Diabetes service dog saves man’s life
Jeff Hoffmeister spends almost 24 hours a day with his dog Kira. She’s his service dog and this weekend she saved his life.
Hoffmesiter suffers from brittle diabetes and has uncontrollable and frequent swings in his blood glucose levels. Hoffmeister got Kira, a 6-year-old golden retriever trained to alert people with diabetes when their blood sugar is low, from the non-profit Power Paws. For two years Kira has been b his side helping to keep him healthy and alive.
This past weekend in the middle of the night Kira sensed that Hoffmeister’s blood sugar had swung dangerously low. Her training kicked in and she was determined to alert and save him. “She kept persisting and finally ended up lying on top of me and licking my face to wake me up so I could get something to eat and bring my blood sugar up.”
Hoffmeister’s blood sugar level had dropped to a 23. When a person’s blood sugar level drops below 30 it can create brain damage and even lead to death. Kira prevented that fate for Hoffmeister and allows him and his wife to sleep better at night. “It’s a great comfort to me,” said Hoffmeister. “I know it’s a great comfort to my wife. You know she always used to worry about me at night going low.”
