These dogs have remarkable life-saving abilities. Tracy Walker explains.
Imagine having epilepsy and being able to forecast when your next seizure would happen. Injuries, and even potential fatality, would be eradicated and you could live a relatively normal life, free from the fear of the unpredictable nature of seizures and the dangers that come with them.
This isn’t some futuristic pipe dream—it’s happening now, in the form of a dog.
Seizure alert dogs are trained to give a reliable, potentially life-saving alert up to one hour before an epileptic seizure happens.
About a thousand people with epilepsy die each year, and most of these deaths are sudden and unexpected. The warning provided by a seizure alert dog means that a client can remove themselves from any danger and have a seizure in safety and privacy, giving them control over their seizure and allowing a much more independent life.
Having a shower. Walking up the stairs. Making a cup of tea. Crossing the road. These are all now possible because a seizure alert support dog is by your side 24/7, ready to warn of an oncoming attack, preventing injury.
Nicola Neal had been a Met Police officer since 2002, chasing criminals in fast cars. But it all changed when she fell and banged her head in a supermarket. Two weeks later, she had her first tonic-clonic seizure in the same supermarket, and an MRI scan revealed bleeds on the brain from the fall. From then on, the seizures got progressively worse. Her life turned upside down and she couldn’t drive or work. As well as the seizures, which left her weak and disorientated, Nicola also suffered serious injuries from falling during the seizures.
The mother-of-two fell down the stairs on numerous occasions, broke her hand when she fell through the oven door, and had to have four skin grafts after falling on to a hot iron. Nicola was on anti-depressants and wondering what the point of life was when her husband Mick saw a programme about Support Dogs and submitted an application.
Enter beautiful Lab-Retriever-cross Cobble, trained by Support Dogs. Since Cobble came along, Nicola can live more safely and independently, because Cobble can give her plenty of advance warning of every oncoming seizure. What’s more, Nicola’s seizures have reduced to one tonic-clonic seizure and two temporary absences a week. So, after an eight month break, Nicola was able to return to work as a policewoman, working remotely from home. She was awarded her 21-year long service award in 2023.
Nicola says Cobble has never missed a seizure, which is quite amazing. I’m in such a better place than before. Looking back, I wonder how on earth I coped mentally, I lost my driving licence, had so many injuries from falling when I had a seizure, but now I’ve got Cobble. Everything is so much brighter than before. He has completely changed our lives.