01/04 - Freckles - AMPS 265, 266 @+2, 247@+4 - VIN article about placing Freestyle Libre on cats

Judy and Freckles

Judy and Freckles

Member Since 2019
Last post

@Crista & Ming had mentioned an article in the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) that describes using the Freestyle Libre on cats. I'm wondering if anyone on FDMB has access to that resource as I would like to review it and share it with my vet. Looks like the VIN information is restricted to people in the veterinary field or students.

@Charlotte’s mom?
@Wendy&Neko?
@Marje and Gracie?
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)?

Thanks in advance!

The miniature dachshund that I was pet sitting for my sister is going home tomorrow. I did notice that during his stay that Freckles' numbers did not come down much. It will be interesting to see what her numbers do tomorrow. It would sure be nice to see some blues today!
 
Charlotte’s mom said:
Ye, there is a section that is available only to vets. Most vets pay the annual fee for access so I’m sure that judy’s vet should have access to the info.
Click to expand...
I will ask my vet if he has access to it or not. I thought I may be able to access some journal articles regarding FD and Freestyle Libre from the university library as an alumnus, but the journals that are available are very limited.
 
Lots of people seem to like the Libre' - I know that @For_Luna has one. It does come off so will need to be replaced regularly. Someone else here has one and mentioned it recently - but I can't remember who...

I think they're very handy for people who are gone a lot - great monitoring tool!

Have a great day Judy!
 
Sue and Luci said:
Lots of people seem to like the Libre' - I know that @For_Luna has one. It does come off so will need to be replaced regularly. Someone else here has one and mentioned it recently - but I can't remember who...

I think they're very handy for people who are gone a lot - great monitoring tool!

Have a great day Judy!
Click to expand...
Thanks Sue! Yes, it's back to work for me on Monday. Freckles has been practicing wearing a collar, harness and headband(around her shoulders lol) so she gets used to having something on her. She doesn't seem to mind it as she pays no attention to it. But.... I did buy some special skin adhesive in case the Libre needs to be reapplied.
 
Sue and Luci said:
Lots of people seem to like the Libre' - I know that @For_Luna has one. It does come off so will need to be replaced regularly. Someone else here has one and mentioned it recently - but I can't remember who...

I think they're very handy for people who are gone a lot - great monitoring tool!

Have a great day Judy!
Click to expand...
They're great when they work, but the longest we had one last was 10 days. A lot of it depends on placement of the sensor, how well the spot was shaved, and how much glue was used to secure it. And there's a chance of an allergic reaction to the needle. The last one we had to take off on Tuesday after it failed, and it left a marble sized lump under her skin. It's almost gone today, but I think that also probably caused this one to fail early.

I will warn that all of that information is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you don't have to constantly poke ears and you can monitor closely if they go low. On the other hand, having on demand BG readings when a cat is high or bouncing was very stressful. Luna was giving HI readings (over 500) when she first got home. To see that at +2, +4 , +6 and know you couldn't do anything but wait another 8 hours and worry was awful.

Also, the Libre is one and done. Once it's applied, it can't be reapplied if it comes off or stops working. It can get expensive, so check out GoodRx for a coupon. I got the sensor at Walmart for almost half off.
 
Here is a post that is in Think Tank regarding the Freestyle Libre.

While I’m here and looking at Freckles’ SS, if she needs another dose increase, at 5u, we start increasing by roughy 10%. Let’s hope the 5u will be the “one” but if it’s not and the dose needs to increase, the next dose will be 5.5u even with blue or yellow nadirs.
 
For_Luna said:
They're great when they work, but the longest we had one last was 10 days. A lot of it depends on placement of the sensor, how well the spot was shaved, and how much glue was used to secure it. And there's a chance of an allergic reaction to the needle. The last one we had to take off on Tuesday after it failed, and it left a marble sized lump under her skin. It's almost gone today, but I think that also probably caused this one to fail early.

I will warn that all of that information is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you don't have to constantly poke ears and you can monitor closely if they go low. On the other hand, having on demand BG readings when a cat is high or bouncing was very stressful. Luna was giving HI readings (over 500) when she first got home. To see that at +2, +4 , +6 and know you couldn't do anything but wait another 8 hours and worry was awful.

Also, the Libre is one and done. Once it's applied, it can't be reapplied if it comes off or stops working. It can get expensive, so check out GoodRx for a coupon. I got the sensor at Walmart for almost half off.
Click to expand...
For_Luna said:
They're great when they work, but the longest we had one last was 10 days. A lot of it depends on placement of the sensor, how well the spot was shaved, and how much glue was used to secure it. And there's a chance of an allergic reaction to the needle. The last one we had to take off on Tuesday after it failed, and it left a marble sized lump under her skin. It's almost gone today, but I think that also probably caused this one to fail early.

I will warn that all of that information is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you don't have to constantly poke ears and you can monitor closely if they go low. On the other hand, having on demand BG readings when a cat is high or bouncing was very stressful. Luna was giving HI readings (over 500) when she first got home. To see that at +2, +4 , +6 and know you couldn't do anything but wait another 8 hours and worry was awful.

Also, the Libre is one and done. Once it's applied, it can't be reapplied if it comes off or stops working. It can get expensive, so check out GoodRx for a coupon. I got the sensor at Walmart for almost half off.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information Dan. I'm not thinking I will stick with the Libre, but thought that since Freckles is going in for dental and will be under anesthetic, it would be a good time to try it out and try and get a good picture what this little monkey is doing. Also, I'm headed back to work after being on holidays, so I will not be able to get as many tests as I would like. I will be surprised if she gets different numbers as her numbers are typically very flat (unless I do a dreaded furshot!).

Good to know that the Libre can't be reapplied if it comes off. That's too bad that it can't be reapplied.

Where on Luna's little body did you have the sensor placed?
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Last post

@Crista & Ming had mentioned an article in the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) that describes using the Freestyle Libre on cats. I'm wondering if anyone on FDMB has access to that resource as I would like to review it and share it with my vet. Looks like the VIN information is restricted to people in the veterinary field or students.

@Charlotte’s mom?
@Wendy&Neko?
@Marje and Gracie?
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)?

Thanks in advance!

The miniature dachshund that I was pet sitting for my sister is going home tomorrow. I did notice that during his stay that Freckles' numbers did not come down much. It will be interesting to see what her numbers do tomorrow. It would sure be nice to see some blues today!
Click to expand...


Ive even been worried about bringing mimi to the vet because I don't want her BG to rise! Any kind of stress and cats are already easily stressed animals that hold in their emotions (sort of like a human)
I hope Freckles sees some blues as well! Poor kittahs- its just a "dog".. I told my sister on two different occasions I couldn't watch her little Yorkie who is only a year and a half that his energy will stress the hell out of Mimi.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
Here is a post that is in Think Tank regarding the Freestyle Libre.
Click to expand...
Thanks @Marje and Gracie for the link. There was a good discussion on that link.

Marje and Gracie said:
While I’m here and looking at Freckles’ SS, if she needs another dose increase, at 5u, we start increasing by roughy 10%. Let’s hope the 5u will be the “one” but if it’s not and the dose needs to increase, the next dose will be 5.5u even with blue or yellow nadirs.
Click to expand...
Thanks Marje. I wasn't sure what dose was considered 'higher' on the TR protocol. Looks like we are stuck with 5u for another 2 days as I did a real nice fur shot last night (day 3 of 5u) that sent her numbers higher last night and today. :banghead: At least I know the insulin is actually doing something!

I could tell her numbers were higher today even without testing. This morning Freckles was back swiping at my hand when giving her a treat during testing time. This afternoon, Freckles also managed to open a cupboard door, go between the pipes to get to a supposed 'secured area' , pull out a glass jar filled with juice/fat left over from cooking ground beef and between her and the dogs, they got the screwed on lid off and get out as much as their tongues would reach. Just to note that this cupboard is the ONLY one in the kitchen that doesn't have a baby safety latch on it because I thought it was separated from the other cupboards, but apparently, she can access the 'off limit' zone by going behind the pipes. Yes... I have a very smart cat!:banghead:
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Thanks for the information Dan. I'm not thinking I will stick with the Libre, but thought that since Freckles is going in for dental and will be under anesthetic, it would be a good time to try it out and try and get a good picture what this little monkey is doing. Also, I'm headed back to work after being on holidays, so I will not be able to get as many tests as I would like. I will be surprised if she gets different numbers as her numbers are typically very flat (unless I do a dreaded furshot!).

Good to know that the Libre can't be reapplied if it comes off. That's too bad that it can't be reapplied.

Where on Luna's little body did you have the sensor placed?
Click to expand...
It's a good temporary tool. It made traveling easier, and it's nice to have if you need to go away and have a sitter give the injections.

They put it on her side. We alternated sides with every new one. I think they usually go up near the neck, but she had a feeding tube and a wrap around it.

I hope it works for you. One day over the weekend, try to get a reading every hour you're awake. It's interesting to see how much movement there really is.
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Thanks Dan. Are you meaning to try and get a reading every hour using an ear prick to compare against the Libre?
Click to expand...
No, I meant try to get a reading on the Libre every hour. With Luna, it moved up and down a bunch. There would be times she would be dropping, and then all of a sudden there would be a 40 or 50 pt spike, and then she would start dropping again. I don't know if there's anything you can do with that info, I just thought it was interesting to see what really goes on in-between our usual testing times.
 
For_Luna said:
No, I meant try to get a reading on the Libre every hour. With Luna, it moved up and down a bunch. There would be times she would be dropping, and then all of a sudden there would be a 40 or 50 pt spike, and then she would start dropping again. I don't know if there's anything you can do with that info, I just thought it was interesting to see what really goes on in-between our usual testing times.
Click to expand...
Ok. Interesting observation. I'm very curious about the information I will get from using the Libre!
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Ok. Interesting observation. I'm very curious about the information I will get from using the Libre!
Click to expand...

Ultimately what the CGM will do is give you a clearer, more precise picture of trends with your specific cat. So, try not to focus on a specific number but more so what trends you see after weeks of data. The CGM, because it is doing so many measurements vs BG testing, is able to catch what Dan referred to—sudden spikes, drops—with a CGM you are able to see the speed vs just static numbers that you obtain with BG testing alone. This allows you to get a more accurate picture and therefore, often better treatment with respect to a insulin and dosing. An endo/diabetes specialist told me that by using the CGM, they were even able to catch issues in pets they thought were well regulated. So, definitely worth using to get a nice accurate moving picture of what is happening :).
 
TSP said:
Ultimately what the CGM will do is give you a clearer, more precise picture of trends with your specific cat. So, try not to focus on a specific number but more so what trends you see after weeks of data. The CGM, because it is doing so many measurements vs BG testing, is able to catch what Dan referred to—sudden spikes, drops—with a CGM you are able to see the speed vs just static numbers that you obtain with BG testing alone. This allows you to get a more accurate picture and therefore, often better treatment with respect to a insulin and dosing. An endo/diabetes specialist told me that by using the CGM, they were even able to catch issues in pets they thought were well regulated. So, definitely worth using to get a nice accurate moving picture of what is happening :).
Click to expand...

Thank you for this Amy. Let's just hope the Libre stays attached for a few days anyways! :)
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Thank you for this Amy. Let's just hope the Libre stays attached for a few days anyways! :)
Click to expand...

You are welcome! You will get it :). It’s typically not used long term but instead as a tool to see what is happening either early in diagnosis to help with dosing, check on regulation, or if someone is having difficulty regulating a cat. It is also commonly used in situations such as when an insulin is being changed or if a cat has another underlying medical issue & changes to medications are being made. It is also used when there is a hospitalization.
The good news is advancements are being made to CGMs and they will become much, much smaller and less expensive in the near future. Most will also move to Bluetooth capability so that instead of scanning to get the info (Libre) the data is automatically transmitted to your cell phone/smart watch, including alarms for custom set highs and lows (currently available with Dexcom G6). Dexcom is not currently being used as much in the vet world due to cost but the G7 should be released 2020 early 2021 and that may be a game changer!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top