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Dog used in diabetic care

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A Cambridge family is learning to cope with the challenge of type one diabetes — thanks to a new — four legged addition. The Bordman’s recently received one of Canada’s first diabetic alert dogs. And today, they visited McMaster Children’s Hospital to show other affected families how she’s changed their lives.

Raising one child with diabetes is difficult — raising two is overwhelming.

Terry Bordman: “Your mind never rests.”

Jade and Brooke Bordman were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 3-years old. Neither can detect when their blood sugars drop dangerously low.

But Nettle can.

She is one of the first certified “diabetic alert dogs” in Canada. The twins got her in October. Even in that short time, she’s already alerted their parents to several episodes of low blood sugar.

Terry said: “These eight times, for whatever reason, in the middle of the night, 2-3 in the morning, they went low. And that happens, and Nettle picked up on it.”

Today, the family visited McMaster Children’s Hospital to show other kids with diabetes some of Nettle’s special skills.

She was trained at the Lions Foundation of Canada where she learned to sniff out the scent of the twins’ low sugar.

Ian Ashworth is Director of Program Development for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides: “They start looking for that scent, where is it, where is it, and then they get a huge reward once they’ve found it.”

She can also fetch juice boxes and sugar tablets when the girls need a boost.

Brooke says: “Only one word and she’ll go and get it.”

Before they got Nettle, Jade and Brooke had always wanted a dog. Now they don’t just have a companion — they have a lifeline.