Matthew's Diabetes Sniffing Dog

Matthew's Diabetes Sniffing Dog Matt: When there is something wrong with my blood sugar, Silas alerts me, and he tells me when I need to check. When I go high, I gave off a sweet smell. But when I go low, I gave off a sour smell. He very likes that sweet smell, so he licks me very aggressively. And if I’m low, he say’s “That smell is bad,” and he also knows that and he’ll look at me and tell I check. Tony: He can pick up the scent from 40 yards away. He picks it up even when he’s asleep. It’s a huge relief knowing that Silas is there for Matt. When we can’t be there -- we sleep a lot better knowing that Silas is on-call. Matt: I think that he’s my most best friend that I ever had before. I love him a lot. Dr. Travis Stork: Joining is by Polycom from Chesapeake Virginia are Tony Bryan, Vanessa, and Matt and his buddy Silas. Welcome to the show guys. Matt: Hi! Vanessa: Hi! Tony: Hello. Dr. Jim Sears: Hi there. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Hi. Dr. Travis Stork: Great to have you with us. Dr. Jim Sears: Now Matt, you know, most people would call Silas as a service dog because he helped you so much, but to you he’s a lot more than that right? Matt: Yes, he’s much more than that. He’s my best friend. Dr. Jim Sears: Oh. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Oh, that’s awesome Dr. Drew Ordon: I mean does he go other places with you or is he really just at home for you? Matt: Oh, he is everywhere with me. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Oh, he’s great. Dr. Jim Sears: What a great best friend. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Yeah. Dr. Jim Sears: Yeah Dr. Travis Stork: And then clearly, he lights up for the cameras. Dr. Jim Sears: Yeah. Dr. Travis Stork: Really quickly, for everyone watching who is wondering about this. When you have to take insulin for type-1 diabetes, if your body gets too much insulin for lot of activity you’re food you’re eating, your blood glucose can get dangerously low to the point where your brain isn’t getting any glucose for energy and you passed out, you don’t respond. Dr. Jim Sears: But luckily, that’s pretty rare. Dr. Travis Stork: It is. Dr. Jim Sears: You know, most kids with diabetes are really good at treating their sugars and keeping them level because that’s what’s really important for long-term control. Dr. Travis Stork: But this is great as a pretty safe measure, if sugars get too high, or too low, we can’t thank you enough for joining us and sharing your wonderful story. Thank you. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Thank you. Matt: Thank you. Tony: Thank you. Dr. Lisa Masterson: It’s a great thing. Dr. Drew Ordon: Silas is pretty impressive. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Yeah. Dr. Travis Stork: We’re not sure but the dog -- boy, they’re active to do these things. It’s just so amazing. Dr. Lisa Masterson: Yes, so smart. Dr. Jim Sears: Yeah, that’s amazing.