Puppy Saves Life of Sleeping Boy Unaware of Diabetes Threat
The force is strong between Luke and his Labrador Jedi —strong enough to have saved the boy’s life last week.
When the seven-year-old’s blood sugar level dropped alarmingly low during his sleep, his diabetes-sniffing dog leapt into action, and into Luke’s parents’ bed, to alert them of the danger.
When Luke’s mother, Dorrie Nuttall, had put him to bed March 3, she’d gotten a safe 100 mg/dL reading on his glucose level. But when she checked again after Jedi’s warning, it had dropped to the life-threatening level of 57— thirteen points below the lowest acceptable level for someone with diabetes.
Even a high-tech sensor implanted below Luke’s skin, which allows for continuous glucose monitoring, didn’t set off any alarms. It is only thanks to Jedi’s more reliable nose that the boy was able to be given a glucose tab to quickly boost his blood sugar.
In the video below, you can see Luke ask Jedi if his level is high or low, and the dog bows to signal “low.”
Jedi joined the family as a puppy, just after Luke was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The Labrador began training as a diabetes alert dog — using his nose to hit on warning signs of crashing or skyrocketing glucose levels.
The boy and his dog are inseparable, with Jedi staying close to Luke wherever he goes.
“Jedi’s job goes beyond alerting, he also saves Luke from being scared; he is his constant companion,” Dorrie wrote on Facebook.
When the seven-year-old’s blood sugar level dropped alarmingly low during his sleep, his diabetes-sniffing dog leapt into action, and into Luke’s parents’ bed, to alert them of the danger.
Even a high-tech sensor implanted below Luke’s skin, which allows for continuous glucose monitoring, didn’t set off any alarms. It is only thanks to Jedi’s more reliable nose that the boy was able to be given a glucose tab to quickly boost his blood sugar.
In the video below, you can see Luke ask Jedi if his level is high or low, and the dog bows to signal “low.”
Jedi joined the family as a puppy, just after Luke was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The Labrador began training as a diabetes alert dog — using his nose to hit on warning signs of crashing or skyrocketing glucose levels.
The boy and his dog are inseparable, with Jedi staying close to Luke wherever he goes.
“Jedi’s job goes beyond alerting, he also saves Luke from being scared; he is his constant companion,” Dorrie wrote on Facebook.