Partnership Makes Service Dogs Available for People with Epilepsy

EpilepsyUSA staff
Posted: April 26, 2006

The pharmaceutical company UCB, Inc., and Canine Assistants recently announced a multi-million dollar partnership to sponsor seizure response dogs for people with epilepsy. Under the sponsorship, UCB, Inc. will provide support for the care, training and lifetime veterinary costs of all dogs given to epilepsy patients.

"The commitment UCB has made to Canine Assistants is critical to our ability to realize the full potential for this program," said Jennifer Arnold, founder and executive director of Canine Assistants. "The impact these dogs have is enormous.  Recipients want to go back to school, they get involved in extracurricular activities again and they come out of their shells to lead more independent lives with a renewed sense of confidence."

Company spokesperson Rich Denness said UCB got involved with Canine Assistants because it understands "the value of treating the 'whole' patient."

"The partnership with Canine Assistants reflects our awareness at UCB that patients with epilepsy experience emotional, social and physical life challenges that cannot be addressed by medication," he said.

Canines that provide assistance can easily be confused with canines that predict oncoming seizures, and it's important for consumers to understand the difference. The dogs involved in the Canine Assistants program are response dogs that perform services like the following: Retrieve a phone prior to a seizure, summon help in a controlled environment and stay with their person during a seizure. Most breeds of dogs can be trained to be an assistant.

On the other hand, dogs that can supposedly predict oncoming seizures will, for example, lick the palm of a person to warn them of a forthcoming seizure.  A research team headed by Basim Uthman, M.D., Susan McGorray, Ph.D., and Deborah Dalziel published its findings in the March 2003 issue of the medical journal Seizure. They said their findings "suggest some dogs have innate ability to alert and/or respond to seizures," and "the success of these dogs depends on the handler's awareness and response to the dog's alerting behavior."

Researchers and physicians also say there is no particular breed of dog that better senses oncoming seizures, and consumers should be wary of groups that offer dogs trained for this purpose. The Epilepsy Foundation recommends people take great care in reviewing trainer claims and results, especially when thousands of dollars are involved.

For more information about the Canine Assistants program, visit UCB's website.