A seizure response dog (SRD) (also known as seizure dog) is a dog demonstrating specific assisting behaviour during or immediately after a person's epileptic seizure or other seizure. When reliably trained such dogs can serve as service dogs for people with epilepsy.
Tasks
Tasks for seizure dogs may include, but are not limited to:
- Find someone to help
- Activate an emergency response system
- Stimulate a person to help them "wake up" after a seizure
- Use body weight to keep the person in a specific position
- Act as a brace to help the person up
- Retrieve a phone or medication
- Physically remove the patient from an unsafe situation (i.e. middle of a street)
Seizure alert dog
A dog demonstrating specific behaviour prior to a person's epileptic seizure is also referred to as seizure alert dog (SAD). Reports suggest that some dogs can be trained to anticipate epileptic seizures. However, this ability has been questioned.
Seizure response and seizure alerting behaviour may spontaneously develop in dogs living with children and adults with epilepsy.
See also
- Working dog – Dog used for work
- Working animal – Domesticated animals for assisting people
External links
- Seizure-alert dogs National Geographic News article
- Canine Assistants Service Dog School - Specializing in the placement of Seizure Response dogs, and seizure scent research