The Difference a Balance Dog Makes for MS

  


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By Julie Stachowiak, PhD
Updated July 13, 2016

Service dogs are specially-trained dogs that assist people living with disabilities in a multitude of ways. You might be most familiar with guide dogs that help people with vision difficulties navigate the world and assist people with hearing loss by indicating when a phone is ringing or a baby is crying. But those with vision or hearing loss aren’t the only people who can benefit from having a trained service dog.

  Many people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) have difficulty moving from place to place due to numbness in their legs, which results in feelings of instability and a lack of balance. MS-related fatigue can also cause people to fall, feel unbalanced, or have difficulty walking. Canes and other aids can help, but balance dogs are becoming increasingly common among people diagnosed with MS.

They help people sit down, stand up, and get in and out of bed, in addition to providing increased mobility when performing everyday activities. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, service dogs have every right to be anywhere that you have a right to be.