Doggy want a bone?

[Dante84]

Yes, doggy do.

Jack Russell terrier Kiko chews off Jerry Douthett's toe, saving his life

A dog who chewed off his owner's big toe when he passed out after a day of drinking has been hailed a lifesaver.

Kiko, a Jack Russell terrier, could sense there was an infection festering in Jerry Douthett's right big toe and acted when his owner was passed out, at his Rockford, Michigan home, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

"Jerry had had all these margaritas, so I just let him sleep," Mr Douthett's wife, Rosee, a registered nurse, said. "But then I heard these screams coming from the bedroom, and he was yelling, 'My toe's gone, my toe's gone!'"

It turns out the 48-year-old had been suffering from Type 2 diabetes and Kiko had sniffed out the problem -- literally, as dogs have up to 220 million olfactory receptors, compared to 50 million or so in humans.

When admitted to hospital, Mr Douthett had a dangerously high blood-sugar level of 560, significantly higher than the recommended 80 to 120.

Mr Douthett admitted he had been hiding his infected foot from people, including his wife.

"It smelled, and I look back now and realize every time we'd visit someone with a dog, their dog would be sniffing all over my foot," Mr Douthett said.

The musician said he had been working up the courage to attend a doctor when he downed four or five beers and two giant margaritas and passed out on his bed.

He woke up and found the year-old dog beside him on the bed and a pool of blood near his foot.

"The toe was gone," said Mr Douthett. "He ate it. I mean, he must have eaten it, because we couldn't find it anywhere else in the house. I look down, there's blood all over, and my toe is gone."

Test in hospital revealed Mr Douthett had a deep infection down to his bone and doctors were forced to amputate what was left of the toe.

But before it was amputated Mr Douthett joked with a nurse and asked her if he could keep the rest of the toe as a treat for Kiko.

"If it hadn't been for that dog, I could have ended up dead," he said.

http://www.news.com.au/world/jack-ru...-1225901042255