Rescue dog surprises adopter by saving his life; now she’s blind and gets premium care at LSU Vet Med

By Sandra Sarr

LSU Vet Med Ophthalmology Service client Lynn Ladner got more than he bargained for when he adopted a shelter dog named Chloe eight years ago. All he knew was that he liked the way her ears stuck out in a picture the rescue posted, and so he applied to adopt her. Lynn couldn’t know then that Chloe possessed a superpower that would save his life.

Just 48 hours after Lynn drove the 18-lb. dog home to Gulfport, Miss., from the rescue on the Alabama-Tennessee border, she awakened him in the night by jumping up and down on his chest.

“My first thought was, ‘This dog has gone crazy!’ Then I realized I couldn’t get out of bed. My vision was blurred, I was dizzy, I could barely function. I called 911,” said Lynn, a project manager who does government contract work based out of the NASA Stennis Space Center.

Lynn was experiencing a Type 2 diabetic episode. If Chloe hadn’t awakened him, he was at great risk for a diabetic coma, a life-threatening disorder that causes unconsciousness. Medics arrived and determined his blood sugar had hit an extreme level. They administered insulin, stabilized him, and said of Chloe, “This dog was alerting you to a life-threatening situation.”

Underdog

“I didn’t even know there were diabetes alert dogs. I’d never heard of such a thing,” Lynn said.

The following morning, Lynn called the rescue where he adopted Chloe and told them what happened.

“I needed to know more about this little dog,” he said.

The rescue put Lynn in touch with Chloe’s former veterinarian, who told him that two-year-old Chloe had been trained as a diabetes support dog for an older woman. When she died shortly thereafter, Chloe went to live with the woman’s daughter whose boyfriend mistreated the dog. A neighbor noticed her plight, intervened, and that’s how Chloe ended up in rescue.  

Although alert dogs typically receive extensive training geared toward their diabetic owner’s particular scent, Chloe saved Lynn’s life only 48 hours after they first met.

Diabetes alert dogs typically undergo two years of specialized training preparing them for their working life. Often the trained dog and the diabetic owner will take two or three weeks of additional training together. These dogs, typically Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, standard poodles, and labradoodles, can range in price from $10,000-$25,000. Lynn paid $200 to the rescue to adopt Chloe, a dachshund-rat terrier mix.  

“She saved my life. I’m a very lucky man,” said Lynn, holding Chloe in the waiting room at LSU Vet Med.

They help each other

Now, Lynn does all he can to repay the favor, especially since Chloe, nearly 10, lost her ability to see about a year ago.

Every 90 days, Lynn and Chloe wake up early and head west from their home in Gulfport, Miss., to LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge, La., where Chloe gets eye check-ups with the Ophthalmology service. They make the five-hour roundtrip as they have for the past four years to have her eyes rechecked and to ensure there is no inflammation or glaucoma.

Chloe was diagnosed with a progressive, inherited disorder known as Progressive Retinal Atrophy or PRA. This condition causes a gradual loss of the photoreceptors or “camera-like” receptors that are present in the retina and important to vision. Over time, patients with PRA unfortunately lose vision in both eyes. Dogs with chronic PRA often develop cataracts and inflammation due to ongoing changes within the eye. Pressures and inflammation have caused Chloe to require long-term medical care for her eyes to keep her comfortable.

Chloe’s eyes need to be regularly monitored after her initial diagnosis and treatment. Given the changes in Chloe’s eyes, daily eye drops are needed. Lynn will make the regular trek to LSU Vet Med and administer eye drops twice a day for the rest of Chloe’s life.

“Chloe is a sweet girl! She has adapted very well to her vision loss and is a true joy to work with. We will continue to work with her and her wonderful family to monitor the health of her eyes and ensure that she remains comfortable,” said Dr. Renee Carter, professor of veterinary ophthalmology.

At home, Lynn helps Chloe adapt to blindness and navigate their space, although she no longer needs much assistance. He puts drops of vanilla on each side of doorways so that she knows how to find the openings.

“She knows where all of the furniture and objects are in the house,” he said.

Serious business

Even though she is blind now, the former rescue dog can still perform her medical alert duties for Lynn since she performs them based on her sense of smell.

“She ended up alerting me a second time and kept me safe,” he said.

Chloe stays close and checks Lynn’s breath throughout the day. It’s her job. Diabetes alert dogs are trained to detect blood sugar levels before they become too dangerous. This gives the person time to test and use necessary medication before the blood sugar levels change further.

“Before going into a diabetic coma, your breath has a sweet smell and within 12 hours you can die. I take her everywhere with me. If she can’t be near me, even temporarily, she thinks something bad has happened to me and she gets very agitated,” he said.

Reporting for duty

Chloe has been issued top security clearance to accompany the U.S. Navy veteran at NASA's largest rocket engine test facility, the John C. Stennis Space Center, in Hancock County, Miss. She has also accompanied Lynn to Houston and other work sites.

“The Space Center director knows Chloe and asks about her if I step into a meeting without her. They all love her,” he said.

The small-but-mighty dog has gone where few humans will ever tread, including on test stands where rocket engines are tested before launching into space.

As a diabetes alert dog, Chloe is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law which protects people with disabilities from discrimination. She accompanies Lynn inside restaurants and other public places where dogs are typically forbidden. On rare occasions when staff questions her presence, he shows them a card that describes ADA rights concerning service dogs.

“It’s recommended that service dogs get retrained every few years, but she doesn’t need it,” he said of Chloe, who was attuned to his needs the moment they met.

Inseparable

Even though Chloe’s job is serious business, her life is filled with fun, chasing toys, doing dances, and running in the yard with two other dogs. At night, Chloe sleeps on the pillow next to Lynn’s head. “She snores worse than I do,” Lynn said with a laugh.

In the remarkable story of Chloe and Lynn, it’s not about who rescued who. It’s about the ways in which they can depend on each other in the most important ways going through life together.  
“They take care of each other,” Dr. Carter said.

“We’re inseparable. I don’t know what we would do without each other,” he said. 

Visionary expertise: LSU Vet Med Ophthalmology service provides the most current ophthalmic care for patients of all species with precision-specialized equipment and techniques. In addition to the diagnosis and medical treatment of eye diseases, the Ophthalmology Service provides advanced surgical services.

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