Epilepsy dog: When 'Merlin' works magic – Dog News

Hanover. Dogs are not only people's best friends, they can often also help us in special ways in everyday life, both emotionally and practically. With a series on various assistance and rescue dogs, Agila Pet Insurance would like to honor these special animals and the services they provide. The fourth and final part of this series looks at dogs with epilepsy.

'Merlin' can actually predict things. It's no wonder that the little Havanese is named after the famous seer from Arthurian legend. 'Merlin' has been living with Corinna, who suffers from epilepsy, for two years. It usually warns her a few minutes before she has a focal epileptic seizure, thereby preventing not only injuries but sometimes even life-threatening situations. A good example of this are stairs. Before 'Merlin' was with her, Corinna avoided stairs as much as possible: “If I have a strong seizure right on a staircase, it could end badly for me. Since 'Merlin' has been with me, there hasn't been a situation like this. Because in about 90 percent of the attacks I notice that 'Merlin' is warning me in advance. For the remaining 10 percent, I miss his signs. He nudges me and then I usually have a few minutes to sit down somewhere and protect myself. Of course, I won’t go up the stairs again until the attack is over.”

Assistance dog MerlinIt sounds like a miracle, but some dogs actually have this amazing ability: They hear a slight change in the breathing rate of their dogs, which has to do with the reduced oxygen saturation in the blood before an epileptic seizure. This means they can warn epileptics before an emergency situation occurs. Dogs with this ability are very sensitive and react above average to the smallest changes. The ability to hear an epileptic seizure in advance is innate; the four-legged friend cannot learn it. Puppies with this ability begin to notice epileptic seizures several minutes in advance as early as three weeks of age, when they are just beginning to walk – and without any training.

Petra Köhler, trainer at the German Assistance Dog Center, describes how difficult it is to find suitable dogs: “We are constantly in contact with breeders and are called when a puppy is noticeably sensitive and empathetic. We then carry out appropriate tests and try to promote the ability through positive reinforcement. If it turns out that the dog can actually warn of epileptic seizures, it will come to us for training and learn many other ways to help people who suffer from epilepsy.”

Assistance dog MerlinWhen 'Merlin' came into the care of the German Assistance Dog Center, Corinna began training with him to become an epilepsy dog ​​team. The two of them went to Petra Köhler's class once a week for two years and were given exercises that they then completed on their own for the rest of the week. Today, for example, in addition to his natural ability to hear and indicate impending seizures, 'Merlin' can press an emergency button that alerts a very good friend of Corinna's when the 45-year-old office clerk suffers an epileptic seizure. He also reminds his team partner to take her medication and gets it for her if necessary. So-called epilepsy detection dogs also have such non-innate, learnable skills. They can't warn of an epileptic seizure like 'Merlin', but they can at least help their team partner after a seizure. Petra Köhler describes other tasks these dogs perform: “They fetch emergency medication on command so that relatives can stay with the affected people. After the seizure, the four-legged friend provides closeness and warmth and thus helps to calm you down. The epilepsy detection dog can then bring the cell phone on command. If the seizure happens in public, the four-legged friend stays close to his partner.”

Assistance dog MerlinAccording to studies, both epilepsy warning dogs such as 'Merlin' and epilepsy detection dogs generally have a positive influence on the course of the disease. Most of the people affected by epilepsy who take part in such studies say that the dog reduces the frequency, duration and intensity of their seizures. They report a great improvement in their quality of life. Corinna confirms this emphatically: “'Merlin' is with me around the clock and gives me a feeling of security. My fear of the attacks has become much less because 'Merlin' warns me in good time and I can prepare for them. Since he's been with me, I've had a lot more confidence in myself and I've been doing a lot of things again, of course always in the company of my little magician.”

Series on assistance and rescue dogs: