受过训练的低血糖检测犬可以拯救生命

    Dogs can be trained to use their sense of smell to recognize illegal drugs and explosives. So Mark Ruefenacht wondered if the animals also could recognize changes in the blood sugar level of people with diabetes.
    狗可以接受培训,利用它们的嗅觉识别非法毒品和爆炸物。所以马克·鲁芬纳克特(Mark Ruefenacht)想知道这种动物是否也能识别糖尿病患者的血糖变化。

    Ruenfenacht has had the disease for much of his life. In 1999, he almost died while training a young dog to be a guide dog for the blind. Without any warning, his blood sugar suddenly dropped to a dangerously low level.
    鲁芬纳克特一生大部分时间与糖尿病为伍。1999年,他在训练导盲犬时差点死了。在没有任何预警的情况下,他的血糖突然下降到危险的低水平。

    Ruefenacht said the dog stayed with him, and tried to keep him awake.
    鲁芬纳克特表示,这只狗救了他,并且试图让他保持清醒。

    "More than likely, I had a seizure, from the low blood sugar. The dog liked me, and he stuck with me and I was able to get my blood sugar up."
    他说:“很有可能是我低血糖突然发作。这只狗喜欢我,它守护着我,我的血糖得以升高。”

    When talking about a drop in blood sugar, doctors use the term hypoglycemia. Ruefenacht said his near death experience made him wonder if dogs could be trained to identify the chemical changes that happen during an attack, and then inform their owners.
    当谈到血糖下降时,医生们用到低血糖这个术语。鲁芬纳克特表示,他濒临死亡的经历让他想弄清楚狗是否可以接受训练,识别出发病期间任何化学变化,然后通知主人。

    Dogs4Diabetics begins
    开办Dogs4Diabetics组织

    Ruefenacht worked with scientists and financed research which found that the "smell" of hypoglycemia appears in both breath and sweat. He also worked with and studied animal trainers who teach dogs to recognize everything from explosives to cancer.
    鲁芬纳克特和科学家合作,并且资助了发现低血糖的气味同时出现在呼吸和汗水中的研究。他还同教导狗狗识别从爆炸物到癌症等一切事务的动物训练员合作。

    In addition, Ruefenacht started training a yellow Labrador retriever named Armstrong to tell him when he had a dangerously low blood sugar level.
    此外,鲁芬纳克特开始训练一只名为阿姆斯特朗的黄色拉布拉多犬,以便在他出现危险的低血糖时提醒他。

    The training was successful. Armstrong is now listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the world's first diabetes-detection dog.
    训练非常成功。阿姆斯特朗现在被列入吉尼斯世界纪录大全,成为全球第一只糖尿病检测犬。

    Armstrong died in 2012.
    阿姆斯特朗在2012年死亡。

    Ruefenacht noted that after his early training successes, several organizations offered him a lot of money for the rights to his discoveries. He told VOA he refused those offers. Instead, in 2004, he created a group called Dogs4Diabetics, where he trains dogs to help people with diabetes.
    鲁芬纳克特指出,在他早期训练成功后,几家组织为他的发现权提供了很多资金。他对美国之音表示,他拒绝了这些资金。相反,他在2014年创建了Dogs4Diabetics组织,他在该组织训练狗帮助糖尿病患者。

    Ruefenacht says training for a diabetes detection dog and its owner can cost up to $50,000. His organization raises money to cover the costs, so they can provide dogs for free to those in need.
    鲁芬纳克特表示,训练一只糖尿病检测狗并培训其主人可能需要高达5万美元的费用。他的组织筹集资金来支付这些费用,因此他们可以向有需要者免费提供狗。

    The smell of hypoglycemia
    低血糖的气味

    To train the animals, Ruefenacht uses bottles containing swabs of sweat from a diabetic with low blood sugar, and containers of other smells, such as peanut butter, dog food, or plants. The dogs are given a treat when they choose the correct jar.
    为了训练这些动物,鲁芬纳克特使用了含有低血糖糖尿病患者汗液拭子的瓶子,以及含有花生酱、狗粮或植物等气味的容器。当狗选出正确罐子的时候会得到食物奖励。

    This "sweat jar" method for training diabetes detection dogs has been approved scientifically.
    这种培训糖尿病检测犬的汗液罐方法已经获得科学证实。

    The next step is to teach the dog to alert the owner. The dogs are trained to use subtle signs at first. However, if those signals are ignored, the animals then put their paws on the owner's legs or shoulders. They learn to lick and put their nose in the owner's face, and make noises. If none of these methods work, the dogs are then trained to find someone else to help.
    下一步是教导狗提醒主人。最初训练这些狗使用轻微的信号。如果这些信号被忽视,那么这些狗会把它们的爪子放到主人的腿上或肩膀上。他们学习舔,把它们的鼻子凑到主人脸上,并且发出声音。如果这些方法都不奏效,那么这些狗会被训练成找来其他人帮忙。

    Ruefenacht says the dogs can often detect blood sugar dropping long before electronic systems send a warning sound.
    鲁芬纳克特表示,这些狗通常在电子系统发出警告声很久以前就能检测到血糖下降。

    Dogs4Diabetics has placed more than 100 dogs with diabetics. The group hopes to expand the program -- training people's "most loyal friend" to save lives and help diabetics around the world.
    Dogs4Diabetics组织已经给糖尿病患者安排了超过100只狗。该组织希望扩大该项目,训练这种“人类最忠实的朋友”挽救生命并帮助世界各地的糖尿病患者。

    I'm Phil Dierking.
    我是菲尔·德尔金。(51VOA.COM原创翻译,禁止转载,违者必究!)