For 27 years, Sarah Breidenbach had a foolproof way of knowing when her blood sugar level was dangerously low.
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child, she could spot the early warning signs — feeling shaky and anxious.
Then one night, her internal detection system failed. While sleeping, her blood sugar level plummeted, causing a violent seizure that sent her to the hospital. Her body recovered, but her inner monitor did not.
Over the next 18 months, paramedics made 178 trips to her home.
That's when her doctor prescribed an unusual tool to help manage her diabetes: a dog.
Enter Moxie, a 5-year-old service dog who sits at her St. Paul owner's side around the clock. The black Labrador can tell when Breidenbach's blood sugar is too high or too low — just by smelling her breath.
While still rare, diabetes alert dogs are an emerging segment in the larger service dog industry, which for decades has helped people manage such health issues as blindness, hearing impairment and autism. Can Do Canines, a training organization in New Hope, estimates that there are 150 diabetes alert dogs nationwide. Earlier this summer, the group hosted a conference that drew dog trainers from around the world.
"We can't train as many dogs as we want or as many as are needed," said Alan Peters, founder of Can Do Canines. Other local trainers include Pawsitive Perspectives Assistance Dogs in Savage and Scent Angels in Eden Prairie.