Posted on 03/12/2010 10:57:53 AM PST by solosmoke
Bill Setzer lay in his bed, sweaty and disoriented.
He'd been napping. But now, his two pit bulls, Mara and Moby, wouldn't let him be.
Mara was furiously licking Setzer's face. And Moby was repeatedly crashing his 70-pound frame into the man, in a frantic attempt to wake him.
Setzer blinked. His vision was blurry. He felt lousy.
The 63-year-old Stafford man, who has Type 2 diabetes, reached for the blood sugar meter on his bedside table, pricked his finger and read the numbers on the screen: 29. A normal blood sugar level ranges between 70 and 140. Setzer took a glucose pill, which eventually raised his blood sugar level. But if the dogs hadn't woken him that December afternoon, Setzer believes he might not have woken up at all.
"I would've probably slipped right into a coma," he said. "These two guys saved my life."
Perhaps they were just returning the favor.
............ There's no indication that Moby or Mara was ever trained to sniff out low blood sugar. They were still very young when the Setzers adopted them.But their natural scent capabilities may have contributed to their efforts to wake Setzer that December day. Megan Hellmer, vice president of Bully Paws, said the public hears a lot of negative news about pit bulls. But the dogs, when raised by responsible owners, are affectionate and bright. Several of the organization's adoptees have gone on to graduate from the Canine Good Citizen program and become therapy dogs, she said.
"These dogs are so intelligent, it's ridiculous," said Hellmer, who admits she was skeptical before owning her first pit bull four years ago. "They're very smart, very, very loyal."
This, the Setzers already know.
(Excerpt) Read more at fredericksburg.com ...
I don’t know. But if my dogs can’t come, I don’t want to go.
LOL my golden just snores.
My kitty who we lost 3 weeks ago would do this to me when he knew my blood sugar was low. I have a unique problem because mine will go into the single digits before I get to the point where I can’t do for myself.
Great story and thanks for the ping!
Thanks for posting.
My last pit used to alert and run over when my breathing changed. I always thought she would be great for a SIDS alert dog.
Thanks for the ping!
Swiper usually wakes me up in an emergency by dry heaving so loudly it shakes the whole house. It’s like a stuccato hurricane.
Now THAT'S funny!
Even before the incident in December, Mara and Moby had stuck close to Setzer. They still do.
"When I lie down, they like to get as close to me as possible," he said. "Mara likes to get up on the pillow and lay next to my head. Moby likes to lie down full-length beside me."
is bad, just try living with my 85 lb. Black Lab/Pit cross. He doesn't just believe in sleeping close to me; he tries to push me out of bed every nignt. Will no one help me???
My 13 year old Rottie, Candy, is really starting to show her age. She doesn't walk well any more, and does little more than sleep all day. She still shows some feistiness, and still vigorously enforces the ‘Hands Are For Petting Dogs’ rule when she's not sleeping.
Over the past few months, she has developed a bladder control problem....sometimes she will just leak all over the floor, and not know it. It doesn't happen much, and maybe it is just urinary tract infections now and again.
But now she has started having the same issue with bowel movements. Twice now it seems she had the urge to go and got up to go outside, only to leave a trail along the floor going out the door. I don't know if she is just too uncomfortable to get up and just waits until it's too late, or she just doesn't realize how bad she has to go.
Either way, my wife and I think that her time may be short. I would hate to let her go before her time, however. I am asking for opinions on what I should do. Maybe there is some medication for this condition??? (fingers crossed)
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Woof to Post #30
Look into various herbals for inflammation and joint pain, there are some good ones, no need to list them out in detail right now, but I can if you’re interested.. Get her on Omega-3, that will help with mobility too.
From a veterinary medicine standpoint, Metacam was a godsend for my elderly Lab. But, there are potential complications with a small percentage of dogs as far as NSAIDs like Metacam, so you have to be very cautious and observant when beginning treatment. Follow the instructions to the letter, make sure you have a day off when you start, and do not mix any other NSAIDs or aspirin with it, period.
As far as the incontinence, you can put her on a diet with less filler and no grain, which will make her stool less voluminous and less frequent, and there are other health benefits to such a high protein diet as well.
There are medications for incontinence in dogs, too, and there are means of accomodating it above and beyond medication. She’s been there for you for a very long time, be there for her. If she’s getting close to the end of her life, you’ll know. Doesn’t sound as if she’s there.
Thanks for posting this...we love our spoiled lovable pit puppy...
I see by your profile page that you’re in California; You might give a pet chiropractor a try. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but there may be some kind of alignment issue, especially with a big, heavy dog like a Rottweiler, that’s interefering with her ability to feel her bladder/pelvis.
Worth a shot.
Good luck with your pup.
I hope you get some good advice here.
I had an old black lab. Her name was Katie Scarlett (May she rest in peace). I was a week away from a vet visit for her severe arthritis that was gonna cost me $450.
The Saturday before the vet visit, I took her fishing with me. Long story short, she got into a hornets nest. She never felt a thing. Sat there with the ball in her mouth with a thousand hornets on her, with that silly look on her face.
From that day forward, she never limped again, till the day she died 7 years later.
I’ve got a diabetic friend whose labs do this same thing when his sugar gets low.
I’ve never been a fan of pit bulls, but this is a great story. I never cease to be amazed at the apparent sensory capabilities of animals, especially service dogs. There must be a smell or something that they can detect. I’ve read too about dogs that have been trained to detect cancer as well. It’s hard to fathom how that’s possible.
I suppose that your whole body chemistry eventually shows up in your skin... provided the detection equipment is sensitive enough to detect it.
Many spayed females start to lose urinary control as they age.
Hormone supplements can correct this. They use Diethylstilbesterone (DES) weekly or even sometimes monthly and it works wonders. My female was on it for the last several years of her life. No side effects since very low dose.
Bowel is often associated with nerve damage in the spine chord from disc problems. If she has trouble walking that may be the cause. Anti-inflammatories like Rimadyl can help by reducing inflammation and pressure on the spine..
Rimadyl is another NSAID like Metacam. It can do wonders, but again there are potential side effects in a small percentage of dogs that can be severe to fatal. Do a web search and you’ll find all sorts of horror stories. I strongly suspect that these poor people are looking for someone to blame for their own inattention.
It’s a godsend for arthritic, older dogs, the vast majority of which have no trouble with it. If you decide to take this route, go in with your eyes open, take a day off to start her on the regimen, be very observant, and if there is any confusion or especially blood in the urine or stool, stop treatment and get her to a vet immediately.
My Lab was down and couldn’t get up on his own. Within fifteen minutes of his first dose of Metacam, he was up and walking around unaided. It really helped him. Scared me to death, giving him that first dose, though. He never had any adverse reaction.
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