Service Dogs for Sleep Apnea

[Janknitz]

OK, I missed the original post and I'm not here to denigrate anyone for anything, just making an observation.

As far as I can tell, the OP stated that a service dog wakes him/her during apneas at night and thereby oxygen levels are maintained. Then the dog has to accompany OP in the car to alert the OP if he/she is falling asleep at the wheel? Is that correct??? Really???? This may be legit or spam, but it's kind of a fun topic, so I'm sticking my two cents in.

So if the former worked all that well, why would the latter be required? Obvisously alerting the person to nighttime apneas not working all that great if that person may still fall asleep at the wheel. Apnea is about more than maintaining an oxygen level, it's about interruptions in sleep. One study one night showing good REM may not be showing the whole picture, especially if the dog needs to do the driving component of the job anyway--that indicates that sleep is not complete and restorative, no matter how effective the vigilance at night is.

A person who may fall asleep at the wheel really has NO business driving--and believe me that's exactly how the court will rule if the person you hurt sues. Forget the danger to yourself, what if it's a child you hit???? The guilty little secret is most of us probably drove impaired by our apnea like that before we got treatment. There but for the grace of G-d go many of us that we didn't cause a serious accident.

This may be a cool way to get a service dog, but it's impractical in the extreme. CPAP's are just so darn EFFECTIVE, and there's no need for a driving companion to make sure you stay awake.

I think it would be great to have a service dog that would alert if the power went out, so that you could pull the darn mask and tape (if you use it) off your face before you suffocate, and the same dog could alert the person to leaks or high AHI since the DME's are so hellbent on giving us machines that lack EFFICACY data. But to act as an apnea treatment dog to arouse us during apneas and act as a driving assistant just does not make sense.

[GumbyCT]

I missed the OP also but while I still have the crystal ball out I will leap on an ass-u-mption myself.

I am seeing this as a forum member who has a fav pet they want to bring into a store or restaurant somewhere and thought "I wonder IF this sounds believable".

Tossed it out here and surprise

[Goofproof]

The only treatment XPAP cant help is De-Nile, that has to be overcome first.

I think this thread has gone to the Dogs. Jim

[Rock Star]

Yup... I agree with the majority... but it's about the way things are said and then interpreted here, especially when it's a new person. No one, the one who's been around for awhile or the newbie gains anything when someone comes across as mean and hostile.

are you they same ems that said this to a guest

the post was a suggestion about why the nostril clogs when laying down and what i do for it it did not contain any links since a guest CANNOT post links there are those here who simply do not like guests period

I think you are being a bit sensitive... I was a guest for awhile until I could deal with the newness of it all, and finally attempted
registering, put in my machine, etc. I didn't have a problem being a guest... and I certainly don't have problems with a guest.

Several very kind people sent me a link so that I could register. Lots of info here that I haven't found any place else, and it's nice to know that there are others who have experienced the same problems.

[zoocrewphoto]

I've been told to list my cats as therapy cats so that I can avoid the pet fees at hotels.

One, my cats aren't therapy cats. Okay, I do sleep better with them when I travel than if I leave them at home, but I think that is more of a mental thing. I have actually had a cat who would paw at my face and wake me some nights. I suspect he was reacting to odd breathing noises. I realized after he died that I was having more choking fits than I used to. He was a good nurse kitty. But my current cats couldn't care less what noise I make. I tried to convince them that they should wake me if I fall asleep without my mask, but they just aren't bright enough for this concept.

Second, I don't think I could convince anybody that I need TWO cats to get the job done, and I travel with TWO cats. So, I would still be paying for one anyway. Most times, it is $10 or $15 per night per pet. That does add up, but..

Third, I travel with my cats because I enjoy it. So, I am willing to pay for that enjoyment.

Forth, people that abuse the service pet laws make it more difficult for the people who need them. I would not want to make that problem worse.

I go to cat shows. At the last show, we had 3 exhibitors who brought dogs. One lady travels with a non service dog. During the cooler months, the dog stays in the car. This was a hot weekend. The dog was kept in a room across the hall from the cat show. Another lady brought two dogs. At least one is a true service dog. I'm not sure if the second one is trained for that or not. They are both tiny dogs, and at least one will lick her face to signal she needs to take insulin. Those two dogs also stayed in the room across the hall. The third dog goes to all the cat shows, wears a service vest, stays under the table, and most people never know it is there. It's a German Shepherd. Not even her best friends know what that dog is supposed to do. She won't tell them. And she is downright hostile if anybody mentions the dog being in the building. At one show last year, the dog was under the table, out of sight, and a real service dog cam ein with a spectator. When the spectator went down that aisle, the dog under the table barked at the service dog. Not only was the spectator horrified at everybody looking at her and blaming her dog, but there were a lot of unhappy cats. This dog also has the worst smell ever. Last year, she brought the dog to a show where she and a bunch of friends rent a house. They insisted she put the dog in the garage because it smelled so bad. This year, she refused to stay with them. And the dog stunk up the aisle at the cat show and freaked out the cats. Another lady couldn't figure out why her cats were sup upset, or what the funny smell was, until the dog was brought out at the end of the day. Honestly, why couldn't she keep her dog across the hall with the other dogs. It is never out of from under the table all day, so it is not doing anything. I've heard that some people are filing a complaint with the cat registry as this dog is disturbing their cats at the shows, and there is no proof that this is really a service dog.

[ems]

Yup... I agree with the majority... but it's about the way things are said and then interpreted here, especially when it's a new person. No one, the one who's been around for awhile or the newbie gains anything when someone comes across as mean and hostile.

are you they same ems that said this to a guest

the post was a suggestion about why the nostril clogs when laying down and what i do for it it did not contain any links since a guest CANNOT post links there are those here who simply do not like guests period

I think you are being a bit sensitive... I was a guest for awhile until I could deal with the newness of it all, and finally attempted
registering, put in my machine, etc. I didn't have a problem being a guest... and I certainly don't have problems with a guest.

Several very kind people sent me a link so that I could register. Lots of info here that I haven't found any place else, and it's nice to know that there are others who have experienced the same problems.

Yes... I think so. Not sure what your post is about tho. Am I missing something?

[lazer]

i'm not sure that I really like the recent rash of people bashing other people here on the forums. I got chided here the other day by someone who
apparently has not been laid in quite a long time. I thought we were here to help each other and encourage, Not sit in judgement. I'll get off of
the soapbox for the time being.

This I agree.

PS: I haven't been laid in a long time either so I guess it doesn't make much sense that I agree with the above..

I guess I'll just go crawl back up the chicken's ass and wait...

[ChicagoGranny]

OK, I missed the original post and I'm not here to denigrate anyone for anything, just making an observation.

As far as I can tell, the OP stated that a service dog wakes him/her during apneas at night and thereby oxygen levels are maintained. Then the dog has to accompany OP in the car to alert the OP if he/she is falling asleep at the wheel? Is that correct??? Really???? This may be legit or spam, but it's kind of a fun topic, so I'm sticking my two cents in.

So if the former worked all that well, why would the latter be required? Obvisously alerting the person to nighttime apneas not working all that great if that person may still fall asleep at the wheel. Apnea is about more than maintaining an oxygen level, it's about interruptions in sleep. One study one night showing good REM may not be showing the whole picture, especially if the dog needs to do the driving component of the job anyway--that indicates that sleep is not complete and restorative, no matter how effective the vigilance at night is.

A person who may fall asleep at the wheel really has NO business driving--and believe me that's exactly how the court will rule if the person you hurt sues. Forget the danger to yourself, what if it's a child you hit???? The guilty little secret is most of us probably drove impaired by our apnea like that before we got treatment. There but for the grace of G-d go many of us that we didn't cause a serious accident.

This may be a cool way to get a service dog, but it's impractical in the extreme. CPAP's are just so darn EFFECTIVE, and there's no need for a driving companion to make sure you stay awake.

I think it would be great to have a service dog that would alert if the power went out, so that you could pull the darn mask and tape (if you use it) off your face before you suffocate, and the same dog could alert the person to leaks or high AHI since the DME's are so hellbent on giving us machines that lack EFFICACY data. But to act as an apnea treatment dog to arouse us during apneas and act as a driving assistant just does not make sense.

Good two cents!

[chunkyfrog]

Once in a while, even I may have difficulty distinguishing a newbie from a troll.
Other times, it is not difficult at all.
Every noob is different; every troll is too.

[the_nap_ster]

PS: I haven't been laid in a long time either so I guess it doesn't make much sense that I agree with the above..

I guess I'll just go crawl back up the chicken's ass and wait...

Lazer, this made me laugh, quite literally, our loud. Loud enough that my fellow coffee shop patrons looked over.

You, my friend, are a funny guy.

[JohnBFisher]

Besides the problems I've seen others already mention, making a dog address something that a xPAP device is better suited to address will only result in a dog that is constantly tired and unless REALLY well trained will be a bad influence on others. I am teaching my dog to be a Mobility Assistance Service Dog, but I am putting in two to four hours each day on his training. It is hard, constant work to take a dog from little to no training to a high degree of training. Just calling a dog a Service Dog is an injustice to all those teams who put a lot of effort into making it work for them and others around them.

Just my two cents.

[The Choker]

Forget the fact that a lot of sleep apnea sufferers are fully functional people [like myself] who don't have problems staying awake or paying attention to tasks during the day.

Are you using a dog or a CPAP?

If dog, you need to update your equipment profile.

[Afterhours]

Once in a while, even I may have difficulty distinguishing a newbie from a troll.
Other times, it is not difficult at all.
Every noob is different; every troll is too.

Who was this aimed at??

[Conrad]

Did someone call me?

[chunkyfrog]

New thread:
Post images of our pets using (?) our equipment.