Dog would be a lifesaver to child with severe allergies

Parents have plenty of worries as they send their kids off to preschool.

Ann Slobodian has more anxiety than most.

The Lindenhurst mom's 3-year-old daughter Kate has life-threatening food allergies. Accidental contact with certain foods can trigger a potentially fatal reaction within minutes.

Slobodian said sending Kate to school is like watching her play in heavy traffic. Kate is allergic to dozens of things, including eggs and dairy products. A month doesn't pass without a visit to the emergency room.

"It's like sending my precious preschooler down the interstate on her tricycle in the middle of rush hour. I am out there madly waving and screaming to every car to please slow down and avoid her," Slobodian said. "I worry about losing her. She can't read the labels on the boxes. She's not sure how to express what's going on in her body when she is reacting or how to tell others about the many things she is allergic to."

Mom can't shadow her daughter every minute. But a specially trained food-sniffing dog can.

Colorado-based Angel Service Dogs is the first in the nation to train and place these lifesaving canines.

Realizing the heroic role the dog can play, Slobodian and her husband Brad are raising money to purchase one of the specialized service dogs. Their 7-year-old son Nicholas is highly allergic too.

The $15,000 cost is high, but the couple said their daughter's life is worth the price.

Sherry Mers started the unique, nonprofit service two years ago after seeing a feature story about dogs working to sniff out illegal fruit for customs agents. "If you can train a dog to sniff fruit, why not train one to sniff peanuts," she said. Mers' daughter Riley is highly allergic to peanuts.

The dogs are trained to detect trace amounts of allergens and then alert the handler to those threats, Mers said.

"Much like a bomb-sniffing dog, they make a sweep of a classroom, playground or cafeteria ahead of their owner," Mers said. "If allergens are detected, the dog will immediately sit down as a signal to the threat."

The dogs carry small backpacks filled with anti-allergy medications, including epi pens.

Mers hired four "master trainers," each with decades of experience in training scent dogs.

"A dog's sense of smell far surpasses that of humans. Scent detection is a perfect job for a correctly trained dog," she said. "The dogs are able to detect minute quantities of an allergen in any form."

Mers said the first five "graduates" of Angel Service Dogs will be placed with families next month.

Owning an allergy sniffing dog adds a huge layer of protection, but Mers said parents still need to be vigilant.

"It's not like you can stop worrying," she said. "The dogs don't take over the role of the parents. You can't turn your back."

The Slobodians know having the dog won't guarantee safety, but would welcome the help.

"It would be like doubling me," Anne Slobodian said. "I can't go to school with her but the dog can."

Many school districts have responded to the increasing number of students with peanut allergies by creating "nut-free" zones within buildings. But in Slobodian's case, the threats to Kate go far beyond peanuts. Seemingly minor contact with traces of milk or cheese can send her into anaphylactic shock. She also has asthma and is allergic to certain molds and dust mites.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, there are nearly 30,000 episodes of food-induced anaphylaxis annually, causing 100 to 200 deaths. Most deaths occur in adolescents and young adults. Food allergy occurs in 6 percent to 8 percent of children 4 years old or younger.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a school district must allow the entry of a service dog with a qualified student.

Knowing some of the other students may be allergic to dogs, Angel Dogs provides breeds that are hypoallergenic. Portuguese water dogs would be typical, Mers said.

The Slobodians need to raise half the money before Angel Service Dogs will begin training a dog for them. In addition, the family will have to travel to Colorado and stay for two weeks of personalized training.

They have a fundraiser planned and hope to attract corporate sponsors. The "K9 for Kate Boo Bash" is set for Oct. 31 at the Hastings Lake YMCA in Lindenhurst.

Slobodian knows how annoyed some parents get when an allergic child is in their midst. The rules and precautions everyone must follow can be inconvenient. But, she said, most people don't realize the threats are so serious.

"This is scary and dangerous," she said. "People just don't understand and it breaks my heart."

Fear: 100 to 200 people die due to food allergies each year

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