A diabetic service dog saved the life of a boy with type 1 diabetes by alerting the family when his blood sugar levels began dropping.
Luke Nuttall, seven, was diagnosed with diabetes when he was two years old. His diabetic alert dog Jedi monitors his blood sugar by smell.
Luke's mum Dorrie recently wrote on the pair's Facebook page - Saving Luke - Luke and Jedi - Fighting Type 1 Diabetes Together - about a time when Jedi saved Luke's life.
"This is a picture of Jedi saving his boy," she wrote alongside the black and white photo of her son sleeping on Thursday 3 March.
"Five minutes before I took this picture we were all asleep. No alarms were going off, no one was checking blood, no one was thinking about diabetes... but thankfully we have a Jedi," Dorrie wrote.
"Jedi jumped off the bed, then back on again. Then Jedi laid on me. I woke up. He jumped off the bed and half on and would not budge when I told him to get back up.
"I got out of bed, he bowed, Luke's CGM [Continuous Glucose Monitoring] said he was 100 steady. So I told Jedi we would watch and see, he bowed again (bowing is his low alert).
"I told him to get up on the bed, he held his ground and didn't budge, he refused. Then I knew he meant business and the sleepy fog started to wear off and I began to think clearer.
"I pricked Luke's finger and got this, 57 is way too low, and by Jedi's behaviour I guarantee he was dropping fast (he is still recovering from a stomach bug and anything under 70 is low)."
Dorrie said her son was laying in the same room as her, just inches away, but without the dog she would have had no idea his blood sugar levels were dropping outside the safe range.
"Luke has never woken up on his own for a low in over four and a half years," she continued.
"We are his safety net, he goes to bed every night, and although he doesn't know it he relies 100% on us to keep him safe overnight.
"That's why we check his blood sugar overnight, every night, and we have every tool, every monitor, and have spent everyday of the last three years training Jedi to alert to highs and lows, because type 1 diabetes is relentless and we need as much help as we can get.
"This is a picture of a Jedi saving his boy. Amidst a disease that does everything in its power to make life so much harder, this is a picture of loyalty and love and perseverance.
"A reminder that we will not let diabetes win, that we will never give up and that we will always fight for our children."
The post has been shared 182,000 times in seven days and has more than 28,000 comments on it.
Many have commented on how "incredible" the bond between the boy and his dog is.
"I cried when I saw your post since my daughter has recently asked about a diabetes alert dog," one dad commented.
"She can't feel her lows and has seizures due to the lows. I'll somehow manage to get her a partner. Thank you for your post. It has inspired me."
Since the post has been shared globally, Dorrie said she has received a huge surge of interest in these dogs and her son's story.
She encouraged people to "educate themselves" if they want to get a diabetic alert dog and said it isn't always the right choice for everyone.
The family share their experiences with having a diabetic alert dog on www.savingluke.com.
SEE ALSO:
Four Dogs Who Saved Their Owners Lives
Man Loses 9 Stone And Overcomes Type II Diabetes Through Healthy Eating And Tap Dancing
