Freestyle Libre

Benny gets the Freestyle Libre installed by the vet tomorrow. Does anyone have any tips or advice? The vet tells me that it may not stay in place but I'm really hoping it does, to cut down on the number of sticks my boy has to have. I need more data, he needs fewer sticks!

 

Some people put on a little onesie to protest it. Get the vet to put it in a place where Benny can’t scratch it.

 

You can joint this FB group. They have good information:
Freestyle Libre for Dogs and Cats
It is a closed group so you have to join the group.

 

hi @Ben&Squirrel ! I am pretty new myself I just wanted to speak to my experience with the Libre in case it is helpful to you. Nellie got hers put on as soon as she was diagnosed mid March. It was put in place at the vet and they used vet glue. It stayed in place the entire two weeks, but that is because she is essentially a potato with ears - she doesn't move much! I used the app on my phone to scan it, not the reader.

The app is super handy but just know if you're getting the Libre 2 it comes with built-in alarms. Some you can switch off, like the high glucose or low glucose (70 or below but you can edit to any number so that it alerts you when it's dropping) but you can't switch off the alarm that goes off when glucose drops under 55. Definitely in the beginning this alarm was a peace of mind for me, knowing that it would go off while I was sleeping. However, it became really annoying when she started responding better to insulin - it would be like 2 or 3 am and the alarm would go off. I'd get up and check and if she was having a particularly active cycle it'd go off 4-5 times throughout the night. Through the advice of members here, I would always cross check the low numbers with another meter - they let me know that the Libre tended to read lower than other meters which was very helpful and they helped guide me through the entire ordeal!

At the end of the two weeks when it ran out (it'll display in the app how long before it runs out) through the advice of my vet I pulled it off using soap and warm water. I then installed the new one at home (again, after getting the ok from my vet) with the help of my partner - it's definitely a two person job. She is a nightmare at the vet and it was just easier to do it at home and much less stressful for everyone involved. I got vet glue and watched videos and joined the group Larry just posted. It ended up being easier than I thought it would be. Unfortunately, the new sensor stopped working a couple of days early, sometimes you get a dud. I used a tiny bit of Uni-Solve Adhesive Remover on a q-tip to remove it and it came off super easily, SO much easier than using soap and water and didn't cause any injuries to her skin. I just made sure to wipe the area really well afterwards.

Some things to know -

• I don't have pet insurance, but I used a GoodRX coupon and the sensor came out to be around $40 at Safeway. The reader I think would have been around $100 but I never purchased the reader.
• Make sure to scan it at least once every 8 hours to get the data since it'll reset after 8hrs and you lose that info
• the app will alert you when it gets disconnected from the sensor. In order to use the app, make sure your Bluetooth is on at all times. I noticed issues starting with my second sensor when the app kept disconnecting from the sensor and kept sending me push notifications, which hadn't happened with my first sensor. The disconnections happened more and more frequently until the sensor stopped working all together. I contacted their support and I got a new one sent for free in the mail that I'm keeping as a back up in case I ever head out of town and someone else is looking after her.
• during periods of rapid BG changes, the sensor will display a message along the lines of "could not scan, try again in 10 min". It doesn't mean it's not working, it's just that the BG is changing faster than the sensor can read it. Sometimes this would last 30 min or longer for Nellie, and I'd just do a manual BG reading keeping in mind that the sensor reads about 10-15 min behind the blood glucose monitor.

All in all, it was great to see how she was responding overall to the insulin in the beginning and it was definitely an anxiety reducer as I got the hang of testing. The graphs on the app in particular were helpful in showing when, on average, she tended to nadir. It just gets a little annoying the better they respond to insulin! Hope it is helpful to you and Benny

 

Great, thanks Larry!

Thank you so much, this is hugely helpful. This is day 2 for him and it has been wonderful to be able to get his readings so easily. He chewed off the bandage that the vet put on to cover it, and is not appreciating the little shirt he now has to wear, but I'm very hopeful! Would it be okay if I asked you a question or two in the future?

 

I use the Libre 2 and also a nurse so have pretty good skills at keeping them on. Even taught my vet. You can buy an adhesive wipe off Amazon called skin tac and cobain wraps. Shave the area of the cat where the sensor will be applied. Use the skin tac wipe on the skin to make a more sticky environment and then apply the sensor. I wrap cobain wrap around mine and secure with tape. I used to put on a shirt but find it’s fine with just the cobain wrap. If you google online libre 2 14 day trial (not sure with the libre), you will be enrolled in a program to get the sensors cheaper. They didn’t ask if it’s a cat and I didn’t volunteer. I got a reader and sensor for $65. Each replacement sensor so far has come to $37.20. If I have technical issues, I call. Again they don’t ask if it’s a cat and I don’t volunteer, and they have sent me replacement sensors at no cost. We had one malfunction. I also want to stress the importance of having a blood glucose meter. I have a relion from Walmart. If you get any goofy numbers out of your norm, make sure to confirm by blood.

 

Thanks @Holtfam6, this is very helpful. How long do yours typically stay on?

 

We are newly diagnosed too as of 04/05. I had one stay on and function for 14 days. One malfunctioned a couple days in. The next one stopped reading at 9 days. They were all attached good. I called libre and they replaced both sensors awaiting delivery in the mail. I’m very mixed on them. The technology is great but after witnessing mine reading low, I can’t stress enough to have a blood glucose machine and double check if the libre readings look funky. If you click on my spreadsheet, you can see the malfunction. My cat went from 300s to 100s in a sudden drop.

 

That must have been really disappointing for it to go to the 100s and find out it was due to the Libre malfunctioning! So sorry that happened. Chance seems like Benny in that neither one of them is really regulated yet. I hope that day comes soon for both of them.

 

THIS! very much agree with this! I’m so glad I had this forum and didn’t rely solely on the Libre. Cross checks on other BG monitors are key, especially at the low numbers. If you like, I have a second tab on my spreadsheet with the cross checks I did while she was on the Libre. It’s hard to read tho so check out 4/11 on the main tab for a comparison with the alpha track when she was going low that day. Had I been going off of the solely the Libre and not posted on here, she would have earned a reduction according to TR, which I’m glad she did not get since she definitely needed more insulin! But again, it’s all give and take so if you have a cat that doesn’t handle being tested well, it can be a life saver as you start getting more comfortable.

also, happy to answer any questions regarding my specific experience with the Libre any time. I definitely do not give dosing advice or anything close to it (not that you were asking/you would want me to) I am a cat diabetes newbie it’s all so overwhelming but it has gotten so much easier with the support and advice I have received on here.