Posts tagged "epinephrine"

Peanut-Sniffing Dog is Boy's Lifesaver

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Jul 7th 2009 2:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Pet Training

For most of his young life, nine year-old Billy Gensel couldn't throw caution to the wind and do what normal nine-year-olds do -- go to carnivals, stuff his face at restaurants, or even stay in a hotel room. "It was really, really harsh," he told CBS' The Early Show.

Billy has such a severe allergy to peanuts that contact with even the tiniest amount of the nut could send him into a potentially deadly anaphylactic shock, leaving him struggling to breathe as his airways close up. Whenever he did venture out, his mother Karen Gensel hovered nearby with an EpiPen, an auto-injector containing epinephrine (or adrenaline), to plunge into her son if her son began to claw at his neck trying to breathe.

Thankfully, Remy, a black Labrador Retriever trained to sniff out the most miniscule traces of peanut -- she can even tell whether a chicken nugget has been fried in peanut oil -- has become Billy's constant companion. The peanut-detecting pooch "sniffs down everything and everyone that Billy may come into contact with," letting Billy and his mother know where it's safe to go, or alerting them when peanut traces have been found.

"This dog has changed our life," says Karen Gensel. "It's a life of normal. And for us that's a really big deal."

Follow Pawnation on Twitter Follow Pawnation on Facebook

Can't Miss Galleries

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=748445&pid=748444&uts=1268346491

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Camouflage Animals

Madagascar Day Gecko
The green Madagascar Day Gecko lives in the dry regions of forests in Madagascar and neighboring islands. They usually grow to be between four to six inches long. Their tail makes up almost half of their length.

Getty Images

Camouflage Animals

Argentine Horned Frog Reptiles
The Argentine Horned Frog, also known as the Horned Frog or Pacman Frog, originated in South America. The green and black amphibian, which can grow up to six inches long, is a popular pets and can live for as long as 10 years.

Camouflage Animals

Walkingstick
The Walkingstick takes its camouflage abilities to the next level by creating the appearance of a stick or twig to hide from predators. While they normally stand still, these insects are able to walk around as though they were a twig caught in the wind. They can be found in tropical forests or woodlands all across the world.

Camouflage Animals

Dwarf Puff Adder
Found in Nambia, the venomous Dwarf Puff Adder hides from the hot desert sun by burying itself in the sand, where only its eyes show.

Camouflage Animals

Stonefish
Often resembling a rock, the brown colored Stonefish camouflages itself perfectly in the ocean. With 13 venomous dorsal spines on its back, the Stonefish can cause tissue damage and respiratory distress, which can lead to cardiovascular shock if left untreated.

Camouflage Animals

Chameleons
Chameleons, the quintessential color-changers, can transform their skin color when their mood, temperature or the amount of light around them is altered. Their hue, which can vary from yellow and pink to brown and black, is also altered when they communicate.

Camouflage Animals

Green Anole
Often confused with chameleons, Green Anoles turn brown when they're stressed or sick. Found in the trees and shrubs of the Southeastern United States, these lizards are popular pets.

Camouflage Animals

The Eastern Wood Frog
The Eastern Wood Frog tricks competitors by changing colors to match its surroundings. Found in North American woodlands, the frog also has a dark black patch from its eye to the base of its front limb that can change colors.

Camouflage Animals