Your Celiac Companion – Is It Time for a Gluten-Sniffing Service Dog?

Dogs are special animals and their sensitive noses come in handy in a lot of situations. Dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, bombs, people, and any number of other things. Dogs are also often trained as service animals and they can help lead the blind, predict seizures, and any number of other things. Did you know that dogs can also sniff out gluten and warn their owners of the nearby intolerance? If that sounds of interest to you, think about whether or not it’s time for you to find such a dog. Here are some reasons to consider that option.

Reasons You May Need a Celiac Disease Service Dog

Reason 1: You Often Get Sick or are Even Hospitalized

You do your best to avoid gluten, but it sneaks up on you and catches you unaware way too often. If you have a severe allergy, you can get sick easily and you could even end up in the hospital in certain situations. No one wants that to happen to them and when it happens way too often to you, it might be time to try a gluten sniffing dog to help you with your disease.

Reason 2: You Love Dogs

If you already have a fondness for animals of the dog variety, adding a dog to your life would be an easy step for you. Make sure you have time in your schedule to properly care for a dog and there needs to be space in your house and yard for one as well. If you grew up with dogs and have always loved having them around, it might be a good fit for you.

Reason 3: You Have the Budget

Training dogs for specialties like gluten-sniffing are costly. The programs aren’t widespread and the animals are in high demand since there are so many people with celiac disease today. In order to get a dog that can alert you to the presence of gluten in foods, check with your health insurance company. Most won’t cover the costs, but there are some Healthcare Spending Accounts that might cover all or part of it. If you have coverage or are able to cover the costs out of your own savings account, it’s an option to consider.

Reason 4: Peace of Mind

While you read labels obsessively and ask questions wherever you go to eat, you still can’t guarantee what’s in the food and how you will react to it. People without celiac disease eat what they want without worrying about it. You can never do that. If you have a gluten-sniffing dog, you can have the peace of mind that others have about their food. The dog will tell you by raising its paw or in another manner, it was trained that something has gluten in it. You’ll know before you take a bite that your food is safe and so is your health.

It’s pretty impressive that dogs can use their noses to tell us things about our food that we can’t tell by looking at it, smelling it, or sometimes even asking questions and reading labels. Gluten-sniffing dogs can be a huge help towards keeping you healthy and away from the gluten that irritates your celiac disease. They aren’t for everyone, but they certainly can make a difference in the quality of life for certain sufferers.