There was a great article in the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324001104578163423121970336.html?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f on service dogs that have been trained to detect Diabetes in individuals.

The dogs are primarily used for Type 1 Diabetes, and can sniff out high or low blood sugar levels. We often think of service dogs being used to help the blind or trained to sniff out various things, and although I was aware they were being used for diabetics I was not aware of how much they are being used. In its simplest form, dogs have an instinct to track and hunt, so trainers just change the trigger to something else. The articles states they are being used to sniff out cancer now and oncoming seizures-that is incredible. Now, we have approximately 30,000 service dogs in the United States. What’s most fascinating is that the dogs pick up the scent faster than blood glucose meters. Sensibly, these are primarily used for people with Type 1 diabetes as they are more prone to really low blood sugar levels. The dogs are so helpful because over time individuals can become desensitized to the warning signs. An individual mentioned in the article has this “hypoglycemic awareness” and went unconscious six times in the previous two weeks before he got the dog and required emergency care. In the three months after adding the dog to his family, he only passed out once and required no emergency care.

Another stat I was unaware of is that Type 1 diabetes is growing in the US for some inexplicable reason. Fascinatingly, demand for these dogs is now outstripping the supply of trained dogs. They cost upwards of $20,000 so often people look for donations to help afford one or to charities. There is so much labor involved in training these dogs that I cannot really see how much cheaper you could get the price down unfortunately, but this is just another example of how much dogs do for our society.