3. Diabetes
Dogs have the ability to sense spikes and drops in human blood sugar. Scientists have discovered that what they are detecting in a hypoglycemic episode is isoprene, a common natural chemical found in human breath that rises significantly as blood sugar plummets.
A drop in blood sugar can lead to disorientation, unconsciousness, coma or even death in an insulin-dependent diabetic, so alerting their handler at the earliest sign is vital. Many diabetes service dogs are also trained to retrieve a sugar source in cases of hypoglycemia.
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