Re: seizure dogs question?

November 23, 2004

HI there Carol,

Stella's mom here, we have a golden retriever who does get panicky when

stella seizes, I think most of that comes with observing our behaviour. If

we are not in the room ,she has been know to alert us.

However, there is a womens prison here in Washington called purdy prison,

they train dogs there as seizure dogs. I know my daughter did not qualify

for the program as she is only 5, i believe the person to whom the dog is

for needs to be 14 or older.

Another option which i can research further for you in you want; there is an

adult here in seattle probally early 20's who is having his dog trained by

someone who specializes in seizure dog training. I know his dog came from a

litter of both mom and dad who recognizes seizures too.

amanda

--

-mom to Stella, 5years old, started keto diet May 10th 2004 still

waiting to be seizure free. Also on Lamictal, epam and Diamox. Anisa

is almost 10 and a happy healthy girl.

November 23, 2004

HI there Carol,

Stella's mom here, we have a golden retriever who does get panicky when

stella seizes, I think most of that comes with observing our behaviour. If

we are not in the room ,she has been know to alert us.

However, there is a womens prison here in Washington called purdy prison,

they train dogs there as seizure dogs. I know my daughter did not qualify

for the program as she is only 5, i believe the person to whom the dog is

for needs to be 14 or older.

Another option which i can research further for you in you want; there is an

adult here in seattle probally early 20's who is having his dog trained by

someone who specializes in seizure dog training. I know his dog came from a

litter of both mom and dad who recognizes seizures too.

amanda

--

-mom to Stella, 5years old, started keto diet May 10th 2004 still

waiting to be seizure free. Also on Lamictal, epam and Diamox. Anisa

is almost 10 and a happy healthy girl.

November 23, 2004

HI there Carol,

Stella's mom here, we have a golden retriever who does get panicky when

stella seizes, I think most of that comes with observing our behaviour. If

we are not in the room ,she has been know to alert us.

However, there is a womens prison here in Washington called purdy prison,

they train dogs there as seizure dogs. I know my daughter did not qualify

for the program as she is only 5, i believe the person to whom the dog is

for needs to be 14 or older.

Another option which i can research further for you in you want; there is an

adult here in seattle probally early 20's who is having his dog trained by

someone who specializes in seizure dog training. I know his dog came from a

litter of both mom and dad who recognizes seizures too.

amanda

--

-mom to Stella, 5years old, started keto diet May 10th 2004 still

waiting to be seizure free. Also on Lamictal, epam and Diamox. Anisa

is almost 10 and a happy healthy girl.

November 23, 2004

I have a friend that I will email for you. She has some great information and

they have a seizure dog for her daughter. They look so 'made' for each other and

the dog is amazing!!

We are in canada, and have just sent in our application for a seizure dog for

our son . I am on pins and needles waiting for the reply, cant bear the

thought of being turned down

Anyway, will get you in touch with that other mom a.s.a.p.

Jenn

seizure dogs question?

Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

help you and your child out ? I am looking into trying to get one

for Casey to give her a sence of indapendence and to help aleart me

if she is having a seizure. If anyone does have one please give me

some information please we are in Oklahoma.

Thank you and God bless

Carol Casey's mom

November 23, 2004

I have a friend that I will email for you. She has some great information and

they have a seizure dog for her daughter. They look so 'made' for each other and

the dog is amazing!!

We are in canada, and have just sent in our application for a seizure dog for

our son . I am on pins and needles waiting for the reply, cant bear the

thought of being turned down

Anyway, will get you in touch with that other mom a.s.a.p.

Jenn

seizure dogs question?

Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

help you and your child out ? I am looking into trying to get one

for Casey to give her a sence of indapendence and to help aleart me

if she is having a seizure. If anyone does have one please give me

some information please we are in Oklahoma.

Thank you and God bless

Carol Casey's mom

November 23, 2004

I have a friend that I will email for you. She has some great information and

they have a seizure dog for her daughter. They look so 'made' for each other and

the dog is amazing!!

We are in canada, and have just sent in our application for a seizure dog for

our son . I am on pins and needles waiting for the reply, cant bear the

thought of being turned down

Anyway, will get you in touch with that other mom a.s.a.p.

Jenn

seizure dogs question?

Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

help you and your child out ? I am looking into trying to get one

for Casey to give her a sence of indapendence and to help aleart me

if she is having a seizure. If anyone does have one please give me

some information please we are in Oklahoma.

Thank you and God bless

Carol Casey's mom

November 23, 2004

Where do you get the application? I just found out that there is a

place in our town that trains them or is going to start training

them.

How do you get aproved and what are the requirments?

November 23, 2004

Where do you get the application? I just found out that there is a

place in our town that trains them or is going to start training

them.

How do you get aproved and what are the requirments?

November 23, 2004

Where do you get the application? I just found out that there is a

place in our town that trains them or is going to start training

them.

How do you get aproved and what are the requirments?

November 23, 2004

Hi- I am not sure if anyone else has responded, but I was thinking there was

information in the files section about this. My friend Dina (used to be on this

group?) has a seizure dog for her daughter Sydney. I know I have some info on it

somewhere & will post it for you. I do know that they have benefited from having

their seizure dog.

shpankyswife shpankyswife@...> wrote:

Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

help you and your child out ? I am looking into trying to get one

for Casey to give her a sence of indapendence and to help aleart me

if she is having a seizure. If anyone does have one please give me

some information please we are in Oklahoma.

Thank you and God bless

Carol Casey's mom

" The Ketogenic Diet....a realistic treatment option, NOT just a last resort! "

List is for parent to parent support only.

It is important to get medical advice from a professional keto

team!

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November 23, 2004

Hi- I am not sure if anyone else has responded, but I was thinking there was

information in the files section about this. My friend Dina (used to be on this

group?) has a seizure dog for her daughter Sydney. I know I have some info on it

somewhere & will post it for you. I do know that they have benefited from having

their seizure dog.

shpankyswife shpankyswife@...> wrote:

Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

help you and your child out ? I am looking into trying to get one

for Casey to give her a sence of indapendence and to help aleart me

if she is having a seizure. If anyone does have one please give me

some information please we are in Oklahoma.

Thank you and God bless

Carol Casey's mom

" The Ketogenic Diet....a realistic treatment option, NOT just a last resort! "

List is for parent to parent support only.

It is important to get medical advice from a professional keto

team!

Subscribe: ketogenic-subscribe

Unsubscribe: ketogenic-unsubscribe

November 23, 2004

Hi- I am not sure if anyone else has responded, but I was thinking there was

information in the files section about this. My friend Dina (used to be on this

group?) has a seizure dog for her daughter Sydney. I know I have some info on it

somewhere & will post it for you. I do know that they have benefited from having

their seizure dog.

shpankyswife shpankyswife@...> wrote:

Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

help you and your child out ? I am looking into trying to get one

for Casey to give her a sence of indapendence and to help aleart me

if she is having a seizure. If anyone does have one please give me

some information please we are in Oklahoma.

Thank you and God bless

Carol Casey's mom

" The Ketogenic Diet....a realistic treatment option, NOT just a last resort! "

List is for parent to parent support only.

It is important to get medical advice from a professional keto

team!

Subscribe: ketogenic-subscribe

Unsubscribe: ketogenic-unsubscribe

November 23, 2004

This is an article I wrote for our local epilepsy foundation. We have a

seizure dog, and lucky you, we got her in Kansas, which is not too far for

you. You should contact CARES. I think all the info is included in the

article below, I'll post to the list so all have the info. Any questions,

feel free to ask.

Barb Swoyer, Jake's mom

seizure dogs question?

> Does anyone have a seizure dog for there child and if so does it

> help you and your child out ?

>

Seizure Alert Dogs: Our Personal Experience

Barbara J. Swoyer, January 2002

In the most recent issue of Epilepsy, USA, published by the national

Epilepsy Foundation, there was an article titled " All About Seizure Alert

Dogs. " Our family has been lucky enough to have a seizure alert dog since

June, 2000. Knowing how there is a growing interest in seizure dogs, and

seeing how well our dog has fit into our family, we thought it might benefit

others if we shared our story of how we acquired our dog and how she helps

our son.

Our son, Jake, began having seizures in 1996 at the age of eight months.

His primary seizure type is generalized tonic-clonic, though he has had

myoclonic seizures in the past and also has occasional absence seizures.

For the past few years, most of Jake's seizures have occurred while he is

sleeping, either during the night or during daytime naps. For many years

Jake has been sleeping with us, either in our bed or in our room, so we can

assist and comfort him when he is seizing. Like other children with

epilepsy, Jake also cannot be left alone or un-supervised.

Two years ago, we began learning about seizure alert dogs and decided to try

and find one for Jake. We did a significant amount of research on the

Internet, but turned up very few options. Many seizure dog providers do not

provide dogs to young children, and many charge up to thousands of dollars

for a dog, with no guarantee that they will perform up to their

expectations.

Seizure alert dogs are used to alert a targeted individual that the dog's

companion is having a seizure. Specially selected dogs can smell the

chemical and sense the electrical changes within the body, prior to or

during a seizure. These dogs are selected at about the age of seven weeks

for their temperament and smelling abilities. It is hard to train

beforehand for this skill, so trainers must work a great deal with the

individual once the dog has been placed in the home.

By talking with friends and through word of mouth, we found out about CARES,

Inc. in Concordia, Kansas. CARES is a non-profit organization that trains

and certifies canine assistants in several different areas, including:

service, signal, professional therapy, therapeutic emotional support,

Parkinson's support and seizure alert. They have recently shared with us

the new concept of using therapy dogs to work with autistic children. CARES

has its own breeding program and works with many different types of breeds.

We contacted CARES and discussed our needs with them. We were looking for a

dog that would be able to alert us to Jake's seizures, and hopefully

ultimately predict them and warn us before they occurred. We completed the

application process and were told that we would likely have a dog within six

to twenty-four months. CARES also provided us with local references who had

obtained seizure alert dogs from CARES so we could ask about their personal

experiences.

Placements are arranged based on needs of the clients and the simultaneous

availability of a trained dog that can meet those needs. In our case, we

were very lucky. Within a few months we received a phone call from CARES

telling us that they had a dog who was ready for placement who they thought

would work well with Jake and would be able to work as a seizure alert dog.

Six weeks later, Jake and I were on a plane headed out to Kansas to meet our

new dog and to participate in a service dog training session. Training

sessions are one to two weeks long and are designed to learn how to utilize

your dog and to become a team. Shortly after we arrived at the CARES

training center we were delighted to meet our new dog, and Jake's new

companion, Diamond.

Diamond is a beautiful, three year old Border Collie. She was chosen for

Jake because of her small size, and more importantly, her intelligence and

her keen sense of smell. We were introduced to Diamond and for the next

eight days we concentrated on getting to know her and learning how to work

with an assistance dog. Training sessions generally consist of a morning

lecture, followed by an afternoon field trip, and an evening guest speaker.

We were in a class with a total of fifteen assistance dogs and their new

owners and friends. What an experience!

At the end of the week we were required to pass a skills test, meeting CARES

criteria as well as a public access test developed by Assistance Dogs

International. Happily, and to my relief, we passed with flying colors and

the next day Jake, Diamond and I headed home to Boston.

It took Diamond about six months to acclimate herself to Jake and to his

seizure symptoms and patterns. During that time we experimented with a

number of strategies to try and get her to alert us to his seizures. The

most important thing that we did, consistently, was to reward her with a

treat each time Jake had a seizure. She learned to associate seizures with

rewards and eventually she began seeking us out each time Jake had a

seizure.

Presently, Diamond is responding and alerting us to most, if not all, of

Jake's seizures. She sleeps next to him at night, sometimes just the two of

them in his room alone, sometimes both of them in our room. Without fail,

when Jake begins to seize, Diamond gets up and runs and jumps on our bed to

wake us. Many times she will then run to Jake and climb up next to him and

try to comfort him. She has been invaluable to us by giving us a chance to

actually sleep at night without always keeping one eye open on Jake so we

know that he's okay.

In addition to her helping us with the seizures, she has been a great

companion for Jake and a great addition to our family. She spends almost 24

hours a day with Jake. She is patient and gentle, and loves to play with

him. In nice weather, they play ball together for hours on end. Wherever

they are, she rarely takes her eyes off of him. She is incredibly vigilant

and protective of Jake. She also spends time playing with our older son,

and has become a friend and companion to him as well. Sometimes I think she

does double duty as an emotional support dog for him when Jake is going

through a tough time and we all need special attention. Jake and Diamond

attend school together, and she accompanies us wherever we go.

I would highly recommend CARES, Inc. to anyone who is considering getting a

seizure alert dog. Our experience with them and with Diamond has been

nothing but positive from day one.

To contact CARES for more information, or to request an application, please

call

1-.

Interesting Statistics and Facts about CARES:

CARES sends out 10-15 applications per week. There are currently almost 200

applications on file; approximately 28 of those are for seizure dogs.

CARES has been in business for 7 years. During that time they have placed

260 dogs, 13 of those being seizure alert dogs. Success rate for seizure

dogs placed has been 100%.

CARES has placed 45 dogs with children under the age of 18. CARES is one of

only 5% of canine assistance schools who accept applications from children

and people with multiple disabilities.

CARES asks a donation for each dog placed, to reimburse CARES for equipment

such as leads, collars, harnesses, etc. Currently they ask for a donation

of $100 for seizure alert dogs. Other than that, the only cost associated

with receiving a dog is the cost of travel to Kansas. CARES provides

accommodations for students on a donation basis.

November 23, 2004