I have a multipurpose service dog who is part diabetic alert.

I can’t feel my drops and swings which is not good considering I have certain complications that result in extremely unpredictable and pretty constant swings. I am also unable to use a continuous monitor, so I’m stuck with the finger prick meters. We had very little to no control over it on our own and while we did the best we could, it wasn’t working. We couldn’t track and predict it properly enough. We tried for years to.

While my SD does not replace my meter, him paired with it has helped us find a little bit of stability. We’ve been able to shrink my swing window a little bit,in a way “lessen the fall”. We’re able to catch drops more frequently before it hits my point of non-compliance/not conscious. It’s not perfect and it never will be, but he has helped us find some stability in my diabetes. It’s not a perfect system and it never will be, but he’s helped improve the system. If that makes sense.

So in my case, he’s able to alert us to a problem way before the people around me realize theres a problem that needs to be tested with my finger prick meter. If I could use a continuous monitor, I might not benefit as much from his alerts. But I cannot use them so it is a valuable and important task of his.