OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - Normal for Bailey Paterson includes constantly checking her blood glucose levels. After lunch. During basketball practice. After dinner. In the middle of the night.
That all changed on Feb. 17 when Zeke, a purebred standard poodle, walked into her door.
The 2-year-old pooch is trained to detect changes in Paterson's blood glucose levels and alert her when her levels are too high or low. Zeke alerts Paterson about changes in her glucose level by placing his paw on her, standing up, whining or, in rare cases, barking to get her attention.
"I feel a lot more safe and secure," said the Valley Christian High School freshman, who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 6. "I know I don't really have to worry about going low or high because he'll catch it and we won't have any of these problems where I have to stay home and not do anything all day because I'm very, very low or very, very high."
Paterson received Zeke through the National Institute for Diabetic Alert Dogs, which trains dogs to detect changes in blood glucose levels and assist their owners in controlling their diabetic condition.
Lily Grace, NIDAD co-owner and certified dog trainer, has trained hundreds of dogs and stressed a diabetic alert dog is not a replacement for a plan that a doctor has crafted to manage diabetes. Instead, a dog like Zeke is another tool diabetics can use to manage their illness.
A dog's keen sense of smell is a key component in helping to detect changes in blood sugar levels, Grace said, since dogs can smell odors that humans can't.
"Humans can't smell it unless it's really high, but dogs can pick it up easily," Grace said. "They're all nose. They're a nose on four legs."
Zeke is trained to alert Paterson when her blood glucose level dips below 80 or exceeds 180. He picked up on 50 to 70 highs or lows in the first week.
It's a nose that comes at a price.
Paterson first heard about diabetes alert dogs a few years ago and researched them in her free time. However, the programs that she found either had dogs that were too expensive, didn't offer training or wouldn't ship a dog to Wisconsin.
In late January Paterson stumbled on NIDAD, got the OK from her parents to fill out an application and received word that she was matched up with Zeke.
A diabetes alert dog typically costs at least $15,000, but the Patersons were able to get Zeke for "substantially less" in exchange for agreeing to help Grace film portions of a training video that NIDAD is putting together, said Joan Paterson, Bailey's mother.
The family reached out on Facebook looking for fundraising ideas and as a result 65 donors stepped forward and raised the amount of money needed to get Zeke.
"It was almost like a total God thing for us, that everything happened the way it did," Paterson said. "Everything kind of fell in place. Three weeks ago I didn't even have the form filled in and now three weeks later I have a dog."
Zeke has already gotten comfortable accompanying Paterson through the hallways at Valley Christian and hanging out in the gym during basketball games or practice.
After three long days of training Paterson and her new canine companion headed out to catch "The Vow" at the local movie theaters, not only for relaxation, but also to get used to working out in public.
The movie got good reviews from Paterson.
And Zeke?
"He watched the previews and got excited when there was a dog on the screen," Paterson said. "When the movie started, he fell asleep and slept through the whole thing."
Information from: Oshkosh Northwestern, http://www.thenorthwestern.com