For over 20,000 years, dogs have been our loyal companions and helpers. But it's only in the past century that their remarkable ability to detect medical conditions has been fine-tuned to save lives.
Social media has brought incredible attention to medical alert dogs, showcasing their life-saving work. People who rely on these trained heroes are sharing videos of them in action, and it's nothing short of awe-inspiring.
One such video, which has amassed over 2 million views on Instagram, features Spy, a diligent English lab. Spy's family includes a young girl with type 1 diabetes. One night, after her parents had recently changed her insulin pump and ensured everything seemed fine, Spy sensed something was wrong.
Diabetes service dogs are trained to detect blood sugar irregularities by smelling changes in body chemistry. While scientists aren’t entirely certain what dogs detect, it’s believed they sense ketones when blood sugar is high and isoprene when it’s low. When Spy picked up on the scent of trouble, she didn’t hesitate to act.
The video shows Spy persistently alerting her owners and leading them straight to their daughter’s room, where her blood sugar had climbed dangerously high—well above 300, far outside the normal range of 70 to 150. Thanks to Spy’s vigilance, her family was able to address the issue immediately.
Comments on the video were filled with praise for Spy's heroic actions:
- “This gives me chills. Good Spy! She takes such good care of her girl.”
- “Does Spy have a medical office? Because I’m only trusting his advice from now on…”
- “For those who don’t know, a medical alert dog will always find someone when their person needs help. If a service dog approaches you, follow them—you could save a life.”
Some even shared stories of untrained dogs naturally detecting blood sugar issues in their loved ones, further highlighting the incredible scent capabilities of our furry friends. A dog's sense of smell is estimated to be 1,000 to 10,000 times more powerful than ours, making them uniquely suited for detecting medical changes humans might miss.
It’s moments like these that remind us why dogs are so cherished. Their loyalty, intelligence, and innate ability to protect us are nothing short of miraculous. Truly, we don’t deserve dogs—but we’re so lucky to have them.