Dogs have been by our side for thousands of years, but their ability to detect medical issues has only been seriously developed in the past century. Thanks to social media, more people are seeing these life-saving skills in action—and the results are nothing short of amazing.
One such moment was captured in a viral video featuring Spy, an English Lab trained as a diabetes service dog. In the clip, Spy alerts her owners that something is wrong with their daughter, who has type 1 diabetes. The family had just changed her insulin pump an hour earlier and had no reason to suspect a problem. But Spy knew better.
Diabetes service dogs can detect dangerous changes in blood sugar levels by smelling compounds released by the body. Though scientists aren't exactly sure what the dogs are picking up on, research suggests it could be ketones for high blood sugar or isoprene for low blood sugar. Whatever the scent, these dogs are trained to recognize it and alert their humans.
In the video, Spy persistently grabs her owner's attention, leading them to their daughter's room—where they discover her blood sugar has spiked to dangerous levels. Thanks to Spy’s quick response, they were able to intervene in time.
https://www.instagram.com/theboggs_family/reel/C0Nuxa0I9OA/
The heartwarming footage has been viewed over 2 million times, with viewers praising Spy’s heroic instincts:
- “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 medical advice from now on…”
- “For those who don't know, a medical alert animal will always find someone when their person needs help. If you see one trying to get your attention, follow them—you could save a life.”
Some commenters shared stories of untrained dogs detecting diabetes-related changes in loved ones, proving that some pups just seem born for the job. With a sense of smell estimated to be thousands of times stronger than a human’s, dogs are perfectly suited to medical alert roles.
People often say we don’t deserve dogs, and stories like this make it hard to argue. To learn more about medical service dogs and see Spy in action, follow @ouronederfulboggslife on Instagram.