A seizure response dog (SRD) (also known as seizure dog) is a dog demonstrating specific assisting behaviour during or immediately after a person's

epileptic seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

or other seizure. When reliably trained such dogs can serve as

service dog In general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a prof ...

s for people with

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

. Tasks for seizure dogs may include, but are not limited to: * Find someone to help * Activate an emergency response system * Stimulate a person to help them "wake up" after a seizure * Use body weight to keep the person in a specific position * Act as a brace to help the person up * Retrieve a phone or medication * Physically remove the patient from an unsafe situation (i.e. middle of a street) A dog demonstrating specific behaviour ''prior'' to a person's epileptic seizure is also referred to as ''seizure alert dog'' (SAD). Reports suggest that some dogs can be trained to anticipate epileptic seizures. However, this ability has been questioned. Seizure response and seizure alerting behaviour may spontaneously develop in dogs living with children and adults with

References

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External links

Seizure-alert dogs
National Geographic News article
Canine Assistants
Service Dog School - Specializing in the placement of Seizure Response dogs, and seizure scent research Assistance dogs Epilepsy

See also

References

External links