Without This Dog, She Wouldn't Be Alive Today

<div><p>Magic is a gentle Golden Retriever with an astonishing track record, he has saved the life of Claire Pesterfield over 3,500 times. </p><p>Claire has type 1 diabetes, but her condition is particularly complicated in that her body doesn't give her the warning signs of an oncoming episode, like seizures, or a coma. Although she's tried all matter of technology, there is nothing that compares to what Magic does. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>When this very good boy senses a change in Pesterfield's glucose levels, he leaps up, places a paw on his owner's knee, one on her chest and stares at her intently with gentle brown eyes. </p><div><figure><a href="BBC.com" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/_95071750_magic.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/_95071750_magic_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="http://www.bbc.com/news/health-39217858" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a></figure></div><p>Magic is so good, he can detect changes in Pesterfield's body about 30 minutes before any major episodes can take place.</p><p>"In the three and a half years we've been together, he has alerted and potentially saved my life 3,500 times. And he does it all for a dog biscuit. I know without him, I wouldn't be alive today," she tells BBC.</p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>At night, Magic sleeps next to her bed. He alerts her every time he detects a change in her blood glucose level by prodding her awake with his paw. </p><div><figure><a href="https://www.roche.de/en/medien/stories/medical-detection-dogs.html" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/medical-detection-dogs_claire.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/medical-detection-dogs_claire_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="https://www.roche.de/en/medien/stories/medical-detection-dogs.html" target="_blank">Claire Pesterfield</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>Before Magic, she was waking up every hour to check her blood hoping to predict an episode before it happened. </p><p>"That meant that I was exhausted. Many a time I would be too afraid to go to sleep in case I had an episode and wouldn't wake up. Now I know my husband won't have to worry that when he wakes up in the morning I'm going to be dead next to him."</p><p>Watch their story here:</p><div><div><div><amp-youtube height="9" width="16" layout="responsive" data-videoid="NImiL2c_5OM"></amp-youtube></div></div></div><p>Good boy! Magic!</p><p>[<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/health-39217858">BBC</a>]</p></div>