Meet Ellie & Biscuit!

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August 26th is National Dog Day!

Dogs really are, “man’s best friend”—they provide love, companionship, serve as emotional support and service animals, and so much more. Studies have shown that pets can relieve stress and help children with their emotional and social skills. So how does this all relate to type 1 diabetes (T1D)?

When stress levels rise, blood glucose levels can also spike. Spending some time with your pet can reduce stress, which helps manage blood glucose levels. In addition, people who own pets (and dogs in particular) on average get more day-to-day exercise than people who do not have an animal. Exercise is a natural way to speed up insulin absorption and lower blood glucose levels. Learn more about how pets can help with T1D management from our friends at Beyond Type 1.

Research also has shown there is a positive association between T1D youth with managed A1C levels and pet caretaking. In 2015, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center published a study that found that incorporating routine pet care into a child’s diabetes self-care plan can significantly improve the child’s monitoring of their blood glucose levels, resulting in improved results.

In the spirit of National Dog Day, meet Ellie and Biscuit!

Ellie is 11 years old and has been living with T1D since she was 5. In August 2020, Ellie met her new companion, Biscuit! Biscuit is a 2 year old Golden-doodle Lab mix and serves as Ellie’s Diabetes Alert Dog. We learned more about life with a Diabetes Alert Dog from Ellie and her mom, Kristina.

Why did you want a Diabetes Alert Dog?

Ellie: Well, I’ve always wanted another dog, and I thought having a Diabetes Alert Dog would be helpful when I’m high or low and could support me.

How does Biscuit alert you?

Ellie: Biscuit can detect if my blood sugar is high, low, or if I’m trending down, and he’ll paw at me to alert me. Once he does, I go test my blood sugar to make sure he’s right and then I’ll have a juice box or correction. Biscuit gets a treat and pets after he alerts me too!

Kristina: Ellie still wears a continuous glucose monitor so we can monitor her blood glucose trends to keep her healthy. We were just doing a puzzle and Biscuit came up and put his paws on Ellie’s back to alert her, so we checked her Dexcom and she was actually trending down.

This picture is from last week- Ellie was out in the water on a kayak, and Biscuit started barking. He alerted her as soon as she came to him.

Does Biscuit help with the stress and anxieties of living with T1D?

Ellie: Biscuit definitely makes living with T1D easier to deal with. He’s always there so it’s like having a friend with me all the time. And he’s so cute!

Kristina: As a parent, it makes me feel better that Biscuit is always with Ellie because it’s another way to keep her safe. Dexcoms are great, but they aren’t as cute as Biscuit.

Is there anything you want others to know about life with a Diabetes Alert Dog?

Ellie: I want people to know that you can’t walk up and pet him because he’s a service animal and he’s trained to be pet once he alerts me.

Happy National Dog Day to all our furry friends!