All alerts are great alerts - soooo - use this forum to share some of your dogs GREAT ALERTS! http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/list.php?3 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:45:00 -0700 Phorum 5.2.11 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2311,2311#msg-2311 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2311,2311#msg-2311 nmckinne GREAT ALERTS Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:16:41 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2203,2203#msg-2203 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2203,2203#msg-2203
Last night about 30 minutes before bed, I checked Abbie....124. I knew she wouldn't make it through the night with that number, so I gave her a piece of cinnamon bread........15 carbs. Gracie started alerting to Abbie. I thought she wanted the cinnamon bread, so I ignored her. When I put Abbie in bed, Gracie went and laid down right at her head, licked her once, and did "THE STARE". I thought she was just getting used to me checking Abbie right before she went to sleep and she was just waiting on me to check as usual. I got ready for bed. Gracie never stopped "STARING". I checked Abbie and she had dropped down to 70. Great low Gracie!

This morning Gracie woke me up at 6am. She has been sleeping until around 7......NOT a happy camper. She was nipping and VERY mouthy! She would NOT leave me alone! I really wanted to scold her and go back to sleep, but thought she probably needed to go potty. I sat up and as soon as I was vertical, she went and laid down by Abbie's head......no licking, no nipping......just "THE STARE". Checked Abbie.......80! Great low Gracie!

I LOVE THIS DOG!]]> Shana Eppler GREAT ALERTS Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:17:37 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2201,2201#msg-2201 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2201,2201#msg-2201 Keegans GREAT ALERTS Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:26:19 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2199,2199#msg-2199 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2199,2199#msg-2199 He hadn't been alerting at night until a few nights ago. Now he is finally waking me up. He is still just changing position and panting, but it is enough to wake me. A couple of times I woke up without him, but by the time I come out of the bathroom he is alerting if necessary.
I'm excited that he finally has made these 2 connections. He was pretty stubborn about it, but he came around.]]> equineacres GREAT ALERTS Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:32:38 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2182,2182#msg-2182 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2182,2182#msg-2182 Keegans GREAT ALERTS Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:44:42 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2002,2002#msg-2002 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,2002,2002#msg-2002
As we are both learning, I'm working with Ruby to teach her that she needs to initate her alert by bringing her bringsel to me. The process has been that Ruby alerts me via a gentle nosing and then I instruct her, without excitement, to get her bringsel. We keep the bringsel in a easily reachable place.

Once she brings me the bringsel, I then have her take it to "Mom" (my wife) who, in turn, asks Ruby to find me. They then come to me togther. Once we're all together, Ruby is sent to get my glucometer (i.e. METER). Ruby gets so excited about the job! She returns with the METER and we all check my BG together.

If my BG is too high or low, there is much rejoicing, praise, and petting. I see in Ruby's eyes every time that she is so hopeful that my BG is a little out of whack so that we can all celebrate. The irony makes my laugh!

Yesterday, Ruby skipped alerting me directly, grabbed her bringsel, and took it to "Mom". They then rushed over to me. We sent Ruby for the METER which she excitedly retrieved and then we all checked together. The 5-sec check seemed to last for 5 mins as Ruby waited with anticipation. My BG was only 80, so I called for a recheck in :15 minuntes with no celebration. The disappointment on Ruby's face as she lay down beside me was so awful. I swear she was thinking, "Fine, you just wait your :15 minutes and we'll see who's getting petted!"

Fifteen minutes later we came back together for the recheck and my BG was 62. The rejoicing was all that Ruby could stand! She knew she was right and we love her for the confidence. Ruby -- you're a fine one!]]> Trevor GREAT ALERTS Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:41:54 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1993,1993#msg-1993 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1993,1993#msg-1993
So, I said "Is it Iris? Do we need to go see Iris?" at which point he headed for the door. Checked Iris, 41. Got her some juice and spent the whole time waiting for her to drink it saying "That's a good low, Bear!" and loving on him excitedly. He kept climbing right up on top of her sniffing and licking her, but she was just shoving him off saying "Leave me alone". After the juice, I had her love on him for a bit as well.

Fast forward to this morning however, Bear again whining at the door and scratching. Hubby's up getting ready for work. Told him to check on Iris, and I rolled over to go back to sleep. Apparently, he put Bear outside to go to the bathroom, and didn't get around to checking Iris until he was ready to leave an hour later. At which point, she's already twitching, eyes dilated, no one home, so apparently, we just missed the seizure (most likely when, or just after Bear was trying to tear down our bedroom door). Used the glucagon, and at the moment, she's sleeping it off.

So, way to go Bear! Bad, bad parents......

And I was just saying yesterday that as soon as we get through VBS this week, I had to get serious about working Bear again - at least it looks like he hasn't forgotten.]]> mindi GREAT ALERTS Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:47:41 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1982,1982#msg-1982 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1982,1982#msg-1982
This was Epie's first time using her patterened training without being told to find help. So everyone out their training for find mom find dad it will pay off when you really need it!!! Also you gotta love a dog who just will not take no for an answer! :)]]> CrystalC GREAT ALERTS Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:05:28 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1981,1981#msg-1981 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1981,1981#msg-1981
If you're reading this & are training a puppy or haven't received your dog yet - please believe me when I say "training 2 alerts" is the way to go! In the beginning, we were just so excited & proud of Tammy that we were too afraid to "monkey" with her alert. She was (is) so accurate & consistent that we (really me) didn't want to confuse her. As a result, we've missed many opportunities to catch a low at 100, rather than wait for a re-alert at 60 8-) As far as catching a high, there's no way of addressing it with a pump until he has a real-time # to correct or there's no more insulin on board because it will just give an alert. However, it's nice that she warns him that somethings "up" & he will need to address it within the next hour. Being 30 - 45 minutes (sometimes an hour) ahead of the glucometer , waiting on a high, simply makes me anxious.

For example, yesterday, Brady was studying for exams and I was making dinner. Tammy popped out of her bed, came by me with her nose in the air, alerted Brady, then alerted me. He checked, he was 54, good job Tammy :D Very clear cut, no question. Later last night, around 10:45, she bounded through the house ( (:D...she is very excited when he's on his way up ), ran in my room, jumped on/off my bed as if to say "follow me, I smell something great", ran to Brady, alerted him, alerted me & everyone else in the house (she had everyone's attention), he checked....he was 110. :S Well.....hmmmm.....ok......thanks Tammy.....nothing we can do but wait. Thirty minutes later......he was 230! 120 points in 30 minutes....I guess he was smelling pretty good ::o We've had this same scenario with the complete opposite ending (alert, bs 110, 30 minutes later bs 50). It would be nice to know which direction he's going.

So, long story long......Start training your dog's low alert but take the time to teach them both .....you'll be happy you did!]]> Bridget GREAT ALERTS Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:25:06 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1948,1948#msg-1948 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1948,1948#msg-1948 mindi GREAT ALERTS Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:26:01 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1904,1904#msg-1904 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1904,1904#msg-1904 Hope all the pups in training turn out as amazing as Wildrose trained Drake has.
Drake & Tom]]> tom GREAT ALERTS Sun, 23 May 2010 20:23:33 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1890,1890#msg-1890 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1890,1890#msg-1890
Last night I awoke about 2:30 AM for no apparent reason - I rolled over and started to doze off again when I realized I was sweating - I called to Drake who was fast asleep in his place and woke him - I leaned into his face - exhaled - and said "Am I low?" - before I had the word low out of my mouth he was nibbling on my ear and licking my face - his low alert - I got up and headed for the kitchen where I keep my monitor - when I turned on the lights my vision was impaired - a strobe light like affect - this has always been the immediate predecessor to a coma - Drake was visibly ultra concerned and his big brown eyes were fixed on me - I was 27!!! - OJ, yogurt, toast and 20 minutes later I was in the 60's - Drake never left my side, or stopped his concerned stare -

Since I was on my way up, I said "Let's go to bed." He usually runs to his bed when he hears this. Instead, this time he walked at heal beside me and sat down beside my bed and stared at me for another 10 minutes. I think he was waiting for my numbers to be in the normal range before he retired to his bed beside me.

Although he didn't wake me this time, I feel sure that without him I would probably have rolled over and dropped off had I not had him to confirm the low. I wonder now if I would be here typing to you this morning without him. Another BIG THANK YOU to the many wonderful trainers at Wildrose - I am forever indebted to you.

Warmest regards from both of us,
Drake & Tom]]> tom GREAT ALERTS Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:16:21 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1857,1857#msg-1857 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1857,1857#msg-1857 Happy Mothers Day!]]> tom GREAT ALERTS Mon, 10 May 2010 10:41:40 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1842,1842#msg-1842 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1842,1842#msg-1842
Anyway, the first day we picked up Gracie we were on our way back to the hotel for lunch. I was in the front seat holding Gracie and Abbie was in her carseat in the back seat. Gracie started going NUTS! She was whining, barking, clawing and then she started howling. I thought it was separation anxiety from being away from her mom, or perhaps she needed to potty. We pulled over to let her potty and she got calm.....got back in the car......NUTS again! She was trying her best to get to Abbie in the back seat. I put her in Abbie's lap and she started licking her like crazy! I checked Abbie's glucose and she was 62. THIS FROM A 6 WEEK OLD PUPPY!!!!!! GO GRACIE!

That night we went out to eat....same thing.....Abbie was 70.


Friday night in the middle of the night Gracie woke me up by chewing on my hair and whining like crazy. I scolded her. She then started doing the same thing to Abbie. I scolded her again and then took her to potty. I was tired and wasn't THINKING! When I got back in bed she started attacking Abbie again.....licking, biting, and whining. I decided to check Abbie and she was 43! Party, party, party for Gracie!


Abbie woke up with the croup on Saturday morning, and we had to start Prednisone. Prednisone makes her blood sugar go really high, so we haven't had any more lows to work with!

Gracie is so smart. She will already come and sit without a treat. She just turned 7 weeks old on Monday! We started "watch me" today and she is doing great! She is such a little blessing!

Special thanks to Glennis, Mike & Cathy, and Rachel! Wildrose Labs ROCK!]]> Shana Eppler GREAT ALERTS Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:30:35 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1772,1772#msg-1772 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1772,1772#msg-1772 Bridget GREAT ALERTS Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:40:37 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1768,1768#msg-1768 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1768,1768#msg-1768
Well, I sent the girls to bed tonight, and then Iris comes out saying "Mama, Bear's alerting! I think Bear's alerting!" carrying her glucometer to check.

She was on the top bunk of the bed, and said she heard Bear whining, with his paws up as high as he could get on her bed, trying to figure out how to climb it. So, she got down, and he kept whining and followed her out. She did her BG and it was 95.

So, we trusted him and gave her 20 g of carbs. Then waited up to retest.

She was 45!!!! I'd hate to think what would have happened had he NOT alerted, and if we didn't trust him and give the carbs because she was 95 - I can already see SEIZURES would definitely have come, cause she would have most likely zeroed out if she was 45 after 20 grams of carbs, then I would have lost the whole night, and probably a lot of tomorrow too.

So WAY TO GO BEAR!!! Hasn't even lost a single puppy tooth yet, but I'm really starting to think he's "getting it"!

Sorry, on an adrenaline high after that, so I probably rambled.]]> mindi GREAT ALERTS Fri, 28 May 2010 08:45:13 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1761,1761#msg-1761 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1761,1761#msg-1761
So, this morning. She got up and when she walked out into the living room, Bear walked up to her and sniffed her, then started whining and pushing on her leg. So, she told F-I-L that maybe that was the alert I was telling her about, did her blood sugar, and she was 51!

WHO HOO! Bear's really starting to get it!

Now, if he'll just turn that focus on to Iris, we'll really be making progress! She had a couple lows yesterday, but I didn't notice any signaling of her (although, he was outside for a lot of yesterday, enjoying the sunshine).]]> mindi GREAT ALERTS Sat, 10 Apr 2010 07:45:25 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1666,1666#msg-1666 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1666,1666#msg-1666
I didn't find out until after the fact about the hot dog, so we started saying "Good low, Bear" and gave lots of praise. When I did that, he came over to me to get petting and then sat by the fridge waiting for his treat.

Anyway, looks like he's figured out the routine that comes after the "good low", but now I need to see it a few more times (without a hotdog smell involved). Possible alert?]]> mindi GREAT ALERTS Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:12 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1638,1638#msg-1638 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1638,1638#msg-1638
I am saddened about the negative postings on the net. I think it is taking a toll on all of us in the DAD community. My thought is perhaps people think their DAD is not as good as they perceive another is. I am aware of 50 or so DAD teams in the world and only about 6 qualify as over-achievers. That leaves most dogs in the medium category. My Lily is in the medium category. She does a very good job, but even with more training she is not going to win an Olympic gold metal in alerting. While I cannot imagine her alerting from another room of my house or across a field, day in and day out she definitely helps me more than I would have imagined. I actually met several of the dogs in the Olympian category before they were teamed with their persons. I have racked my brain for something in their manner that I missed, but I saw nothing extraordinary. It was not until the dogs were placed and working that their Olympian quality became apparent. We shall never know if those dogs would have shined so brightly with different owners.

I pray the rest of us realize our "good" DADs are still helping to enhance our lives daily. Equally important as a dog that helps us in our daily battles with Diabetes is a dog that fits our lives. I can still marvel at those that excel and at the same time thank God for my Little Lily's average help.

Analogy: You can grow your own watermelon or you can purchase one at the store. They will all look pretty much the same. One or two will be indescribably sweet....the rest are still quite tasty.

Looking forward, if we are lucky, we will each receive help from several DADs throughout our lives (unless they find a cure). Each will be different....and I plan to celebrate the differences.]]> minnesota.ann GREAT ALERTS Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:58:40 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1576,1576#msg-1576 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1576,1576#msg-1576
My husband is also a diabetic, and Bear usually flops down between his legs at the foot of the bed in the morning. However, this morning Bear got right in his face sniffing, licking and pawing at him. AND HE WAS 69!

So, he told him "that's a good low, Bear!" just in case he really did realize what he was doing, and since he was sniffing the right scent.]]> mindi GREAT ALERTS Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:08:14 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1467,1467#msg-1467 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1467,1467#msg-1467 Bridget GREAT ALERTS Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:56:34 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1405,1405#msg-1405 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1405,1405#msg-1405
Lessons learned: Trust your dog, Always test BG before training, and if it's in the middle of the night and Jude alerts get him outside before he pees in the girls' bedroom!

I will gladly take the wet carpet in this case!]]> Jwatson GREAT ALERTS Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:32:18 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1299,1299#msg-1299 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1299,1299#msg-1299
Hailey, my 4 yo T1 granddaugther, was visiting this past weekend. She was sitting in a chair, watching a movie in the den. Beth was across the room with Bear, "down', at her feet. Bear tossed his nose up into the air and sat up. Beth told him 'down'. He layed down. His nose went up again and he sat up, crossed the room and licked hailey on the face. (he is typically NOT a licker). Beth brought him back across the room, put him back in place. moments later, he sat up, waved, and went back to lick Hailey. Beth checked Hailey's bloodsugar. 74. GOOD LOW BEAR!!!!]]> nobodybutjustme GREAT ALERTS Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:26:13 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1164,1164#msg-1164 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1164,1164#msg-1164 New semester at school. Brady & Tammy have P.E. Classes are 90 minutes long so we bought a nylon, collapsible crate to keep Brady & Tammy safe (basketball + service dog = tripping). When we got it home, the zipper was broken so I sewed on 4 velcro tabs. Yesterday was Tammy's first day in the crate. After about 30 minutes, Tammy busted out of the crate (like a felon) & headed straight for Brady (who was playing basketball). He thought she was missing him or being disobedient so he met her half-way & led her back to the crate & (sternly) told her to STAY. This was around 2:45 pm. I called Brady around 3:30 to see how his day went. He said "Tammy got out of the crate but I put her back in". I said "Do you think she might have been trying to alert you?" He said "uh...I don't know" (he's sooooo 15). I said "check your blood sugar & call me right back". He was 59! Yes - Tammy was trying to alert him. If he had given her 1/2 second more to alert him rather than shovel her so quickly back into the crate, she could have told him he was dropping. Good job Tammy :D As for Brady, he's learning....as are all of us. There's always new situations for both of them. It's very out-of-character for her to break a DOWN/STAY so I'm sure next time, he'll do a better job of "listening" to her. In the future, I think he'll only put her in the crate when they're doing something where she could get hurt....otherwise - he's going to put her up on the bleachers.

oops....that's as short as I could make it]]> Bridget GREAT ALERTS Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:37:51 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1152,1152#msg-1152 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1152,1152#msg-1152 FetchExpress GREAT ALERTS Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:52:02 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1095,1095#msg-1095 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1095,1095#msg-1095
Brady had about 3 days with perfect blood sugars (Sat - Mon evening).....yes, it was a miracle!! However, last night around 7:00, Tammy alerted....Brady had crept up to 215. He corrected & they went to my oldest son's basketball game. He called about 45 minutes later & said "mom, please come & get me, I think my site is bad". I picked him up, he was "HI". We went home, changed his site, corrected, and went on with the evening. We checked every hour to make sure he was coming down. Good, no problem, 450, 350, 250, back to under 200. At around 11:30 pm, Tammy alerted again, he was 260. Hmmmm.....darn those hormones!!!!! He corrected - everyone back to bed. At around 1:00, Tammy came into my room to alert me (she skipped right past my husband who was watching t.v.)......I was sooooo tired & thought "Tammy, thanks honey, give me just a minute, I'm so tired, ok, I'm coming.........but then fell back to sleep"......bad.bad.bad mom!!!!!!!!!! My husband saw Tammy breeze right past him & knew that Tammy was trying to get me up so he checked Brady, he was 53!! He woke Brady up, gave him 6 glucose tablets (don't ask....Brady's in this "I don't want anything to drink when I'm low phase"). After he finished the last glucose tablet, I poured myself back into bed & laid there nervous & unable to sleep (you moms know what I'm talking about). About 20 minutes later, Tammy re-alerted me before I could re-check him but this time with a little more enthusiasm (she smacks whatever part of me is closest to the edge of the bed with her long GS nose) so I immediately got up, went to Brady's room, checked him......he was still only 57!! Needless to say I gave him a juice box & pack of pb crackers & gave Tammy some yummy Duck & Potato treats (her new favorite). Way to go Tammy.....:D Bad job mom! :(]]> Bridget GREAT ALERTS Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:52:00 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1008,1008#msg-1008 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,1008,1008#msg-1008 leecherice GREAT ALERTS Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:23:20 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,984,984#msg-984 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,984,984#msg-984 Valliegirl GREAT ALERTS Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:13:47 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,967,967#msg-967 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,967,967#msg-967
I received a call from Conner yesturday morning that he had a low of 52 at 3:00 AM and he woke up because "Halo" was whining at him and was very restless!!!! "Halo" is a very quiet girl and never wakes up at night. This behavior she chose to do on her own and was rewarded with a party and her favorite chicken. Great job "Halo" and Conner!!]]> CrystalC GREAT ALERTS Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:24:11 -0700 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,959,959#msg-959 http://diabeticalertdog.com/forum/read.php?3,959,959#msg-959
And of course this happened while I went to work for a couple of hours.]]> Jwatson GREAT ALERTS Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:53:03 -0700