Freestyle Libre

Hi All,

I have two diabetic cats, Rumcajs and Patchy. Patchy is older and seems to be more stable than Rumcajs. He is being hospitalized right now due to ketons in his blood and the ER vet wants to put him on the Freestyle Libre meter to better control his sugar. I watched some YouTube videos about it and read most messages on FDMB and I still have some questions.

My regular vet does not have a lot of experience with the monitor and I hope you can help out.

One thing is the cost of the monitor and how effective do you find it over time. My ER vet is charging $350 for the start up package and installation and monitoring. Since Rumcajs needs the constant glucose curve we are ok with paying just later on, if we will not get him regulated he will need another sensor. Also, do you guys constantly keep them on and switch them or do you remove them once the glucose stabilizes.

Thank you all for your advice and comments up front.

Magda

 

My cat had one attached and it did not work well for us. It was very informative while it lasted, but unfortunately that was only about 30 hours before she managed to get it off. I can’t speak on the cost because I “borrowed” one from my vet, so I was just charged the regular office visit fee and then like $60 for them to attach it.

Another downside to the monitor is that the readings are delayed by about 20 minutes compared to blood testing, so that could potentially be very dangerous if your cats blood glucose goes too low. If you absolutely cannot test your cat at home, then in my opinion the freestyle libre is probably better than nothing, assuming your cat keeps it on. But in the long run, home testing your cat is probably the most informative and cost effective way to manage diabetes. I spent thousands of dollars trying to manage my cats diabetes through the vet. I did fructosamine tests, A1Cs, glucose curves, the freestyle libre, you name it. But what ultimately helped get my cat’s diabetes controlled and then into remission was testing her myself at home.

Kudos to you for managing TWO diabetic cats, and hopefully others can chime in with their opinion

 

Thank you. It will be a first for us since I always did the ear blood check. I think I will still spot check him anyway at home and compare results. The ER vet told me that Libre should be more accurate than blood check on the ear but apparently we will see. My baby should be out of the hospital by tomorrow since his Ketons went up instead of down today so we will see how he does at home. I will keep you updated.

Thank you
Magda

 

@Stephanie & Quintus/Luna

While waiting for her to reply, if you go to the Lantus Group she recently posted a very detailed thread/information:

08/09 Swiss Luna, third FreeStyle Libre attempt and success

Hi,

I am hoping Stephanie will jump on since she has a lot of experience with the Freestyle Libre with different cats.

My understanding from one of the researchers who has been involved with the research with the Freestyle Libre studies with dogs & cats is that they are currently most often used for a short period of time in order to gain a better understanding of a specific pets response to insulin. Being that CGMs are able to capture so much more data than BG testing (with Dexcom it is up to 288 readings per 24 hours/Libre is 96/24 hours vs. 24 BGs if you did them every hour for 24 hours), they are able to obtain a more precise view of the trends, including the speed of the highs & lows vs. static #s. Vets using the CGMs have actually found that some pets, who they thought were well regulated, weren't as well regulated as they thought when they used the CGM to check it out. Another key learning noted from doing the study, is if the pet popped it off & they re applied it, often the cat would accept it. The more a vet has learned &/or used the Libre the more likely they will know some of the tricks of getting it to stay on, get the pet to leave it alone, etc..

Right now, the size, cost & skin irritation are some of the primary reasons they are not used more often &/or in pets for longer periods of time. However, with that being said, device manufacturers, such as Abbott & Dexcom are currently working on future CGMs that will be much smaller, thinner & more affordable & that will be a game changer.

I also want to mention that the measurement or Sensor Glucose (SG) that is taken by your CGM is taken from the interstitial fluid so you won’t be able to compare your BG to the Libre readings. I am going to attach a link to the Medtronic website (they are a device manufacturer that makes insulin pumps & CGMs but their CGMs are not as popular as Libre or Dexcom). The website has a really great explanation of SG & BG, including videos to help people understand the difference.

https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/c...y-sensor-glucose-does-not-equal-blood-glucose

Good luck! One hint I have learned is that vets will put the Libre on the neck & use the kitty kollar to help keep the cat from messing with it:

https://kittykollar.com

 

Please do! Hopefully your baby gets to come home soon

 

Thank you. I read some of her posts which actually helped us decide to put Rumcajs on the Libre. We will see how it goes and if it will work with him.

XOXO

 

Don't worry if he manages to get the first one off (except for the $ )! That was one of the key learnings....most often after you put it back on they will leave it alone-eventually.

The only other thing I want to throw out there for you & also anyone in the U.S. who lives near or is able to get to Philly (not sure if you actually have to go to Ryan or your vet is able to do the application), the University of Pennsylvania's Small Animal Hospital called Ryan Hospital, has a dedicated Diabetes Center & as of August, was doing a study using Libre & was still recruiting cats & dogs for the study. I am not sure if the Libre's are free but worth an email if to ask if you or anyone reading this thread is interested.

https://www.vet.upenn.edu/veterinar...l/services/internal-medicine/diabetes-program

https://www.vet.upenn.edu/research/...nitor-in-dogs-and-cats-with-diabetes-mellitus

 

See: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/results-of-using-libre-on-my-badger.212928/#post-2359139, since then I have attached two to my foster Wiggles. Each lasted about 9 days.
If you have an iPhone 7 (w/app)or later you can use that instead of the dedicated reader (which cost maybe $100. A suitable Android phone w/app also works but I do not know which ones.
Try using https://www.goodrx.com/freestyle-li...h-glucose-monitoring-system-sensor&quantity=1 to find best priplace to buy. You need a script. You need to shave the area when the sensor goes. and I used tissue glue https://www.amazon.com/3M-Vetbond-0...ocphy=9008163&hvtargid=pla-355745062703&psc=1 My vet did the first one and I did the other two with help from friend.

 

Sorry, I only just saw this now! I adopted another diabetic cat a few weeks ago, Oscar, who is using a FSL. I'm planning to do a demo video of application (I do it myself, so does another FSL cat owner in my city), and also a blog post to explain things.