I am a medical alert dog for a 9 year old, I know when her blood sugar is dropping
A little girl’s dog is more than just her best friend. She also has a sixth sense that detects when her blood sugar is dropping.
The dog can even warn her in advance that a life-saving device is nearby.
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In a now viral video, the TikToker behind (@theboggs_familie) shared how the family dog has become essential to her daughter’s health and safety.
“This yellow labrador is an angel in disguise. She will always look out for her girl!” she said.
She told the video in a playful way from the dog’s perspective.
“My name is Spy and I am a trained emergency medical service dog for my girl Raelynn,” she said.
The dog ‘explained’ that the child has type 1 diabetes and has been trained to ‘smell’ her high and low blood sugar levels.
Wherever they go, such as in the store seen in the video, the dog demonstrates how she does her utmost to warn her when her blood sugar levels are getting too low, by doing some jumping.
“I normally smell it much sooner than her Dexcom,” she said.
To prove her point, the monitor only started beeping after the girl had already treated the problem.
“I’m such a good girl,” she said.
“The nose always knows, and I can smell it.”
She took her job of ensuring the girl’s safety seriously, and it showed.
The child ate some sugar-laden Nerds to combat the problem, while the dog stayed with her the entire time.
“I really enjoy working and going everywhere with her.”
Spy especially appreciated the treats she received as a reward for using her senses.
The best part for her, however, is that she regularly hears that she is the girl’s ‘best friend’.
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Even as the girl and her sister stroll through the store, the dog stays perfectly and patiently in place, never “losing sight” of her.
She also knows that the girl’s mother is standing right behind her, keeping watch over the girls until they return.
In the meantime, she knows she has to keep her nose in the books to make sure everything goes well.
And it was a good thing she was there, because it wasn’t long before she noticed her blood sugar levels were stable again.
This time she made sure to warn her sister first before she “told” the girl herself, so she would know it was time to eat something else.
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This dog, who is now a doctor, didn’t trust her blood sugar to rise fast enough and went back to work – that is, jumping on her.
The signal was immediately understood and the girl knew what to do.
As compensation, the dog received a well-deserved reward.
“I should actually get paid for my work, you know,” she said.
Despite her best efforts, she noticed that her owner was still not feeling well.
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She was well aware that the insulin was hitting her hard and her legs were shaking.
To make her feel better, she sat next to her so she could keep a close eye on the situation until it improved.
“I never want to leave her side again,” she said.
Even though these kinds of situations cause her stress, she finds comfort in the thought that she will eventually become herself again.
It is her job to make sure she knows she is not going anywhere until she is stabilized. After all, she is her life-saving friend.
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To remind her to stay alert to the situation, she gives her another reminder—namely, her paw—until the girl feels well enough to go to the checkout and leave the store.
She also makes sure that her mother-in-law’s mother keeps an eye out when things like this happen.
Others also shared how impressed they were with Spy’s senses.
“Diabetes alert dogs are incredible. I’m a veterinary assistant and one time a client’s diabetes alert dogs started alerting another dog,” said one onlooker.
“I love these videos! I’ve always been amazed by service dogs and their skills! I have a labrador too that I love! Spy, you’re a good girl,” commented another.
“Every time I watch a video about service dogs, I end up with tears in my eyes thinking, ‘How did we ever get by without these animals?’” said one viewer.
“Service dogs never cease to amaze me. My brain always immediately goes, ‘This isn’t real,’ but I know it is. It’s just so incredibly impressive,” one onlooker remarked.
