Dysautonomia Service Dogs
Service Dogs are specifically trained to perform tasks that help mitigate their owner’s disabilities. For those with Dysautonomia, some of the essential tasks include:
▢ Alert family members for help
▢ Alert to changes in medical condition
▢ Assist in position changes (sitting or laying down during medical crises, rising & steadying, wheelchair transfers)
▢ Balance support
▢ Brace or lean against handler (grounding)
▢ Counterbalance
▢ Deep Pressure Therapy
▢ Fetch medication/phone
▢ Find a location/item (bathroom/car/etc)
▢ Forward momentum pull
▢ Grounding
▢ Medical recovery
▢ Medical response
▢ Medication reminder
▢ Oops pick up
▢ Proprioception awareness
▢ Reorient to the here & now (licking, gentle pets)
▢ Retrieve emergency medication/water
▢ Retrieve medical equipment/mobility aids (wheelchair, cane, walker, grabber, etc)
▢ Stay with until help arrives
▢ Position under legs to raise
These tasks can significantly enhance the independence and quality of life for individuals managing Dysautonomia and similar conditions.
Dysautonomia is a condition affecting the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulated involuntary functions in the body, such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion. In dysautonomia, there can be dysfunction in both the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS, leading to a range of symptoms that may affect daily life. This can result in issues like irregular heartbeats, problems with blood pressure regulation, and difficulties with temperature control.
Ellie has been alerting to high heart rate, low glucose, & high glucose since our go home at 6 months old (she did the 6 mo old Puppy Program). She gets me juice and snacks, & help on command.
- Hannah S in Denver, Colorado
Frankie alerts to high blood pressure as well as fainting for POTS. His alert comes about 20 minutes before, making it so my daughter (his owner) could drive again and eventually move out on her own!
- Laurel N in Pullman, Washington
Basil has been such a fantastic support for autism, anxiety, and POTS. He’s really been a rockstar support for me.
Tasks for POTS:
- alerts when my breathing gets wonky to have me sit before an episode
- provides alert for high heart rate or low blood pressure by going into straight into deep pressure therapy
- raises my legs in under when I’m in a episode
- Stays with me during episodes
Tasks for mobility:
- helps bring me things when I need them consistently. I just point
- a light brace while in standing (no movement)
Tasks for autism/anxiety:
- regulatory positions: leaning into me with his head towards my core
- behaviour interrupt for crying (nuzzles in to my face and puts pressure on my legs)
He is such a sweet happy rockstar of a puppers.
-Dani L in Ormond Beach, Florida
Bosco has tasked on his own for my boyfriend who has severe asthma and uses nebulizer multiple times a day. Pressure & licking really helps him back from being extremely disoriented and unable to breathe. It affects his circulation, so he does similar things for the dysautonomia.
Bosco works for my dysautonomia with retrieves, brings body armor, deep pressure therapy, lift my legs while laying down, helps me with the hearing loss by giving me greater awareness and has worked with both anxiety and panic attacks before.
He's also working on finding myself and boyfriend from different rooms - eventually we'll probably extend that to the store where he'll lead me to find boyfriend but first need to work on stranger neutrality rather than seeking attention.
His retrieves are absolutely on point, just earlier today I dropped a frozen pork loin (in a bag) and he immediately grabbed it for me and brought it to me without me needing to ask him.
His scentwork is also amazing - trying to figure out the next step to make it a challenge for him .
- Natasha B in Houston, Texas