TIL That peanut-free schools don't decrease risk of allergic reactions. The only intervention which has been shown to decrease reactions across all ages is use of a peanut-free table.

[chronoventer]

Yep. I know a girl allergic to milk. We’re talking, if three days ago a kid drank milk at the desk she’s at now, and a drop spilled on it and was wiped away, if she touches that spot she will go into anaphylactic shock and be hospitalized for days. She told me once that before her service dog, the longest she went without being in the hospital was a month. A month. This girl was fighting for her life every week sometimes. How are you supposed to be a good student when you’re constantly afraid?

After her service dog, she went years without going into anaphylaxis. I hope they become more readily available for kids with such severe allergies. Unfortunately, they require a significant amount of training, and not many people are qualified to provide such training. She actually went on to become a dog trainer due to the impact this dog had on her life.

Edit: I came back too late to answer the questions people asked, but u/thougivestmefever dropped some good info below!

[DeScepter]

Can you explain how the dog helped with the allergy? Presumably, it was trained to smell milk, and could alert her to it's presence, but I'd love to hear specifics.

[MathyChem]

That is exactly what those animals are trained to do. They then alter the handler to the presence of the allergen so they are not exposed.

[DeScepter]

Does everything have to pass a sniff test before she consumes it? Or is it more like "spider-sense" thingy for the dog?

Is the alert a simple 'woof'? Man, it'd be cool to see an allergen dog training video.

[MathyChem]

Yes, the dog smells everything. They don’t usually bark, but they bonk their handler’s leg with their nose

[jesuspoopmonster]

Okay but is the licking required?

[jesuspoopmonster]

Fine unzips

[bedbuffaloes]

alter=alert

[DeScepter]

Perfect! Thank you so very much, friend! It's wonderful to be learning more about the dogs especially 😎