Little Beauty stuns doctors by saving Noel from life-threatening coma
Dr Mortimer O’Connor, is based at Cork’s South Infirmary-Victoria Hospital, said it is the first recorded case of a dog detecting hypoglycaemia (low blood-sugar levels) in a non-diabetic.
The incident happened in July 2006 but details have only just been published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science.
Beauty, a four-year-old King Charles spaniel, has lived with her owners, Noel and Rita Hanley, in the Cork suburb of Togher, since she was a pup.
A normally placid animal, she sensed something was wrong when Noel, 74, slipped into unconsciousness after his blood-sugar levels plummeted.
Beauty began to behave completely out of character — barking, and running in and out of the bedroom. Her behaviour alerted Rita, who had thought her
husband was dozing. When she found she couldn’t rouse him she contacted the emergency services.
Noel was rushed to A&E and was admitted in a hypoglycaemic state, and in a coma. He was treated and was well enough the following day to talk to Dr O’Connor, who said Beauty’s intervention was crucial.
“His dog saved his life, without a shadow of a doubt,” he said.
“We were taken aback by the case. Normally there are symptoms such as sweating and palpitations but Noel didn’t seem to have these.
“When someone’s blood-sugar level goes below a certain level, the body starts shutting down to preserve the main organs.
“Eventually your brain starts to shut down and you tend to go into a comatose state.”
Dr O’Connor believes Beauty was somehow able to smell or taste the fact Noel’s blood-sugar levels had dropped.
Rita said Beauty definitely saved her husband’s life.
“I didn’t take much notice because Noel never suffered from hypoglycaemia before,” she said.
“He was snoring and it looked like he was just sleeping.
“The dog sensed something and jumped on top of the bed, freaking out, licking him and tearing off the bedclothes.
“I tried to wake him but couldn’t so I phoned for the ambulance.
“He was in a deep coma but I didn’t know it. Apparently Beauty had sniffed him and sensed that something was wrong. She definitely saved him.”
And she noticed it happening again a few months later, although it was not a serious as the first incident.
Noel said Beauty keeps a close eye on his condition — she regularly licks his wrists and ankles as if to check on his blood-sugar levels.
“She is my minder,” he said.
Doctors have run a barrage of tests on Noel but they have been unable to determine what caused the condition.
He smoked 30 cigarettes a day for the last 50 years, has no recollection of the hours leading up to his hospital admission or his time in A&E, but has made a full recovery.
Some dogs have proven vital to their owners:
* Toby, a two-year-old golden retriever, saved his owner, Debbie Parkhurst, 46, of Cecil County, Maryland, by giving her the Heimlich manoeuvre after she choked on a piece of apple.
* Rebecca Frock, 38, of Albuquerque, goes everywhere with Taz, a four-year-old Labrador who can sense when she is about to have an epileptic seizure. When he picks up the cue, he will hassle Rebecca until she takes a pill.
* Margie, a 14-year-old Boston terrier–French bulldog mix, helps breast cancer patients at a Los Angeles medical centre by snuggling and inspiring them and their families as part of the centre’s POOCH Programme (Pets Offer Ongoing Care and Healing).
* The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind introduced a programme in 2006 to provide assistance dogs to people with autism. It also provides companion dogs to people with disabilities, such as Down Syndrome.
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