Freestyle Libre

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Adrienne Mulligan

Member Since 2021
Is there any reason why more people aren't using freestyle libre monitors more to do easy peasy curves? I have found them to be impossible to live without, now that my Tank is on blood thinner... blood tests take a bit longer to clot. They run lower than the Zoetis meter, and I do a few blood tests to compare, but then I can test any time for two weeks. Cost is $35 at my walgreens, and you can buy the reader or use a phone app.
 
Adrienne Mulligan said:
They run lower than the Zoetis meter,
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Most of us use a human meter like the Relion Premier that's only $9 and strips are $17.88/100 instead of the AlphaTrak due to the insane cost of the strips. Also, the pet meters haven't really been around that long. When this board was started, the only meter anybody could use was a human meter so our dosing methods are all based on human meters anyway.

The biggest problem with the Libre is that it wasn't made for cats. You may have had excellent luck keeping it working for the 14 days but more often than not, either it stops working after 1-13 days or gets knocked off by the cat in 30mins to 10 days.

The Libre also measures interstitial glucose, not blood glucose and readings are up to 15 minutes delayed. If your cat is running too low, you need to know what their blood glucose is now, not what it was 15 minutes ago. Also, even the Libre suggests that if you get a low or high number, you should re-check using a regular meter.
 
More and more people are using the Libre. Being a vet, it's easier for you to place the meter on the cat. Not everyone here feels comfortable placing it, and don't want to take their cat to the vet every couple weeks (or sooner). In COVID times, it can take a while to even get into see a vet. When Neko was on blood thinner, I never had problem getting blood from her.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
Most of us use a human meter like the Relion Premier that's only $9 and strips are $17.88/100 instead of the AlphaTrak due to the insane cost of the strips. Also, the pet meters haven't really been around that long. When this board was started, the only meter anybody could use was a human meter so our dosing methods are all based on human meters anyway.

The biggest problem with the Libre is that it wasn't made for cats. You may have had excellent luck keeping it working for the 14 days but more often than not, either it stops working after 1-13 days or gets knocked off by the cat in 30mins to 10 days.

The Libre also measures interstitial glucose, not blood glucose and readings are up to 15 minutes delayed. If your cat is running too low, you need to know what their blood glucose is now, not what it was 15 minutes ago. Also, even the Libre suggests that if you get a low or high number, you should re-check using a regular meter.
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I knew that it measured intersitial glucose, hence the difference in levels, but I didn't realize there was that big a time lag behind BH level, so thank you for that! Tank is still way above normal anyway, so I haven't needed to be that precise, yet. And I have had good luck with them working, plus Tank is an incredibly laid back cat, so I admit he's the perfect patient, lol. I was intimidated putting it on the first time too, but it was easier than I anticipated. It does have a bit of a noise and push that made Tank look back at me... but any other car might have a much more animated response, lol. So you might be justified in your hesitation. You do have to have a no hesitation approach when you put it on, you have to be committed to the action. Anyway, if it ain't broke don't fix it! Continue on!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
More and more people are using the Libre. Being a vet, it's easier for you to place the meter on the cat. Not everyone here feels comfortable placing it, and don't want to take their cat to the vet every couple weeks (or sooner). In COVID times, it can take a while to even get into see a vet. When Neko was on blood thinner, I never had problem getting blood from her.
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Blood thinners aren't a huge problem, it's just that Tank takes longer to stop bleeding and it just is annoying for us both, lol.
 
I've had great success with the FreeStyle Libre so far. We used a bit of extra adhesive putting it on, so taking the first one off was a challenge. How do you remove the old one?
 
Yes, I have seen this before. it recommended baby oil. I tried that and it was no help at all.
 
Lion said:
I've had great success with the FreeStyle Libre so far. We used a bit of extra adhesive putting it on, so taking the first one off was a challenge. How do you remove the old one?
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I used surgical adhesive on the edges too. I didn't have any trouble removing it. I have one on him now and I've only done it one time before. I don't remember exactly how it went when I took it off, but I don't remember having any trouble. I put one on another cat in the rescue that lives with someone else, and she didn't mention having any trouble removing it. Just peel it off.
 
So, I've had to remove a few since we were discussing this, and now I'm wondering if the first one did not have skin glue, lol! I had the first one put on by the cardiology group I had taken him in to for a work up... And maybe they didn't use glue because it came off easily and the ones I put on using glue, were not so easy. I apologize for not having a good answer for you. With the glue, they are much harder, but I used olive oil as I gently worked it off, and that helped.
 
Hi, thank you. I purchased and used Smith & Nephew Skin-Prep® Protective Barrier Wipes the last time I applied. We will see how removal goes this Friday!
 
It has stayed on fine. We did use about 4 drops of glue. I'll see how the removal goes Friday!
 
Hi, so we used Smith & Nephew UNI-SOLVE Adhesive Remover during the removal and Smith & Nephew Skin-Prep® Protective Barrier Wipes during the application (along with a few drops of glue).

The removal went better than previous removals, but not perfect. One fourth of the area was red after removal (vs half or all) so it was the best removal yet.
 
I will definitely try those products! I think I'm going to keep a sensor on him all the time, it's really helping me keep his glucose down. I give 5 units at a time, 3 to 4 times a day... I know it's not conventional, but it works easy better for him and I can monitor him closely.
 
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