Dog to detect and warn teen of seizures in advance

Lindsay Mead's best friend is a yellow Labrador puppy with expressive brown eyes, an uncanny gift and the power to change the Ahwatukee teen's life. Lindsay, 14, has a rare form of epilepsy that causes frequent seizures. Through most of her life, the threat posed by these sudden and violent falls has severely curtailed her freedom.

In late May, Lindsay and her father, former state Sen. Slade Mead, traveled to the tiny town of Jud, N.D., to meet Gracie, a specially trained Labrador who may be able to sense the change in Lindsay's body chemistry just before she seizes and alert the eighth-grader.Though critics point to a lack of research confirming this capability in dogs, Gracie is among growing number of animals trained to help people with epilepsy control the effects of their condition.Lindsay's family believes the dog could change life for the shy young woman with a smile full of pink braces."If the seizure detection works, that just opens up her whole world," Slade Mead said.

Dangerous dropsSince the age of 3, Lindsay has suffered from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a form of epilepsy that causes her to seize roughly every 70 seconds.Some of these seizures are atonic, or "drop" seizures, which can occur anywhere from once every few weeks to several times a day. The seizures bring on an abrupt loss of consciousness and muscle tone, causing her 110-pound frame to crash to the ground with punishing force. The petite teen is on her third set of false front teeth, having knocked out previous incisors during falls. She has broken her arm and her shoulder and has required stitches several times. Unlike many people with epilepsy, Lindsay is unable to sense the onset of her seizures. With the threat of one of these falls always present, activities like playing outside alone, walking on an errand and even household chores are prohibitively dangerous. At home or at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School, where she attends special-education classes, an adult leads her by the arm everywhere she walks. With Gracie by her side, that may soon change.

PhenomenonThough anecdotal reports have circulated for years from dog owners with epilepsy who noticed reactions in their pets before their seizures, scant scientific research supports the claim that dogs are capable of reliably detecting such attacks."We tell people, go at their own risk," said Laura Linam, program coordinator with the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona.There are no state or federal standards for the training or certification of seizure dogs.

A notice on the Web site of the Epilepsy Institute, a New York-based non-profit, says that despite "sensational" media reports, no scientific evidence supporting this ability in dogs exists, and the group does not recommend any trainers. "Even if this ability is confirmed, it is not known that this apparent ability can be acquired through training and/or what kind of training is effective," the site states. Gracie was reared at the Great Plains Assistance Dogs Foundation, a privately funded group in North Dakota that trains dogs to aid people with disabilities.

Like other assistance dog trainers, Great Plains set its own training guidelines and certification for dogs and their owners. Clients pay $15,000 for the dog and its training, although the center offers financial aid for those in need.The group has placed 32 dogs with epileptic people since 1992. Lindsay arrived at the center in May to meet 2-year-old Gracie and undergo a three-week training period."Those two clicked basically off the bat," Goehring said.

When Gracie picks up on the smell, largely imperceptible to humans, that Lindsay gives off before she seizes, the dog is to pull the cord on a small alarm that Lindsay wears on a belt. That's the signal for Lindsay to sit or lie down so that she won't hurt herself during a fall, and for adults nearby who hear the alarm to come to her aid. When Lindsay comes to, she snaps a metal clicker and gives Gracie doggie treats from the pink fanny pack she wears all the time - the signal, in dog language, that Gracie did a good job that she should repeat next time.

It may take up to six months to a year before Gracie learns to reliably pull the alarm before every seizure, and it's possible that the dog may never fully adapt to the task.

Growing appealOf the 12 dogs the group usually trains each year, about half are specifically seizure alert dogs, Goehring said, and more people are contacting the center about such animals. Already, the unconditional love and responsibility that Gracie gives has made a noticeable difference in Lindsay, those closest to her say. "Her self-esteem has improved tremendously, and her confidence," said Michele Ferber, Lindsay's teacher at Kyrene del Pueblo. "She's definitely striving to be more independent."