Leonberger Detects Oncoming Insulin Shock

Our Labrador Baylor had diabetes. I gave him insulin shots before every meal. But he was very cooperative, and he never complained despite the pinch he must have felt every time.

Our Yellow Lab Baylor
A hand holding a shot
I gave Baylor insulin shots at every meal. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

At this stage in Baylor’s life Bronco, our Leonberger, had joined the family, and one day we witnessed what seemed like a miracle. Bronco started barking while looking at Baylor, then he intently looked at us, then he turned his head toward Baylor and started barking again. He did this a few times—not aggressively, but to get our attention. It became clear that Bronco wanted us to look at Baylor. I examined Baylor but saw nothing wrong at first. Then I looked again. This time I saw that his back legs were shaking slightly. It quickly got worse. His gait became wobbly, then within perhaps fifteen seconds he fainted. He had gone into insulin shock. We rushed him to the emergency clinic, where fortunately the doctors were able to revive him.

Having too much insulin in your blood can lead to having too little glucose/sugar. The insulin shock causes your body to become starved for fuel and it begins to shut down.

We didn’t know this at the time, but giving a dog sugar, or something sweet, can bring him out of insulin shock.

Photo of woman lying on the floor surrounded by sugar.
Sugar for insulin shock. Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com
Photo of our Leonberger Bronco standing on a sofa and giving me a hug.
Me and Bronco

Bronco detected a problem with Baylor before we could see anything wrong. His warnings gave us that little bit of extra time we needed to save Baylor’s life. I still wonder what it was that Bronco noticed. Leonbergers have a very keen sense of smell, and people have told me that the dogs can smell when there’s something physically wrong with a person. We had never taught Bronco to detect insulin shock or any other condition. It was entirely his own instinct. This was one of the amazing superpowers Bronco had.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco on the lawn with a sun ray shining over his head
Bronco was a saint

I can add that you can train dogs to warn their owners when  their blood sugar drops.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the eBook version from $4.99 to $2.99. It will last until July 20. It is valid for Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many other places.

The image shows the front cover of my book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. The cover is beige and brown and it has the face of an old Leonberger in the middle. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.
The image shows the back cover of my book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. The cover is beige and brown and it has in image of a Leonberger in snow. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com paperback location for the book.
The back cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.
Endorsement by D'Nae Wilson, President, Leonberger Health Foundation International: "A wonderful tribute to the author's beloved Bronco. The stories are heartwarming as well as informative--a true glimpse into the life with a Leonberger". Endorsement by Julie Schaffert, LCA breeder since 1992: "A lovely tribute to Bronco, with lots of resources for general Leonberger Information"
These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble e-Book location for the book.
Bronco our Leonberger is standing and looking straight into the camera.
Bronco in our living room. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble paperback location for the book.

Finally, if you would like to learn more about the Leonberger book I wrote click here or here. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

Unknown's avatar

Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

22 thoughts on “Leonberger Detects Oncoming Insulin Shock”

  2. A lot of pet parents will testify to the fact that their fur babies are able to sense when they’re sick. My own cats know when I’m not well and will not leave my side. They sense when the other’s not well. They have amazing instincts. They’re a blessing to have in our lives. 🐾🐾

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  5. How wonderful that Bronco was able to sense Baylor’s distress and alert you! I have read a few articles about dogs detecting diabetic issues in humans. I’m glad it also worked for your lab.

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