Monday, September 8, 2014

You Can Help Discover How Seizure Alert Dogs Can Sense Seizures



How Do Some Dogs Know Someone is Going to Have a Seizure? - You Can Help Discover How Seizure Alert Dogs Can Sense Seizures
It seems like research efforts in this area have started but stopped due to lack of funding and/or interest. Maybe research stopped due to reasons hidden from the public. The information on this topic is scattered all over the Internet and in various publications. 

Observing and videoing seems like something the public could very well do. 

The research up to now focuses mostly on monitoring the Seizure Alert Dog, while perceiving a person's impending seizure. The average person could video these moments. Admittedly, it would be hard to capture on film, but yet doable. 

Another research tool has been simultaneous EEG monitoring of the patient and monitoring of the dog. This is probably out of the realm of most of the public. Universities and other public institutions might take this on as a learning opportunity for students. 

The findings from the public collaborating on "open research" and "open innovation" could provide valuable insight on this topic. Public research and innovation can proceed with or without funding, simultaneously all around the world. 

The people most interested in this topic could drive this public research and innovation. Interested people could include people who have seizures, service dog trainers, veterinarians, doctors, and the like. 

The goal might be "find out how some dogs can sense an impending seizure". To achieve this goal, here are some proposed action steps.
  • Let others know you are interested in finding out how dogs can sense seizures. Social media, such as Facebook and/or YouTube, could spread the word. Maybe even make a wiki to share work in collaboration.
  • Show this article to your doctor and enlist their help. They probably have anecdotal experiences and insights to share on the wiki.
  • Forward this article to service-dog training organizations. Ask them to add their observations to the wiki. When a dog detects an impending seizure, what do they do? Does the dog perk up its ears? Does the dog sniff the air? Ask them to help in this public project.
  • Mail this article to universities, colleges, schools and ask the students to help. Remind them to log their progress on the wiki, for others to follow.
  • Add your own comments on the wiki. Encourage collaboration amongst the participants. Recruit participants you think might be helpful. Contact retired or unemployed experts to assist in this topic. They might have the most time.
  • Ask your local library to help you find resources on this topic. Read the sources, write a short review, and post it on the wiki. Your local library can help you find networking opportunities too.
  • Set up internet alerts, such as Google Alerts, to notify you and the wiki of new findings.
  • If you have a Seizure Alert Dog, do your best at videoing your dog sensing an impending seizure. Share the video on the wiki and Internet for others to analyze. Ask for help as needed to accomplish this task.
  • Summarize findings and draw conclusions. Let the scientific community know of the results. Consider a press release.
  • Your work could very well help find out how some dogs can sense seizures. Think of the possibilities! Training could improve and focus on the exact sensing action. This knowledge could create new products, techniques, and services that could very well save lives. If this is important to you, do not wait for scientists to do this. They might not find this topic sufficiently profitable or prestigious. You go for it!
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Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not medical advice.

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