Low Alert While Austin Was Sleeping

It was 3:30 pm today and I was just sitting down in my office to write letters, when Bo came to me and alerted.  Focused on getting my space ready for writing, I told him we'd check. He paw swiped me again and bowed. He was telling me Austin was low.

Austin was in his room taking a nap. He had an early start to the day. He had classes but he also gave a family friend's son a ride to school. By 3 pm he had finished his school work and decided to take a nap. 

I followed Bo to Austin's bedroom door, knocked and told Austin that Bo had alerted and he needed to check. Austin, as he always does, obliged without a complaint. As he opened his pack to get his glucometer, I asked him if he ate lunch. His words were all jumbled when he answered me. He took two and three tries and the words just weren't coming out in the right order. I could tell he was low. He had not eaten lunch. The meter read 64. 

"Good low, Bo," I announced heading toward the bedroom door. Bo circled me with excitement. 

Austin took a glucose tablet; while Bo and I went to the kitchen where I rewarded him with cheese and a game of 'get you.'

Fifteen minutes later, Austin came out of his room and had something to eat. He was fine; his words came back to him -- all in the right order. As for me, I couldn't stop thinking about the wonder of the work Bo does for us each and every day. 

The Sweet Spot

Austin had just walked in the house tonight, when Bo came to me in my bathroom and alerted. I was washing my face, so I sent him to go 'show' Austin. He left and came right back and alerted me again with a paw swipe. I told Austin to check but it took me going out to him in the kitchen for him to do it. He was 85 -- that's what I consider the sweet spot for Bo's low alerts.

I told Austin to take a snack and Bo got rewarded before I went back to what I was doing.

About 40 minutes later, while I was talking to Austin in my room, I got another alert from Bo. Austin checked immediately and he was 71.

Austin had not taken a snack at 85, instead he suspended his insulin. That wasn't effective. This time, I watched him drink a juice while I rewarded Bo with cheese.

His Nose is a Wonder

Bo's nose is a wonder to me. If I could have one super power, it would be to have a nose like his. To smell what he smells -- the scent of Austin's blood sugar diving, soaring and holding steady. I want a soft breeze to carry secret messages to me and circulating air to shout to me like they do to him. I want a deep inhale to tell me when Austin's sleep is safe and when it's not.

Today, while Austin was downstairs watching a football game I sent Bo to find him. Bo had been with me and I wanted him to check-in with Austin. On my command, he left my side and went to Austin who was eating. He alerted to Austin before running upstairs to find me. Once he got to me in my room, he pawed my leg and bowed in front of me.

I didn't know he had already alerted Austin, so I told him we'd check and headed downstairs. Austin was in the process of checking by the time I got there. The meter read 55.

The work Bo does for us changes our lives. It makes our lives better. It keeps Austin safer.

Austin didn't feel the low. He had just finished lunch and was eating a yogurt when Bo alerted. He would have bolused for the yogurt if it had not been for Bo's alert. Instead, he took glucose and waited 15 minutes before rechecking.

The Inconvenience Factor

The activity of Austin's three hour football practice caught up with his blood sugar this evening and Bo was on the job to let us know. I got his first alert as I was putting away laundry in Austin's room. I felt Bo's paw swipe but Austin saw it and told me he had to check before I said anything. The meter read 86. I rewarded Bo while Austin ate a snack. Seventeen minutes later Bo re-alerted me. Austin re-checked; he was still 86.

If you're fortunate enough to have a DAD that consistently and reliably alerts, you can expect being alerted and re-alerted. Sometimes it's not convenient to stop what you're doing to validate a re-alert and reward it with food and or a game. (i.e., It's the middle of the night and you want to go back to sleep. You're leaving for work and you're already late.)  But, it's always important to validate the alert in a timely manner and reward or watch it based on the number.  It's been my experience that following a consistent process for responding to alerts is key to maintaining Bo's work ethic and ultimately our team's success. 

As Austin prepares to take Bo to school full-time this month, I've talked with him a lot about the importance of responding to Bo's alerts immediately. As a 14-year-old boy, he doesn't always want to stop his activity to check in response to an alert. (Also, he sometimes thinks he knows better than Bo despite Bo proving him wrong on several occasions.) When I'm with him, I will check for him as he continues what he's doing. At school the responsibility will fall on him. I know he can do it.  I expect he and Bo will become a stronger team as they work more on their own and less with me.

Low Alert While Home Alone

Boy and pup

Today, Bo alerted to directly to Austin while the two were home alone. Austin was resting in my bed when Bo came into the room, jumped on the bed and alerted Austin with a paw swipe. Austin asked him if he needed to check and Bo paw swiped him a second time. Austin checked; he was 52. He treated himself with juice and then rewarded Bo with chicken. 

Ideally, Bo would have alerted before Austin got to 52. We use scent samples between 70 and 85 for training. While 52 is lower than I would like, it's better than no alert given the fact Austin doesn't feel his lows.

Low Alert and High Alert in the Middle of the Night

We were battling high blood sugar early last night and by midnight all our efforts to correct the high had caught up. Bo alerted me at 12:04 am. Austin had a friend sleeping over, so he was sleeping downstairs on the sofa bed instead of in his room. Bo was with the boys downstairs, so when he woke at midnight he came upstairs to alert to me in my bedroom. I checked Austin and he was 70. I treated the low with 15 g of juice, decreased Austin's basal rate, rewarded Bo, cued him to get back in bed with Austin and then went back to bed myself.

At 1:33 am I woke to Bo alerting again. This time Austin was 173. I had reduced Austin's basal rate too much but thanks to Bo I was able to take care of it before it got really high.

Last night was just another one of the many times Bo has helped us keep Austin safe through the night. I love our pup.