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With a sense of smell 200,000 times better than humans, dogs can tell if there is an abnormally high or low level of sugar in the blood and either let the youngster know or call for help if they do not respond.

Parents talk of the stress that a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes brings with glucose tests every few hours day and night for the incurable, auto-immune disease that hits major organs. It affects 20,000 children in France.

Three dogs were trained over eight months by the Acadia association but more than 60 people need help and Acadia needs funding to carry on.

Research is also continuing at the Institut Curie in Paris where dogs are tested for their ability to detect breast cancer after 100% success in initial tests.