New vet wants to try installing hip glucose monitor

[Katsallday]

I fired my last vet for insisting that insulin dosage is based on weight so I've found a new vet. They mentioned trying to "install" a device onto tuna's body to monitor glucose levels that way instead of the ear pricks. Has anyone had any experience with this? I'm worried that Tuna would like it even less than the ear pricks. I've explained to the new vet that I'm unhappy with the way my previous vet went about the whole diabetic process with me. I came to this thread in an absolute panic because tuna's BG was reading above 600, I've taken your advice and have reduced his dose to 1u and got him on a good wet food instead of that garbage dry food the vet made me buy. I feel terrible relying on all of you to help me with this information but I genuinely still have no idea what I'm doing and if I should accept this blood glucose monitor installation thing.

 

[Holly and Sunny Bear]

I think a lot of cats do very well with the glucose monitor you're talking about - called the Freestyle Libre, but I and my kitty did not have a good experience and I wish we never tried it. We've just gotten used to doing the manual ear prick and use a Relion Prime monitor from walmart now. It's much easier and cheaper, and does not bother my cat to be pricked.
Sunny ran around the house like a bucking bronco after he had the freestyle libre attached, and spent the entire night trying to get it off, and wound up with a huge lick sore. That was 3 weeks ago and he's still wearing a cone, waiting for his skin to fully heal so he doesn't lick it raw again.
Also, the freestyle libre measures glucose from the interstitial fluid rather than directly from the blood, so the numbers can be wayyy off. I sometimes saw the FL numbers 100 points higher than a manual ear prick taken at the same time. I don't know how you could use the FL for dosing decisions. However, I did notice that when my cat's blood glucose was going lower (closer to the normal or low range), the FL and the manul ear prick numbers were much closer together (like a 5 point spread). So the FL could be useful for alerting you to when the blood glucose is going low.

 

[Katsallday]

Tuna can barely lick that spot so I'm hoping for a good outcome. My new vet is telling me my old vet was completely wrong with tuna's medications and she's having us switch to a new insulin tonight. She doesn't want us to do a sliding scale dosage until tuna is set up in his new insulin cycle. She just did the fructosamine test and confirmed the diabetes as well.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

We've had a LOT of people try the Libre in the Facebook group associated with this board and it's really been a mixed bag of results.

The biggest complaint and the one I see most often is the Libre stopping giving data before the 14 days it's supposed to work. We have had a few people whose Libre didn't work within 72 hours of placement (and the only thing you can do is buy another one if you want to try again)

Another big problem is cats that get it off...some within hours of placement! A lot of people are trying covering it using a baby onesie.

Something else to consider is that if it gets a low or high number, it will want you to re-test using a regular meter.....also it's programming will often give you a signal (looks like a magnifying glass with a little drop of blood) after a test result....this also means that for some reason, it thinks you should verify the test with a regular meter. Like this:

Last, but not least is the occasional cat who is sensitive to the glue and can end up with some pretty ugly wounds.

 

[Katsallday]

We've had a LOT of people try the Libre in the Facebook group associated with this board and it's really been a mixed bag of results.

The biggest complaint and the one I see most often is the Libre stopping giving data before the 14 days it's supposed to work. We have had a few people whose Libre didn't work within 72 hours of placement (and the only thing you can do is buy another one if you want to try again)

Another big problem is cats that get it off...some within hours of placement! A lot of people are trying covering it using a baby onesie.

Something else to consider is that if it gets a low or high number, it will want you to re-test using a regular meter.....also it's programming will often give you a signal (looks like a magnifying glass with a little drop of blood) after a test result....this also means that for some reason, it thinks you should verify the test with a regular meter. Like this:
View attachment 60963

Last, but not least is the occasional cat who is sensitive to the glue and can end up with some pretty ugly wounds.

Oof. Sounds rough. My vet told me that I'm probably stressing out my cat doing the at home testing and I didn't know what to tell her cuz I don't know if he's stressed or not. I feel like something attached to his hip which stress him out more than me tapping his ear every once in awhile

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Vets for some reason think ear testing stresses the cat. But once you associated treats (or some other special think like brushing if that's what they like), with ear testing, they will often come running once they hear you get the test kit ready. My cats knew there were certain times I tested and were in the ready position before I even got the test kit ready. The non diabetic got a treat too, so he was also in line.

Usually the Libre is attached closer to the neck, on the side. If on the hip they could reach it and remove it. There are a couple posts in our Think Tank forum you might want to read about it:
FreeStyle Libre: video, demonstration, explanations, tips – discussion!

When/Why Use BG with Libre

 

[Katsallday]

Vets for some reason think ear testing stresses the cat. But once you associated treats (or some other special think like brushing if that's what they like), with ear testing, they will often come running once they hear you get the test kit ready. My cats knew there were certain times I tested and were in the ready position before I even got the test kit ready. The non diabetic got a treat too, so he was also in line.

Usually the Libre is attached closer to the neck, on the side. If on the hip they could reach it and remove it. There are a couple posts in our Think Tank forum you might want to read about it:
FreeStyle Libre: video, demonstration, explanations, tips – discussion!

When/Why Use BG with Libre

Thank you I will read up right now!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

My vet told me that I'm probably stressing out my cat doing the at home testing and I didn't know what to tell her cuz I don't know if he's stressed or not.

This is when you just smile, nod your head like you're agreeing and go home and continue doing what you know is right.

It's absolute nonsense that we hear all the time. "You'll ruin the relationship with your cat!", "your cat is going to hate you"...and then there's the "you don't need to check at home...cat's aren't like people" (except they are...and just like a human injecting insulin with a low BG reading can end up in a coma in an ICU, so can your cat....or worse)

I know it's hard to believe but what Wendy said is absolutely true. If you make testing into a routine (same place every time) and find the right "high value" reward, it doesn't take long for our kitties to associate their "testing spot" with the reward. China would even jump up on her spot and yell at me to come test her!

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

This is when you just smile, nod your head like you're agreeing and go home and continue doing what you know is right.

It's absolute nonsense that we hear all the time. "You'll ruin the relationship with your cat!", "your cat is going to hate you"...and then there's the "you don't need to check at home...cat's aren't like people" (except they are...and just like a human injecting insulin with a low BG reading can end up in a coma in an ICU, so can your cat....or worse)

I know it's hard to believe but what Wendy said is absolutely true. If you make testing into a routine (same place every time) and find the right "high value" reward, it doesn't take long for our kitties to associate their "testing spot" with the reward. China would even jump up on her spot and yell at me to come test her!

Agree. I have had 4 diabetic cats and had no issues with using their ears for testing. Mine would sit patiently waiting to be tested. They also usually were purring and trying to give me head butts while I was trying to test. That does not sound like a stressed cat to me.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Also see:
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/results-of-using-libre-on-my-badger.212928/

 

[Tomlin]

Hi,

I am a regular user of the Libre...now Libre2 with alarms so please let me know if I can be of any help !

If you decide it is something you want to try and to increase the likelihood of success vs aggravation:

1) Ideally, Sensor placement should be on what is called the dorsal lateral neck. This also allows you to use a Kitty Kollar over it to provide additional protection. T doesn’t kick at it, so it’s not an issue, but I still use one just to be safe!

2) Try it without tissue adhesive. They have found that most often (and this happened with my T as well with his very 1st Libre) the tissue adhesive is what will cause the skin irritation if it is going to happen vs the adhesive that is part of the sensor.

3) *Get the Libre2 vs the Libre because it is much more accurate especially in the lower ranges

*One thing I want to make note of that many clinics seem to be unaware of is that in the U.S. with the Libre2, you must buy a reader. The phone app specific to Libre2 is still sitting at the FDA awaiting approval. In addition, the LibreView site for Libre2, which is what is used for the reports and also so that vets have access to the data, is not compatible with Mac....only Windows based systems. I am hoping these issues get resolved soon, but in the meantime, people need to know so they don’t end up with problems .

3) When the sensor ends, allow the hair to grow out and it will either come off on its own or very easily with a little adhesive remover. Otherwise, you increase the odds of some skin irritation if you try to remove it when it is really stuck.


Wishing you all the best with or without a Sensor !!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

You likely can get onr free Libre2 and reader for free using:
https://www.freestyle.abbott/us-en/...3H_gG_WnQWPSXl-uUn6jMuNt6jIL7Me6hB-hyWmnxnAnc
I got one free from Walgreens about a month ago. You need a reader for the Libre2 since the FDA has not yet approved the phone app. The link wouod not work for a the regular Libre 24 hour sensor since it is only good for 18+ and thus if your cat i not that old you would have to lie. I say I am a caretaker for the user (the cat) so I honestly answer all the questions.

 

[Scout's mom]

My cat was newly diagnosed almost a month ago and, unfortunately, was hospitalized for a few days at that time. He came home with a Libre 14 placed just above his shoulder. It has been an easy way to get BG readings to begin with while absorbing this new diagnosis and trying to wrap my head around all of the new information I'm taking in and trying to process. However, the Libre stopped working after 10 days (vs 14, hence the name!). I got the LibreLink app on my iphone that goes along with the Libre 14. However, the app on my phone is not compatible with my Mac laptop so I was unable to link the app to an account on LibreView on my laptop which means the hospital cannot receive the data from the app directly through LibreView. Instead I have to upload the graphs and other data from my phone app and send to the hospital via email.

I allowed a 2nd Libre 14 to be placed about a week ago and it's still working, but I know it could quit any day. So I'm gathering supplies to begin testing at home with a glucometer as soon as this one stops. It will be cheaper, it sounds like from comments above by more experienced people that it will also be more accurate, and I trust that I will learn to do it with practice and that Scout will be okay with it. Scout hasn't been bothered by the Libre being on him and he has not had a reaction to the adhesive though I certainly understand why that may not be the case for some kitties.

 

[CandB]

Vets for some reason think ear testing stresses the cat. But once you associated treats (or some other special think like brushing if that's what they like), with ear testing, they will often come running once they hear you get the test kit ready. My cats knew there were certain times I tested and were in the ready position before I even got the test kit ready. The non diabetic got a treat too, so he was also in line.

Yeah my cat, while she has grown more pesky about being there for ear pricks, I wouldn't say it stresses her and she loves the treat times. It certainly doesn't stress her to the point where it changes her numbers like Vets think it does.

 

[Stephanie & Johnny]

We've had a LOT of people try the Libre in the Facebook group associated with this board and it's really been a mixed bag of results.

The biggest complaint and the one I see most often is the Libre stopping giving data before the 14 days it's supposed to work. We have had a few people whose Libre didn't work within 72 hours of placement (and the only thing you can do is buy another one if you want to try again)

Another big problem is cats that get it off...some within hours of placement! A lot of people are trying covering it using a baby onesie.

Something else to consider is that if it gets a low or high number, it will want you to re-test using a regular meter.....also it's programming will often give you a signal (looks like a magnifying glass with a little drop of blood) after a test result....this also means that for some reason, it thinks you should verify the test with a regular meter. Like this:
View attachment 60963

Last, but not least is the occasional cat who is sensitive to the glue and can end up with some pretty ugly wounds.

Hey there! Is it “normal” to get the magnifying glass for the first 12 hours, spend a couple hours not getting it, and then have all readings display it again?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qhoNIYTTtnHovHyiTo8ypMV-TW-TPdQP/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x_nstZPgZZloviI1pUFcawRzA1yGz8r8/view?usp=drivesdk