A Special Thanksgiving Story
We all have much for which to be thankful on this special day of Thanksgiving. However, this woman really has a remarkable story to share with us on this topic. The story of how a dog saves a diabetic owner is not an everyday occurrence.
She has had diabetes for some time now. Therefore, she is familiar with the risk of her blood sugar (glucose) dropping to a dangerous level while sleeping. What is new to her is having a dog save rescue her from an episode of nighttime hypoglycemia.
Pam Mansfield has had Type 1 diabetes for 25 years. Today, she expresses high praise and appreciation for her dog, Gypsy. If it were not for her keen canine instincts, Pam would not be here today. As it is, she loves to tell this story of how a dog saves a diabetic owner.
Pam’s Story of Thanks and the Details of How A Dog Saves Diabetic Owner
Ms. Mansfield told the story in great detail. Evidently, Pam was in a deep sleep associated with a very low glucose (sugar) level. Gypsy cried and pushed at her, trying to arouse Pam. Gypsy kept at it until Pam woke up.
When Pam came to, she recognized that she was having a hypoglycemic reaction and did a sugar level test. She found her glucose level to be dangerously low.
Further, she realized how close she had come to being in a coma, or worse. Pam claims that if she had not been awakened by Gypsy when she was, that she would have died.
Pam says that Gypsy is so responsive and protective of her all the time. She has never known a dog to be so attentive. She was unaware of how medical therapy dogs are trained to detect low glucose levels. So, Pam was surprised by how a dog saves diabetic owners.
Since you need to be awake to realize you are having symptoms of low blood sugar, it is hazardous to have very low blood glucose overnight. This drop in glucose during the night is called nocturnal hypoglycemia.
Although it is very dangerous, and both coma and death can result from an extremely low level of glucose when one is sleeping, they are rare occurrences. However, it only needs to happen once to be fatal for a person, and under the right circumstances, it can happen.
Factors contributing to nocturnal hypoglycemia and the need for a “Dog Saves Diabetic Owner” kind of rescue
There are multiple factors that can increase the risk of nighttime hypoglycemia. The four most likely situations are:
- A significant overdose of insulin
- A combination of alcohol
- After strenuous exercise
- If the person with diabetes has nerve damage that prevents their body from responding by appropriately releasing its own glucagon.
Even though precautions can be taken to reduce the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemic events, they can still occur. Pam is thankful that Gypsy insisted that she wake up. Pam waking up helped to lessen the risks of her nighttime hypoglycemic event.
What caused the drop in Pam’s glucose this time?
After careful thought, Pam concluded that she had not eaten enough during the day, so she ate some chocolate to raise her glucose level. She felt better immediately, but Gypsy would not leave her side.
Pam told how Gypsy would follow her wherever she went, following her from the bed to downstairs to get a drink. She was shaky for the next four hours, and Gypsy stayed by her side the entire time, never leaving her alone.
Pam stated that she had never had a dog know her so well nor to be so perceptive. Since sharing the story of how her dog helped to save her life, Gypsy has been receiving much-deserved attention. Gypsy now acts like she thinks that she is a celebrity.
Medical Therapy Dogs and Their Stories
We periodically report stories of dogs acting in loving ways that end up helping to save the life of their owners. Our furry, four-legged heroes deserve all the attention they can get for being there when their owners needed them the most.
https://excellentdogsclub.com/a-young-boy-sells-all-his-toys-to-save-his-service-dog/
https://excellentdogsclub.com/dogs-are-being-trained-to-help-detect-the-virus/
If you have a story you would like for us to share about your best-friend helping to save your life, please reach out to me. I am happy to give them the credit they deserve. It does not have to be thanksgiving for us to be thankful or to give deserved praise.
As always, feel free to share this story to give Gypsy an electronic pat on the back.
Picture credit: Spalding Today / SWNS
Special thanks to our “friend across the pond” for sharing this story with us. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2019/Nov/pet-dog-saves-owner-from-night-time-hypo.html