Physical Wellness

Nano, The Allergy Sniffing Dog Saves his Owner’s Life Every Day

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Jul 04, 2013 11:58 AM EDT

Nano, a black miniature poodle, is a tiny fluffy dog that acts like any other dog. Unlike other dogs though, this four-year-old dog went through a year of training in order to learn how to sniff out nut allergies. His owner, Yasmine Tonblad, who has a severe allergy to walnuts, peanuts and cashews, can go into anaphylactic shock just by smelling nuts that are close to her within the same room. Since getting Nano, her life has dramatically changed, easing her fear of nuts.

"It has given me a bit of independence back so I'm not so worried about eating at friend's houses or going on business trips anymore," said Yasmine, who is from Malvern, Worcestershire in the United Kingdom, reported by Daily Mail.  "Normally when I stay at a hotel I start by cleaning out the room to be sure there is no contamination - now I have Nano to double-check. I can't imagine life without him now."

Tonblad developed a severe nut allergy when she was a child. When she grew up, the allergy appeared to have disappeared only to resurface out of nowhere in her late 20s. Since its return, Tonblad was rushed to the hospital 15 times within the past eight years. After hearing about dogs that can be trained to help people with diseases, such as an allergy or diabetes, Tonblad immediately searched for ways to get one of her own. She contacted the charity, Medical Detection Dogs, located in Milton Keynes, Bucks United Kingdom.

The charity agreed to help train a dog that would be able to sniff out nut allergies and essentially protect Tonblad from a potentially lethal encounter with nuts. Medical Detection Dogs paired Tonblad with Nano, which is now Europe's very first nut allergy sniffing dog.

"The difference it can make to a client who is suffering from a condition like this is very exciting," said Simone Brainch with the charity.

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