A Man’s Bestfriend

Epilepsy
May 19, 2020

A Man’s Bestfriend

Compassion. Loyalty. Trust. Companionship. These qualities are what I believe to be the best in a dog, as a pet and a friend.

Yes, there are dogs out there in our world that are specifically trained to tell if your sugar is low because you’re diabetic or if you’re having a seizure because you’re living with epilepsy. I’ve always wondered, though – can they still detect this and not be specifically trained? I think the answer is yes.

I think this because I had the two greatest West Highland Terriers: Noodles, who I had since I was eight-years-old, and Maxwell, who I got at age 20. Unfortunately, I lost Noodles in 2008 and Maxwell in 2019.

Since being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 11, it seemed like every time I had a seizure and woke up afterwards, either Noodles or Maxwell was by my side or laying on the floor near me. It seemed they were able to sense that I was not feeling well and would always be near me and warn my parents when something seemed out of place. In fact, the last time I had a big seizure, I was laying on the couch and my dog, Maxwell, jumped on the couch beside me to keep me company. It was like he knew I just had a seizure and needed a friend by my side.

I could hear my mom say, “Are you supposed to be up on the couch, Max?” Maxwell would just stare at her as if to say, “My brother just had a seizure; he needs me more than ever to feel better and I am staying here by his side and to tell him it will be okay.”

I truly believe that dogs can sense when we are not feeling well and will be by our sides taking care of us just like we take care of them when they are not feeling great.

– By Dan Rosenfeld

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