A medical alert dog is a service dog trained to alert you at the onset of a medical condition, such as a seizure, low blood sugar, or the presence of a food allergen. You’ll have to complete an application to get a medical alert dog.

Medical alert service dogs can save your life by warning you of an imminent onset of an underlying health condition. They may also complete other tasks, such as retrieving information or providing emotional support.

The qualifications for service dog certification can vary by state, but many accredited organizations help unite medical alert dogs with people who need their services. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows people to take service dogs into public places like supermarkets, restaurants, buses, and subways. Service dogs must be trained for specific tasks relating to disability.

You can apply for one through organizations like Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of non-profit organizations that raise money to train, raise, and place assistance dogs. You’ll usually need to detail your medical need and agree to certain requirements, such as attending training sessions that teach you how to work with your service dog.

Service dogs can be expensive, but some organizations may provide them through donations or at a low cost.

Keep reading to learn how to get a medical alert dog, what health conditions qualify, and how much it costs.

You’ll choose an accredited organization that raises and trains service dogs. You can find one by searching for organizations that partner with Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and provide ADI accreditation. This ensures your service dog’s training is legitimate and the organization has evaluated it.

Some organizations may work with people who already have a dog to train that dog to perform medical alerts.

Getting a medical alert dog begins with completing an application to show your eligibility and need.

The application process can vary depending on the organization you choose to provide a service dog and the specific medical reason you need one. The application may ask questions such as:

  • What disabilities are you seeking assistance for?
  • What major life activities are limited by the disability?
  • Do you require any medical equipment, such as a wheelchair, crutches, or an oxygen tank?
  • What tasks would you like a service dog to assist with?
  • Please describe an average day for the person living with a disability.
  • How many times per week do you have public outings? What are your typical outings and activities?
  • Are you able to go into pubic settings without the accompaniment of a friend or family member?
  • Do you live in a metropolitan, suburban, or rural neighborhood?
  • Are you employed or do you attend school? Will the dog be expected to attend?

Once you submit your application, an organization may take 3 to 6 weeks or longer to review it due to demand. After that period, you may join a waiting list if your application is approved.

Service dogs can be trained to alert for different types of medical conditions:

  • Diabetes: Diabetes alert dogs can support people with diabetes by detecting blood sugar fluctuations and necessary medications, if needed.
  • Epilepsy: Seizure alert dogs can detect changes in advance of a seizure and alert you so that you can get to a safe place. They may also retrieve seizure medication.
  • Severe allergies: Allergy alert dogs can alert if they detect the presence of allergens, such as on a plate of food, for people with severe food allergies.
  • Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy alert dogs can detect changes that precede a narcolepsy episode.
  • Migraine: Migraine alert dogs may detect the early warning phase before a migraine episode and enable you to take medication or get to a safe location.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Alert dogs for PTSD can detect and interrupt anxiety, panic attacks, or nightmares. They can also provide comfort and emotional support.
  • Cardiac conditions: Alert dogs can also detect changes in heart rate and respiration for certain cardiac conditions, such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and cardiomyopathy.

You may also have to meet other eligibility requirements. These can include a commitment to taking care of the dog’s medical needs and attending training sessions to learn to work with your medical alert dog.

Your medical alert dog may also require medical testing to make sure they’re fit for service.

Medical alert dogs use their sense of smell to detect changes in human physiology. They may smell components in your sweat that can indicate an altered physiological state.

A 2021 survey suggests that medical alert dogs can alert to multiple health conditions and in multiple people.

Dogs not trained as medical alert dogs may also show behavior changes in response to their owners’ altered physical state.

Service dog training can cost $63,000. However, many organizations work with charitable partners to provide service dogs free of cost or at a reduced cost.

Some organizations may require or request that you fundraise a portion of the cost of a service dog.

Once you receive a service dog, you will be required to pay for their ongoing care. This can include:

  • food
  • equipment, such as a collar and a leash or harness
  • ongoing training, if recommended
  • veterinary care and physical examinations

Insurance typically does not cover the costs of a service animal. But the specific organization you work with may offer financial assistance options.

Medical alert dogs may alert to diabetes, epilepsy, migraine, severe allergic reactions, anxiety, and some cardiac conditions. Research is still ongoing for other health conditions.

Accuracy for medical alert dogs varies widely. It can depend on the dog, its health condition, and the training methods used.

A 2018 review of prior research suggests that epilepsy-alert dogs may be 70% to 85% accurate at alerting prior to a seizure.

A 2019 study on diabetes-alert dogs suggests that their accuracy at alerting for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) ranged between 33% and 91.7%. The average for identifying blood glucose readings outside of range (either too low or too high) was about 70%.

More research is needed to determine medical alert dogs’ accuracy for other health conditions.

No, they don’t. Medical alert dogs are a complementary safety measure, not a replacement for monitoring devices such as continuous glucose monitors. You can use both for the best protection.

Medical alert dogs may especially benefit health conditions for which medical devices do not exist, such as identifying the presence of allergens in food or alerting to an oncoming seizure.

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Alert behaviors vary from dog to dog, depending on their training. Dogs are trained to perform consistent, recognizable alerts. These behaviors can include:

  • pawing
  • nudging
  • barking
  • fetching an item

Most health insurance plans do not cover the costs of acquiring a medical alert dog or their ongoing care. Some nonprofit organizations offer grants or financial assistance so that you can get a medical alert dog at a low cost.

Medical alert dogs are a type of service dog trained to alert their owner before the onset of a medical condition.

This can include alerting for oncoming epileptic seizures, detecting blood sugar changes, or detecting the presence of an allergen in food.

Medical alert dogs can help people be more independent and may also provide emotional support.

The application process for a medical alert service dog typically involves explaining your need and disability. There may be a waiting period until the organization finds a dog who’s a good match and is available. You may have to pay costs related to acquiring a medical alert service dog. These may be partially or fully covered by grants and donations, or you may have to fundraise a portion of the cost.