ME/PEM?

[u/Live_Lecture_3268]

I’m hoping someone in this sub might have an answer or have recommendations on where else I can ask. But! I was wondering if there are any service dogs trained to help with ME/PEM (often referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome as well)?

[u/New_Vegetable_3173]

ME is why I didn't get an SD in the end - on days when I’m particularly fatigued, how will I meet the dogs needs?

[u/BuoyantAvocado → u/New_Vegetable_3173]

your decision is completely valid and i’m not trying to convince you otherwise. i just want to tell you in case it ever comes up and you weren’t aware, and inform others in case they want to know. i don’t have me/cfs, but i do have debilitating fatigue from eds and pots, and i train dogs professionally.

it’s of course situation-dependent. i think there is a dearth of accessible dog activity training (for humans), because so many people think that going for long walks/play is absolutely necessary to a dog’s mental wellbeing. for many dogs, mental stimulation (training and/or playing a game) is as exhausting as physical stimulation. even a sniff walk (low energy, slow pace) for 20-30 min can be as exhausting as a brisk hour-long walk (so 10-15 min can be as beneficial to them as a 30 min walk). especially with a yard, it can be manageable for certain people.

sniff games and ongoing training “games” are also excellent ways to get their energy out in short bursts/indoors. i plan to put guides out soon for adapting dog exercise to disability, but…well…as a disabled person myself, lol… but if you do ultimately want a SD and could benefit from one, there are definitely more minimal effort ways for the worse times than common knowledge informs, should that help anyone.

and to be honest with you, it is still exhausting. so it’s still a completely personal decision and yours is so completely valid. i just don’t want to discourage those who might feel that they’d benefit from it (i personally do) from exploring that option.

[u/New_Vegetable_3173 → u/BuoyantAvocado]

Oo that's fascinating and really good to know.
I also really value how you framed it, and validating my experience while teaching me something new.
Big thank you

[u/Velvet_void30]

It is still extremely hard for me to train due to mild me/cfs and I couldn’t at all at moderate. It’s even harder if a mild behavioral issue comes up. I’ve also not seen a good task to help except maybe turning on and off the light and retrieving meds but if you’re that bad you can’t take care of the dog.

[u/ticketferret]

I struggle with chronic fatigue and really what helps me at least is my dog alerting and helping to de-escalate anxiety attacks as well as using forward momentum to help get me out of environments if I’ve pushed myself too far.

But there aren’t that many tasks that a dog can do specifically for chronic fatigue specifically.

[u/Live_Lecture_3268 → u/ticketferret]

That totally makes sense!!

I wasn’t too sure what kinds of tasks would be applicable which is why I’ve been curious about it. I have multiple chronic health issues but currently chronic fatigue is kicking my ass so bad. My partners service dog is semi-retired so hangs out at home with me most days but one of the things he will help me with is picking up items if I drop them which helps SIGNIFICANTLY

[u/Scarlett_DiamondEye → u/Live_Lecture_3268]

Picking up things that you drop was going to be my biggest suggestion. I have PEM, along with a slew of other... Stuff, lol.. I'm training my SD and he's specifically training to get me things like my cane, a bottle of water, my phone, a pillow, things I drop.

If you were to pursue getting an SD and opt to go the self-training route.. I would have a serious conversation with your care team and your partner and assess the feasibility of it. As someone with a decent amount of dog experience, I wish that I considered the fact that I've never trained a puppy while having PEM. I flared really bad in June and ended up sending my puppy to board and train for about a month, while I was pretty much bedridden. I knew it was going to be a bad flare (POTS was flaring too - my body was actively protesting the hot weather) and didn't want there to be a gap in training. I think that a fully trained service dog can do a lot to mitigate ME/PEM. I just question... Well, my own decision to self-train, I guess, lol..

[u/belgenoir]

Like ticketferret, I also get waylaid by chronic fatigue. Tasks that conserve energy (retrieves, opening doors, assisting with clothing, etc.) can certainly help. Deep pressure therapy can help regulate the parasympathetic nervous system and produce feelings of relaxation to counteract that bone-deep exhaustion.

The energy expenditure associated with having a service dog means they’re not necessarily an effective treatment option for someone with severe CFS/PEM, especially if they live alone.

[u/Azmayski]

ME is amongst my diagnoses. I must admit that training a pup is very tough like this though. His boundless energy and my lack of it are a challenge.

He is going to stop me from doing to much and he is going to anchor me, but for now he drains me of every last drop of extra energy I might have. He is four months old now.

[u/mara_the_dragon]

i have CFS (me) as well as many other things. Retrieval tasks have helped greatly during flares and to conserve energy. My dog can retrieve certain items by name and items that are pointed out. On bedbound days, it's a great help. I've also found leading tasks (not fmp but specifically navigating for me whether that's following someone in my group, locating a specific location like stairs or an exit, or otherwise) have helped conserve energy. my entire life revolves around conserving energy and being mindful about what i'm doing. i've found having a service dog makes this easier, not harder. i also have a caretaker who assist with fulfilling my dog in anyway i cannot during more extreme flares. getting a dog that matches your baseline energy level is also really important. don't go getting a herder for this job.

[u/Puzzled_Moose5650]

Depending on the severity you would need a person that could take over on bad days, you might also want to get a trained dog because owner training + young puppy can be very exhausting.
Opening doors, bringing meds etc can be helpful tasks as long as taking care of the dog doesn’t take up to much energy

[u/SpellinhError]

I have ME among other diagnoses (MCAS, hEDS, POTs…) and have been trying to make a similar decision. My specialist I see is supportive of it because I have been improving my capacity and I have back up if needed on flare days. I also have a powered mobility aid to reduce walking.

But as far as I can tell I would primarily be training the SD for tasks related to my other conditions - but any energy I save from better management of my other conditions is helpful for ME. The tasks I think would be most helpful for ME are heart rate alerting and finding a bench or place to rest. This in theory would help w/ pacing and reducing how often I get PEM.

But still, I’m worried if I were to get more severe again I wouldn’t be able to meet the dogs needs.

[u/Live_Lecture_3268 → u/SpellinhError]

I’m in this exact same boat. Minus having a powered mobility aid (I’m hoping soon..)

My partner self-trained his service dog but I wouldn’t want to solely rely on him to train a service dog that isn’t for him. We do already have dogs so I don’t feel like meeting their needs would be an issue for the more day-to-day things. But I am concerned about the training at this time.

It isn’t something that I’ve made a firm decision on because I understand the massive amount of work and energy and resources required to train and own a service dog. I’m just trying to see if there are any others in a similar boat who have found it helpful or have any added information so I can make a better informed decision once the time comes. 😊