Need some advice on getting a service dog- chronic fainting and balance issues

[sailingm]

Hi All,

I am new to this board and need some advice about getting a service dog.

Here is the situation:

I am a 29 year old female with Neurocardiogenic Syncope/postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.  Basically, this means that my blood pressure will plummet upon standing or even sitting, my heart rate spikes, not enough blood gets to the brain and I then faint or fall to the floor. This happens anywhere from one-ten timesw daily and has been going on for about three years now. I am only unconsious for a few seconds, but sometimes have trouble getting up, or on bad days with balance. (I have kind of trained our standard poodle to come to me when I fall, help me up, and allow me to lean on him until I get to a chair. However, he is not a service dog. I think that a service dog would be beneficial to me- but I do have some questions.

Here is what I believe the dog could help me with:
-staying with me if I faint in a public place-
alerting someone if I am injured
-helping me get up after a fall
-possibly bringing me a bottle of water or gatorade if needed or bringing something else.
the dog would allow me to regain some independence.
I know that dogs have been used to help people with this problem. I have spoken to my doctors, and the vet and everyone is supportive of the idea. I have talked to a couple of agencies and all have said I would need something on the lines of a seizure alert dog.

Right now, the hardest part is navigating the system of dog placement. I am just not sure which places could do this. I have spoken to at least one agency who will be able to help.

I have most of the application together-except the letter from the doctor. It is kind of hard because this is an unusal situation- with no clear diagnosis. I know it is Neurocardiogenic syncope, a form of dysautonomia, but it is still a rare case. i have a good deal of documentation. I know I will need a medical statement, I just need to figure out how the doctor should state it.

I know that dogs have been used for this condition before. I also know that I would need a bigger dog- probably a lab, which is fine as I grew up with labs.

I am in the southeast, but could probably go anywhere for a dog.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on agencies or tainers. I would love any other advice regarding service dogs as well.

Thanks.
sailingm

[state_of_nowhere]

You mentioned balance issues which leads me to believe that a dog trained in mobility would be a good fit for you. Dogs that are placed for seizure alerting are not trained to do the actual alerting. Alerting is a natural "talent" that only a few dogs actually have. Some dogs can alert to diabetic highs/lows, migraines, and other health issues with a neurological or other basis.

If there's a subtle physical cue you give off prior to fainting, it may be possible to train the dog to alert you to your episodes. For example, maybe your right index finger twitches before you faint. A dog would be able to pick up on that.

Personally, I don't think you should worry so much about the physician's statement. Generally, the program wants to know that your doctors are on board and agree you will benefit from the use of a service dog, and that they consider your condition to be disabling. The program will be more interested in how the dog should be trained to assist you rather than the exact diagnosis.

I believe there are a few articles on the front end site about how to choose a program to work with. There are a lot of things you want to take into consideration. If I may offer a suggestion, do all your research BEFORE choosing a program and contracting with them. I recently left team training without the dog that had been trained for me. If I had known a year and a half ago what I know now about service dogs and their training, I would not have selected the program I did. Do lots of research and go with the agency or trainer you feel the most comfortable with.