A new service dog is about to make life a lot easier for Elijah Lidgett and his family in Bakersfield, California. The 10-year-old has diabetes and he has a sensor that alerts him when his blood sugar is low or high, but his parents worry that he won’t hear it if he’s asleep.
So the family has been raising money to buy their son a service dog that can sense when his blood sugar is low or high and alert him. These dogs are amazing because they can smell their owner’s blood sugar fluctuations and notify them 20-45 minutes in advance, so they have time to fix the levels. But they’re also expensive - like $25,000!
And through bake sales and fundraisers, the Lidgetts raised the money and bought Gigi the service dog from Service Dogs By Warren Retrievers. And within hours of being with Elijah, she alerted him to a drop in his blood sugar.
“It was just so awesome to see her just focus in on him and she’s only been here for a day,” dad David says, “So I can’t imagine what the next ten years will hold.”
Source: ABC News 23