping to ensure her other behaviours are bought up to the standard of a fully trained assistance dog. I have been taught how to read what she is saying to me more effectively and help make her warning signals less anxious for her.

Having learnt what Poppy's behaviour was about has changed my life dramatically. I feel so much safer in places if she is with me - to know that I am not going to act like I am drunk with low blood sugar or pass out is very reassuring... She has saved my life on several occasions and I love her dearly.

In the Downings family both father and his 8 year old son suffer from brittle diabetes with poor hypoglycaemic awareness. Roots, a cocker spaniel, was donated to us by a generous breeder and launched our now well established sponsor a puppy appeal. Roots has been trained to alert to both dad and Jack before their blood sugar drop to dangerously low levels. Roots currently accompanies Neil to work but when at home also alerts Jack. Roots is in the final stages of advance training.

Rebecca was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago. She has to inject herself four times a day with insulin and carry out up to seven blood sugar level tests to try and avoid falling into a coma. Rebecca used to collapse three or four times a week, unable to feel any change in her sugar levels but since we placed three year-old Shirley, a yellow Labrador-Golden Retriever cross, the fear of collapsing has lessened. As a Hypo Alert dog trained to sense the change in odour when sugar levels drop or increase, Shirley can reliably warn Rebecca by licking her hands, sitting on her lap and even fetching help. She has already potentially saved the life of Rebecca quite a few times by prompting her to check her blood sugar levels. Rebecca's mother, Claire says "She would regularly collapse and be taken to hospital, sometimes four times a week. Since Shirley arrived she has had her confidence back and it has been a massive relief to us. Shirley goes most places with Rebecca. They are soul-mates, they get on so well." Night times were particularly difficult for Claire. She wasn’t sleeping worrying that her daughter could be taken ill during the night without her knowing. Since Shirley has been the family’s night watch dog Claire can now sleep without constantly worrying if Rebecca is okay. She has woken Claire on a number of occasions when Rebecca has been in trouble, this quick action has meant that she didn’t need to be rushed to hospital.

I have had diabetes since a child, for 39 years, although far from perfect apart from those 'teenage years' I have always tried to manage my diabetes well. For the last 15 years I have  had very little or no hypo awareness and can be quite happily walking around unaware that my blood sugar level is at 1.1  (below 4.0 is hypo).

As a consequence of having diabetes a long time, 10 years ago I was diagnosed with early stage retinal maculopathy, which means I am very likely to lose my sight.  Then 8 years ago to everyone’s shock I had my first heart attack followed by a second 1 1/2 years later.  The year before this happened was incredibly difficult, I was collapsing on an almost daily basis from severe hypos, my family were constantly worrying and tried not leave me on my own and I lost my confidence, felt very frustrated and became very nervous about going out.  I now know that research is showing the links of heart attacks to repeated severe hypos and it is very likely that this is what happened to me. I now have a complex heart condition and take a lot of drugs every day, some of which mask low blood sugar.  I have also been repeatedly told by Doctors that the next severe hypo could cause another heart attack which I might not survive.  It is a constant battle, diabetes quite often does its own thing and it doesn’t matter how hard you try.

Having Kiska in training as a hypo alert dog has made such a difference to both my own and family’s lives, her accuracy is quite astounding.  At home she is warning me of low blood sugars at least 95% of the time on a daily basis.  She is picking up when my blood sugar levels are dropping quickly so I have chance to drink or eat something before it’s too late!  My last severe hypo was in April this year (in the middle of Sainsbury’s!) which is the longest I have ever gone in 39 years without collapsing.  Without doubt my confidence is growing and for all of my family our lives are much happier, mine especially.Kiska is very special to me, I am finally allowed to have ‘a dog’ on my bed at night and no one moans’.