Service dog senses reactions before symptoms show

You’ll rarely see 9-year-old Kaelyn “KK” Krawczyk without her dog, JJ — but JJ is more than this girl’s best friend.

Four years ago, KK’s parents, Michelle and John Krawczyk, came home from one of KK’s doctor’s appointments devastated. It was a year before KK would start school, and it looked like it wouldn’t be safe for her to go.

KK has mastocytosis, a rare disease that causes her to have mild to severe anaphylactic reactions that can cause fainting, vomiting and trouble breathing. Triggers for her reactions include stress, fatigue and changes in temperature.

They had an outside-the-box idea — getting KK a medical alert dog to get help when she started having a reaction.

“Our initial thoughts were, ‘If we could just get a dog to get help, maybe she’d be able to attend school. Maybe she wouldn’t have to sleep in our bed at night so we can make sure she’s still breathing,’” Michelle Krawczyk said.

Michelle Krawczyk went to the Carrboro service dog-training nonprofit Eyes Ears Nose and Paws. Program Director Deb Cunningham was sure they could train JJ, a dog the nonprofit had rescued from the Orange County Animal Shelter that year, to be a response dog, but she wanted to take it further.

“I was wondering if we could actually train JJ to detect a signature scent when KK was about to react,” Cunningham said. “I had no idea if it was possible.”

Michelle Krawczyk wasn’t sure, either.

“To be honest, I thought she was nuts,” she said.

Cunningham trained JJ the same way EENP trains diabetic alert dogs. Krawczyk sent swabs from KK’s mouth and articles of clothing from when she was having a reaction to Cunningham, who would use them for a hide-and-seek game to help JJ learn the scent.

JJ proved herself in January 2012, when KK was in Duke Hospital due to an infection, one of her triggers. While KK was sleeping, JJ unzipped her own crate and ran downstairs to alert Krawczyk that KK was about to have a reaction — several minutes before the monitors tracking KK’s vitals showed any change.

Before JJ, KK’s reactions would send her to the hospital three or four times a year, but now KK’s parents can get her medicine earlier, and she’s had to go to the hospital less than once a year.

Although dogs aren’t usually allowed in operating rooms, KK’s doctor, Brad Taicher, requested that JJ follow KK into surgery in 2013.

“For most scenarios, bringing a dog into a procedure is unlikely to bring more benefit than risk,” he said. “All of us caring for KK that day felt that JJ offered potential benefits that exceeded the risk.”

JJ will join KK in the operating room again when she undergoes an endoscopy on Tuesday — and KK wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love that she protects me,” KK said. “I love that I can snuggle with her, too.”

@rachel_herzog

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