Why a seizure dog?

                                                                                                                                                                                May 3, 2011

Few people are asking why a seizure dog? And the question is a very good one, and it was a question of mine as well. This blog is too explain the importance of this dog for Ethan.

Here I will copy a letter of recommendation from a very good friend of mine who is a registered occupational therapist, and my sister Nurse D.  I will also explain why it is important for us.

This letter was written to Katie the director at Little Angels. We had to first see if Ethan noticed his seizures because if he did not then the dog could not be trained. So we did a Tally system for 2 weeks and this is the letter that I sent to Katie after that too week period.

Hello Katie,

Its Nichole again, mother of Ethan. Ethan is the ten year old boy from Illinois that has epilepsy, possible doose syndrome. Once again I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk with me. We had a lot of questions to think about. Tonight after gathering all the information, and figuring out our pros and cons, we have made our decision.

 I took your advice, we did the tally system. Ethan took his list with him everywhere, and we marked all the seizures that we noticed. Some of the markings came from his aides at school, me, nurses, family members, and whoever else he came in contact with. He did let me know about every single seizure that he had. I will make a copy of the tallies for you and attach in this email. He knew the importance of the test, and these are true seizures that he did have. Ethan was in the hospital from March 21-26, I did notice that he did know when most of the seizures he was having ( 85-90% ) seizures .   We once again did talk to the Dr.’s about the dog, and everyone was so for it. Actually the day we went into Loyola his pediatrician called us up and explained how his school called her up and wanted a more in depth letter from her. The Dr. did write one for us and I will attach that as well. The question I have is, do you think it is possible for the dog to pick up his seizures ?

 I had a long conversation this weekend at work with three occupational therapist. I asked them for their professional opinions. My main concern was that the dog might embarrass him. One therapist knows Ethan (she works in schools with disabled children, and she herself struggles with Epilepsy).  Her name is Carrie, and she has worked with Ethan before, having him help her with her patients. Carrie has seen Ethan having seizures. The other two occupational therapist do not know Ethan, but I asked them all for their professional opinion/advice.   One told me she was a huge advocate for animal therapy, dolphins especially.  The other male occupational therapist works in the school system as well. So I asked them what they thought, and all three of them told me that the dog would be the best thing for my son. They all thought that the dog would be of great benefit for him socially, physically, and mentally. I explained to you, and them that Ethan has most of his problems socially. Ethan loves being around people, and the kids struggle with being his friend and vice versa. The therapist suggested that it might be possible for the dog to do some cool trick, just to help break the ice with the kids (I thought that was such a cool idea). They explained that the dog was a huge advantage for him socially; they could not stop giving me advice on how much this dog would socially help him. Even helping him gain his independence, stressing how important it was for him to grow as a person, with this dog.

What made me decide that I had to get this dog for Ethan… was a situation that happened last week. Ethan was very sad and withdrawn, so I told him to go outside and play in the backyard. Ethan was very sad; he turned to me, and said, “Mom, it is really hard to play outside, when you don’t have any friends.”  I looked out the window, and could see down the field all of his friends playing basketball. It was true what he said, and he was very serious about it. I have to do something for my son to gain independence and to feel more confident. I know that there are so many children that need a dog, but if you could please consider my son for a little doggie angel it would be of great thanks and honor.

Your dog would be in a great home with an awesome boy that really needs help with independence, confidence, companionship, from a seizure dog. I myself am going to school to be a therapist, and I think that we would be great advocates everywhere we went, helping boast Ethan’s confidence. One day, I will be working as a therapist in the school system. I think that Ethan’s story if very inspiring, and I think that there are so many people’s lives we could touch. Ethan needs indenpendace, and this dog would be of such great benefit for him. So I am asking you to please take this into consideration when you decide to help us with a dog.  I have done all of the background information on this, and I have so many more pros than cons of needing a seizure dog for Ethan. So if you think that your dog could help my son, I will do anything to make this possible. What do you think? What is our next step? Please let me know, you can call me or email me. Also while we were in the hospital we had the Dr. fill out forms. So I am attaching some papers to another dog service company for your review.  

Thanks Again,

This page from the Epilepsy Foundation website can be viewed at: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epilepsyusa/aboutseizuredogs.cfm

Newsroom

All About Seizure Dogs Seizure dogs can help when a family member is having a seizure. A few dogs may even be able to predict when people will have a seizure. Posted: December 1, 2001 They’re companions. They’re an alarm system. They’re helpers, protectors, and service providers. They may even be able to sense in advance when someone they’re close to is going to have an epileptic seizure. So-called seizure dogs can be all these things – and more. America’s interest in seizure dogs began in the mid-1980′s, when a woman with epilepsy who was taking part in a Washington state prison project involving dogs discovered that one of the dogs seemed to know when she was going to have a seizure. The news media picked up the story, and the phrase “seizure dogs” was born. The Lifetime television drama, “Within These Walls,” is based in part on this experience. Seizure Dogs Help in Many Ways Now the term is used in a broader sense, and covers a variety of activities associated with epilepsy. Some dogs have been trained to bark or otherwise alert families when a child has a seizure while playing outside or in another room. Some dogs learn to lie next to someone having a seizure to prevent injury. Others are even said to be able to activate alarm systems. On the other hand, some dogs are frightened by seizures and have to be reassured and trained to deal with them calmly. Dogs that are trained to respond in various ways when people have a seizure are no different from other service dogs. When the question of seizure prediction comes up, however, it’s a different story. Most people who report having dogs with this ability say that it develops over time and comes as a surprise to both the owner and the family. In 1998, Roger Reep, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of physiological sciences at the University of Florida, surveyed 77 people between the ages of 30 and 60 who had epilepsy. The survey asked about their quality of life, medical status, attitudes toward pets, ownership of dogs, and their pets’ behavior prior to and during a seizure. Most of the people responding to the survey had epilepsy for a long time (average: 25 years); more than half had at least one seizure per month. Most said they had dogs for companionship. In interviews following the survey, 3 out of the 31 felt that their dogs seemed to know when they were going to have a seizure (10 percent). Another 28 percent said their dogs stayed with them when they had a seizure. Dr. Reep reported his findings at the 1998 National Conference of the Epilepsy Foundation. He concluded that reports of seizure-alerting behavior in dogs should be viewed as credible, but with caution. According to his research, the behavior seems to occur spontaneously and may occur in as many as one in ten situations when the owner is having at least one seizure per month. In his survey, no particular breed appeared to be better at sensing an oncoming seizure than any other. Researchers Train Several Dogs To Warn of Seizures Dr. Stephen W. Brown, a British neuropsychiatrist and epilepsy specialist, and Val Strong, a behavioral scientist and animal trainer, reported in 1999 in the European Journal of Epilepsy Seizure that, working with people with epilepsy and dogs together, they were able to train some of the dogs to warn of seizures. The training was based on reward-based operant conditioning – that is, the dogs got a reward every time their owners had seizures. “After a while those dogs that are going to be able to act as seizure-assistance dogs start to alert and expect their reward before the person’s had the seizure,” Dr. Brown said. The dogs he was training were sometimes able to give warning as much as 15 to 45 minutes before the actual seizure occurred. The way the dogs behaved took different forms, from pawing in a special way to simply approaching the person and barking. Could this kind of training make people more likely to have seizures in response to something that looks like a warning? Not according to Dr. Brown. In fact, in his study group, the actual number of seizures went down. Public interest in the seizure dog phenomenon has created a demand for information about how to get a dog with these various talents, especially the ability to predict seizures. While some people have been very pleased with their new canine friends, others have been disappointed. The Epilepsy Foundation recommends that people take great care in reviewing trainer claims and results, especially when thousands of dollars are involved. References: Hughes D. Epilepsy patients paired with ‘seizure alert dogs’ in pilot program. Neurology Reviews. 1999. 35. Strong V. Brown SW. Walker R. Seizure-alert dogs – fact or fiction? Seizure 1999; 8:62-65). Brown SW. Strong V. The use of seizure-alert dogs. Seizure 2001; 10:39-41. Reep R. Seizure dogs. Presented at the National Conference of the Epilepsy Foundation, 1998. (unpublished).

Here is a letter of recomindation from my good friend Rinna.

March 15, 2011

Sir/Madam:

I am writing because I would like to recommend a companion/ seizure response dog to Ethan Pinto.

I have known Nichole Pinto (Ethan’s mother) not for a long period, but I can definitely say that she will do everything to give Ethan the best quality of life that she can provide.

I had the chance to meet Ethan personally and speaking as a professional Occupational Therapist, Ethan can definitely benefit to have a companion/seizure response dog . Though Ethan may had passed his formative years, but he is still at his starting point to understand what the seizures has done to him personally, emotionally and socially. The companion/seizure response will give him the opportunity to explore and be more independent without being in the constant limitations because of seizures. I know that as he grow up, so is the frequency and the recurrence of his seizures and to have this second pair of ears and ears, will give his family peace of mind. As a child with learning disability, this will also give Ethan a chance to educate people about the stigma of having epilepsy and living with it.

Thank you for your reconsideration. If you have any questions, please contact me on the above number and email address.

Sincerely Yours,

Rinna , OTR and friend

Letter of recomidation from Nurse “D” , Diana

March 1st, 2011

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to recommend Ethan Pinto for a service/companion/seizure response dog. Ethan is my nephew and godchild. Ethan grew up in the same household as I did, and I have seen his seizures regress throughout the years. Ethan is now starting to understand his disease and it affects him socially, physically, intellectually, and emotionally.  As a nurse, I do believe that Ethan will benefit from a service dog and deserves a chance to improve his quality of life. Ethan’s seizures have become more frequent and serious. With a service dog we will be able to know his safety is intact. Ethan is the reason why I have become a pediatric nurse. He does not let his disease define him. His positive energy, innocence, compassionate and optimistic personality is what makes him unique. If given the opportunity, I would be helping Ethan and his mother with this service dog.   

Ethan’s family and I will be very grateful to be given this opportunity.  I am available at anytime and can be reached at the above telephone number or email address.  Thank you for considering Ethan for a seizure response dog.

Respectfully yours,

Diana ,BSN RN