Dog owner says pet poodle saved her life

Betty Wheeler and Bridgett comfort one another. Wheeler said the poodle probably saved her life last week. The dog licked her until she awoke at 4 a.m. Wheeler's blood sugar level was abnormally low and Bridgett knew something was wrong. [Click to enlarge]

Wheeler said she woke early on the morning of July 20 to find the poodle, Bridgett, determinedly licking her face, her neck and even the inside of her mouth.

As she gained consciousness, Wheeler realized she was wet all over - and not from the dog's constant licking. She was sweating profusely, a sign that her blood sugar level wasn't right.

Wheeler, a diabetic, tested herself and discovered her blood sugar level had dropped to a dangerously low 37. Normal overnight blood sugar levels are usually 70 to 99, according to the WebMD Web site.

She needed something sweet to raise her blood sugar. She ate a Twinkie, a treat she had purchased for her daughter, who visits frequently. Within 30 minutes, Wheeler's blood sugar was fine and she felt much better.

Throughout it all, Bridgett remained close and watched Wheeler intently. "She sat on a stool beside (my chair) and she never took her eyes off of me," Wheeler said.

When she returned to normal, Wheeler looked at Bridgett and said: "Mommy's OK now. Thanks to you, I'm alive."

Bridgett understood that the emergency was over. She jumped into Wheeler's lap, put one forepaw on each side of Wheeler's neck and laid her head on Wheeler's chest.

"If she had not gotten me awake in another couple of minutes, it wouldn't have mattered," Wheeler said. With a blood sugar reading that low, she said she could have easily slipped into a coma or had a heart attack or stroke.

Bridgett, 13, and Wheeler, 73, have been buddies for about three years. Kim Phelps introduced them. Well, actually, Phelps presented the chocolate poodle to Wheeler and told her she needed a new dog.

Wheeler's 6-year-old white Pomeranian, Penny, had died two weeks earlier.

Bridgett's family planned to put her out on the street; they said she wouldn't eat and was too much trouble. Dr. Pierce White discovered Bridgett had a severe gum infection and abscesses in two teeth. Bridgett ate heartily after recovering from her dental work, Wheeler said.

More recently, Wheeler nursed Bridgett after cysts were removed from her face and her side. Bridgett, it turns out, was allergic to the anesthesia and became very ill after her surgery.

Wheeler and Bridgett are practically inseparable. Wheeler said Bridgett won't go outside unless she accompanies her. And, when they go for walks in their Dyersburg neighborhood, Wheeler doesn't carry a leash. She said Bridgett remains very close, stopping when Wheeler orders it and never inclined to run away.

As the pair sat together Monday morning in their living room recalling last week's ordeal, it was obvious that Wheeler and Bridgett look out for one another.

"She not only saved my life, but I saved hers, too," Wheeler said.