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Topic: King charles spaniel saved owners life (Read 114 times)
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Taome
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Posts: 1910
Poster manager /rescue
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A KING Charles Spaniel is being credited with saving her owner’s life by sensing he had fallen into a coma and raising the alarm.
Noel Hanley, 74, appeared to be sleeping at his home in Cork, Ireland and wife Rita was surprised when her dog, Beauty, began barking and running in and out of the bedroom.
“She was licking him and tearing off the bedclothes,” Mrs Hanley said.
“She certainly got my attention, which I presume was what she wanted.
“I could hear my husband snoring and thought he was just dozing. But when I found I couldn’t wake him, I called an ambulance.
“They told me I was just in time, that his blood sugar levels had dropped to a dangerously low point and that he had slipped into unconsciousness.”
Mr Hanley was taken to hospital for emergency treatment and by next day had recovered sufficiently to be told of Beauty’s actions.
“His dog’s intervention was critical – it saved his life, without a shadow of a doubt,” said one of his medical team, Dr Mortimer O’Connor.
“As doctors, we were taken aback by the case. Normally, there are symptoms such as sweating and palpitations but this patient didn’t seem to have any of these.
“When someone’s blood-sugar level falls below a certain level, the body starts shutting down to preserve the main organs.
“Eventually your brain starts to shut down, too, and you go into a comatose state.”
Blood sugar
Dr O’Connor, who has written about the case in the latest issue of the Irish Journal of Medical Science, said he is not sure how dogs detect low blood-sugar levels.
“There is a train of thought that it is through the smell or taste of someone’s sweat,” he suggests.
“Some diabetics report that their dogs have the ability to detect an oncoming episode.”
Mr Hanley, now recovered and back home, said he is still being monitored by Beauty, a dog the family has had since she was a puppy.
“She’s my minder,” he said.
“She regularly licks my wrists and ankles as if to check my blood-sugar levels. It’s a great reassurance to have her here in case something goes wrong.”
•Beauty is the second King Charles to have come to public attention for their ability to detect diabetes-induced coma.
In December DOG WORLD reported the amazing case of Harry who saved diabetes sufferer Gill Phillips (Naillige) when she nearly slipped into a coma after returning from a show.
Harry is six-year-old Nastane Henry, bred by Ann East.
Research is now being conducted into the phenomenon by Dr Deborah Wells of the School of Psychology at Queens’ and Dr Shaun Lawson of the University of Lincoln.
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Melissa - Mellhawkboxers
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