Service dog for sleep apnea

[SCW4665]

i have sleep apnea. I also have two Labrador Retrievers. Neither of whom are service dogs.

 

As one person pointed out - you stop breathing multiple times during your sleep which could create a health risk. This is why they have designed the machine - to force your airway to stay open and help you breath.

 

No way does a dog do that for you. I have no idea how they managed to get that one to fly - unless they had a medical note that was false?

 

So the dog was supposed to bark everytime they stopped breathing? Maybe the dog would bark when the light went on the machine?

 

I personally stop 15 times or more in an hour, but I am not severe - even saying that how would they allow a dog to bark that many times?

 

And yes - doesn't the dog sleep?

 

Where does the dog do its business on a ship? How is that not a health violation? What about the people with pet allergies?

 

The list goes on doesn't it?

I hate when people try to abuse the system...grrr:mad:

 

 

We dont know that she is abusing the system. If the dog is an certified service dog , there is not too much anybody should say about it . If you are allergic to the dog , stay away from the dog.

[sharecruises]

Many service animals perform real lifesaving work

 

then again, some people , especially here in South Florida, call their pet a "service animal" and use it to do whatever they want

 

Here is the website where people learn how to get their pet certified

 

http://www.petsincondos.org/

 

I know a woman who keeps her cute Maltese in a "bag">> poor thing goes everywhere, never seems to get out. He is an "emotional" support dog, there to calm her nerves or something. No real "diagnosis"

 

http://www.petsincondos.org/ESA.htm

 

They do suggest ways people can get their pet "certified" for emotional support

 

I doubt if a maltese is the suggested prescription for the medical condition of sleep apnea. And as others have pointed out, why the need for dog at dinner where she is not sleeping?? How would the dog stay up all night anyhow, dogs sleep more than people

Edited May 15, 2012 by sharecruises

[Cruisingzs]

For what its worth...my parents own several weeks at a time share that does not allow dogs. They love their pekineesee more than their children! Lol! They told the sales rep at the time share office they would love to buy more weeks but they could not bring their dog. The rep suggested they get a letter from my mothers doctor stating she needed the dog for anxiety. Now the dog counts as a service dog at many hotels as well.

I do not want people to think that I am Down playing service animals . They are tre heroes to many. But my parents dog is no service dog and it has become a family joke

[Maryscooking]

There was a HUGE discussion about service dogs who are not actually service dogs over on the RCI board not too long ago, due to a passenger who brought a constantly barking, poorly behaved dog on a cruise.

 

Basically, there is no way for the cruise line to determine if a dog is really used for a legitimate service or not, because it forces them to question the person's disability, and that is against the law I guess?

 

To me, the red flag if a dog is a "real" service dog or not, is its behavior in public. Trained service dogs have better manners than many people I know. Ones that are really just pets are the ones that are barking all the time, being allowed to eat off the plate at the table in the MDR (yes this happened on that RCI cruise), etc.

 

I think the cruise lines have an obligation to prevent service animals from creating such a disturbance for the other guests (and legally, it seems they would be well within their bounds to do so) but it seems like they are afraid to even touch the issue.

 

And I don't get the sleep apnea thing either. If the dog must stay awake all night watching its owner, and the owner also wants to cart her dog all over the ship during the day, when is the poor animal sleeping?

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

This thread caught my eye instantly... also not trying to flame, but .. um.. I'm a fraud investigator for health insurance and I assure you someone trying to submit a claim for an animal for a diagnosis of sleep apnea would surely throw up some red flags as least from an insurance standpoint... as for the MDR.. hmmm.. perhaps the person also suffers from narcolepsy?? :p

 

I wanted to say maybe she wants to take the dog to the MDR because she also has narcolepsy, but I was afraid of being flamed or flaming the person who made the original comment posted on FB. :rolleyes: It's too easy for either of those things to occur when something like this comes up. BTW I saw your location and I think we used to work for the same insurance company (if it's the one big one in MD) before I quit to stay at home with my baby in December. :D

[BeachChik]

Yes, I'm aware of the consequences. I was diagnosed at Stanford University and they were never able to successfully optimize my CPAP settings. My case is complicated by other issues including a brain tumor, asthma (the CPAP makes my lungs burn constantly from the forced air) and a spinal fusion (can't sleep on my back making it difficult to keep a good seal with the mask). Sometimes, there is no good answer. There's a very strong connection between asthma and sleep apnea and they say I won't be able to get the sleep apnea under control until I get the asthma under control. My best treatment would probably be to move to some place with much better air quality because I live in an area with the worst air quality in the country.

 

The cpap is tough to adjust to under normal circumstances so I can only imagine your issues. I put the mask on for just a minute so I could see what it was like. It actually made me feel like it was hyperventilating because of the continuous air pressure. I hope you get it worked out. I only mentioned the long term effects because people tend to think sleep apnea isn't a big deal when it really is. My hubby used to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon watching TV. Once he got on the machine he couldn't believe what a difference it made. He has felt so much better.

[BeachChik]

There was a HUGE discussion about service dogs who are not actually service dogs over on the RCI board not too long ago, due to a passenger who brought a constantly barking, poorly behaved dog on a cruise.

 

Basically, there is no way for the cruise line to determine if a dog is really used for a legitimate service or not, because it forces them to question the person's disability, and that is against the law I guess?

 

To me, the red flag if a dog is a "real" service dog or not, is its behavior in public. Trained service dogs have better manners than many people I know. Ones that are really just pets are the ones that are barking all the time, being allowed to eat off the plate at the table in the MDR (yes this happened on that RCI cruise), etc.

 

I think the cruise lines have an obligation to prevent service animals from creating such a disturbance for the other guests (and legally, it seems they would be well within their bounds to do so) but it seems like they are afraid to even touch the issue.

 

And I don't get the sleep apnea thing either. If the dog must stay awake all night watching its owner, and the owner also wants to cart her dog all over the ship during the day, when is the poor animal sleeping?

 

If the cruise lines follow the ADA, they are allowed to ask what service the animal performs but not what a persons disability is. However most companies wont say anything for fear of being sued.

Edited May 15, 2012 by BeachChik

[Mary Ellen1]

Well, let's see...

 

Family pets masquerading as service dogs can fly in the cabin of the airliner, not in the cargo hold.

 

Family pets masquerading as service dogs can come on your cruise with you. Who needs to pay for boarding in a kennel?

 

Family pets masquerading as service dogs can comes on your cruise for free.

 

Heading over go that website now. Look what I'll be saving on my next cruise, by not bringing the kids, & not boarding the dogs! :D

[Tanbella]

Lol wow a lot of strong feelings poor doggy. My sister brought her service dog with us on liberty, you should not leave it alone in the room, I don't know why carnival tells you this maybe they don't want there staff attacked if a steward justs walks in the room, or they don't want any accidents or property damage. So that's why this poor lady had her dog with her at dinner even thought she was not sleeping. Second research dogs and sleeping disorders there service dogs for sleepwalking, sleep apnea and even for kids with night terrors. I might get flamed for this but I would take that ladies dog in the mdr to any kid running around or crying in the mdr anyday!!

[SNJCruisers]

I read about this earlier tonight on J Heald's blog, so I figured I would peruse the CC boards, and low & behold....there's a thread about it.

 

I suffer from sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine with a full face mask for numerous years now. My mother used one before she passed away and I know my Dad needs it, but he is almost 80 and is stuck in his ways. Football Hall of Famer Reggie White died from sleep apnea because it went undiagnosed.

 

For the life of me though, I can't comprehend the need for a service dog to help you with sleep apnea. It seems like a gray matter, getting away with something because you can, similar to people getting a prescription from their doctor so they can get a handicapped license plate......don't flame me now, I am not talking about those people that truly need it, but the ones that get it and abuse the privledge.

[bluehenfan]

i have sleep apnea. I also have two Labrador Retrievers. Neither of whom are service dogs.

 

As one person pointed out - you stop breathing multiple times during your sleep which could create a health risk. This is why they have designed the machine - to force your airway to stay open and help you breath.

 

No way does a dog do that for you. I have no idea how they managed to get that one to fly - unless they had a medical note that was false?

 

So the dog was supposed to bark everytime they stopped breathing? Maybe the dog would bark when the light went on the machine?

 

I personally stop 15 times or more in an hour, but I am not severe - even saying that how would they allow a dog to bark that many times?

 

And yes - doesn't the dog sleep?

 

Where does the dog do its business on a ship? How is that not a health violation? What about the people with pet allergies?

 

The list goes on doesn't it?

I hate when people try to abuse the system...grrr:mad:

 

While looking for some information on the handicap board I came across a trip report by someone with a service dog. It was posted by someone with a real need for the dog. Cruise lines each have their own program, but they basically provide the guest with a box in a designated area outside for the dog to "do their business" and they provide guest with plastic bags for clean ups. I'm pretty sure this is where I saw that ADA no longer considers needing a dog for "emotional support" in compliance with ADA guidelines. I have no need for a service dog, thank goodness, but it was a very interesting thread. ( I wondered about how the dog stays awake to monitor her sleep too.)

Edited May 15, 2012 by bluehenfan

[sparks1093]

We dont know that she is abusing the system. If the dog is an certified service dog , there is not too much anybody should say about it . If you are allergic to the dog , stay away from the dog.

 

It is my understanding that it doesn't require much to have a dog certified. It's relatively easy these days to find a doctor that will sign off on just about anything.

 

There was a HUGE discussion about service dogs who are not actually service dogs over on the RCI board not too long ago, due to a passenger who brought a constantly barking, poorly behaved dog on a cruise.

 

Basically, there is no way for the cruise line to determine if a dog is really used for a legitimate service or not, because it forces them to question the person's disability, and that is against the law I guess?

 

To me, the red flag if a dog is a "real" service dog or not, is its behavior in public. Trained service dogs have better manners than many people I know. Ones that are really just pets are the ones that are barking all the time, being allowed to eat off the plate at the table in the MDR (yes this happened on that RCI cruise), etc.

 

I think the cruise lines have an obligation to prevent service animals from creating such a disturbance for the other guests (and legally, it seems they would be well within their bounds to do so) but it seems like they are afraid to even touch the issue.

 

And I don't get the sleep apnea thing either. If the dog must stay awake all night watching its owner, and the owner also wants to cart her dog all over the ship during the day, when is the poor animal sleeping?

 

All they can do is ask for the dog's certification, again, as I understand it. Unfortunately that doesn't mean much.

[David-n-Rita]

It is my understanding that it doesn't require much to have a dog certified. It's relatively easy these days to find a doctor that will sign off on just about anything.

 

 

 

All they can do is ask for the dog's certification, again, as I understand it. Unfortunately that doesn't mean much.

 

 

I agree completely. Carnival will address this problem when everyone jumps on the bandwagon and brings their pet, the newly certified service dog on a Carnival ship. We sat at a table with a blind passenger who has a seeing eye dog. He chose not to bring it on the cruise because his wife could help him around the ship, and his seeing eye dog was bitten on a cruise ship by a small dog someone had on the ship for "social anxiety". He complained about his seeing eye dog being targeted by these "quickly certified" pet dogs now appearing on cruise ships. To protect his own service animal, he said that him and another passenger who always brought their seeing eye dogs on cruise ships are now having problems with "service dogs" that are not really trained for such purposes. That is a shame, and in my opinion that is what is wrong with the rules as they exist now. Carnival will address it when they start having 20-30 dogs on a cruise, and it truly becomes a problem for everyone. I just think it is sad that seeing eye dog passengers are cruising without their dogs due to these "service animals" causing problems

[nbsjcruiser]

Don't know much about service animals but isn't there typically paperwork that goes along with a service dog? Surely it wouldn't be bad of the cruise lines to ask that she supply a letter from her doctor indicating that the dog in question is indeed a service dog for sleep apnea and that she has been diagnosed with the condition. That would probably stop most of these issues in their track.

Edited May 15, 2012 by nbsjcruiser

[jobell]

What trips me out is that this question has been asked before on JH's blog which only makes me wonder how many other questions are being recycled and "featured" on his blog and how many legit questions are going unanswered.

[notme1955]

This has me wondering, now. We adopted a ShibaInu/Husky mix dog a few years ago. Nikki is a wonderful dog--she was extremely well trained. She was patient while we learned what commands she would respond to. Yes. We are now well trained owners. She really is the most amazing dog.

 

Back when I weighed 143 lbs more than I do now, every now and again, she would wake me up by licking my arm, or when I ignored that, she would use her paw until I woke up, only if I ignored that would she bark an then jump up on me, forcing me awake. Of course, I'd think she had to go out, but as soon as I was up and walking around, she'd look me up and down as if checking to see that everything was alright. When she was satisfied that I was good, she would go back to her bed and immediately fall back to sleep. She's never done this to my husband. Not once.

 

I always wondered if she'd been trained in some kind of service, only because of her behavior. If these "sleep apnea" trained dogs do exist, I wonder if that's what my Nikki was trained for? Maybe my breathing was stopping and she was waking me. Or, maybe I was just snoring and interrupting her sleep! I never figured it out. Now that I've lost the weight, she's waken me, maybe once.

 

There is no way she would have passed service training, though, because she is easily distracted by squirrels, cats, dogs, any animal that moves and looks like it would be fun to chase. Which might explain why we ended up with such a great dog!

 

Obviously, I would never take my dogs on any vacation with me--unless I had a real disability, of course. As much as I love my dogs, one of the perks of leaving them behind is that I don't have to feed them or take them out for a week!

[Flick]

I am involved in raising funds for a group that supplies service dogs to veterans. One of the ways a service dog can tell if their "master" is in trouble is by smell. All of us have odors about our body. Dogs can smell 100's of times better than humans. When something is wrong, our bodies produce adrenilin to fight off the "invader". The dogs are trained to detect the odor of adrenilin and realize something is wrong. At that point, they either bark or nudge or do something to get the human's attention. We do, however, point out that dogs are incapable of injecting needed shots or for that matter, giving mouth to mouth resusication.

[wrigley80]

I have always wondered about service dogs on cruise ships. I know that a person with a sight disability can't be turned away but where does the dog use the bathroom :rolleyes:

[luckybecky]

There was a HUGE discussion about service dogs who are not actually service dogs over on the RCI board not too long ago, due to a passenger who brought a constantly barking, poorly behaved dog on a cruise.

 

Basically, there is no way for the cruise line to determine if a dog is really used for a legitimate service or not, because it forces them to question the person's disability, and that is against the law I guess?

 

To me, the red flag if a dog is a "real" service dog or not, is its behavior in public. Trained service dogs have better manners than many people I know. Ones that are really just pets are the ones that are barking all the time, being allowed to eat off the plate at the table in the MDR (yes this happened on that RCI cruise), etc.

 

I think the cruise lines have an obligation to prevent service animals from creating such a disturbance for the other guests (and legally, it seems they would be well within their bounds to do so) but it seems like they are afraid to even touch the issue.

 

And I don't get the sleep apnea thing either. If the dog must stay awake all night watching its owner, and the owner also wants to cart her dog all over the ship during the day, when is the poor animal sleeping?

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head. The dog's behavior is the crucial point. I don't think it is reasonable to expect Carnival to be the "service dog police" -- they can't be demanding papers and certifications and proof of disability and who knows what else. It seems the law is confusing and there may be loopholes.

 

So the answer is that cruise lines need to simply lay out -- and enforce -- rules that are reasonable for all to follow. If you have a doctor's letter certifying that you need a service animal, that's fine. But in bringing that animal on the ship, you have to agree to some rules of the road. Such as: if the animal is continually barking in the main show lounge, or the middle of a comedy set, or whatever, you will remove it from the area to avoid interrupting other passengers' enjoyment of the show. And: the dog will be kept on a leash and on the floor in dining areas, and not be allowed in your lap at the table, or held at counter level in the buffet line, etc.

 

I'm still at a loss to understand how a dog could help with adult sleep apnea. Whether the dog licks, nudges, or barks at you -- it is going to be frantic all night long trying to deal with typical sleep apnea, which in untreated cases can involve hundreds of apnea events every single night.

[sailaway4]

I have always wondered about service dogs on cruise ships. I know that a person with a sight disability can't be turned away but where does the dog use the bathroom :rolleyes:

 

I have seen these answered a couple of times,once by John Heald. They make a special place for the dog to "go" by one of the life boats. I don't know who takes care of the place but,I would imagine they put some disposable puppy pads or something like that down.

[ATLP&J]

Sorry the dog doesn't need to be in the MDR. If you need the dog for your sleep Apnea then leave it your room crated while your out or in certain eating settings. I wouldn't have an issue with it being walked around on the ship deck or other outside areas but it doesnt need to be around people eating or getting in the way of the servers.

[Rottweiler Puppy]

Carnival will address it when they start having 20-30 dogs on a cruise, and it truly becomes a problem for everyone.

 

I highly doubt it. If anything they will cater to them more and build and area for dogs to go play and crap in.

[sparks1093]

I highly doubt it. If anything they will cater to them more and build and area for dogs to go play and crap in.

 

Next to the Serenity area, no doubt:eek:.

[luckybecky]

I have always wondered about service dogs on cruise ships. I know that a person with a sight disability can't be turned away but where does the dog use the bathroom :rolleyes:

 

Regarding the practical concern of where the dog will "go" : Here is what John said in reply to the person who asked on his blog about her service dog (she had also asked how to make sure her dog is "well looked after" and I think John tried to dispel the notion that her dog would be looked after by anyone): "...Once onboard a special area will be reserved near the lifeboat stations for your dog to do its whoopises but please note that the staff do not in any way take care of the dog, that is down to you of course."

[dlbutler5]

If you folks only knew how much was required to bring a service dog aboard you would know that most people would go through it for pets. You have to contact eacha nd every port to find the requirements for entry to that port, get an international health certificate, submit paperwork to the cruise line verifying shots and health status and these are just a few of the things needed. Also, if it is a true service dog for what ever reason, it should always be with the patient.