Libre 2 monitor

[Carla Boyd]

Hi, My Sweet Leo, a 6 year old Siberian Forest Cat has diabetes. In October, all bloodtests were good, now diabetic. I had to change his food when royal canin ran out of stock. He eats canned only but a pro plan that has carbs. I am trying to switch to high protein, low carb with ok success so far. My vet had me give him his first 2 click dose of glargine pen today. She says its ok not to monitor but after reading this forum I am not happy. I sent her an email telling her this. She mentioned the Libre 2 monitor and I watch a you tube video of a vet using this on a cat. I like getting 24/7 info for BG. It has to be replaced every 2 weeks. Has anyone tried this? Please advise if so.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
You are very wise to be wanting to monitor the blood glucose (BG). It’s the only way to really keep your kitty safe.
Yes quite a few people use the libre monitor in the beginning now.
The downside is that it is expensive to replace each fortnight and it sometimes falls off before the 14 days and sometimes stops working before the 14 days.
Most of us test the BGs ourselves. It sounds scary but it isn’t and your kitty will get used to it very quickly.

I would recommend a human meter such as the ReliOn Premier human meter available at Walmart for $9 and $17.88 for a box of 100 test strips. You will also need some cotton rounds to hold behind the ear when you test.
HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS

It sounds as if you are using a Lantus pen (glargine ). That can only go up and down in 1 unit increments. We recommend you
Go up and down in 1/4 unit increments.to do this you will need to buy the correct insulin syringes which are the U 100 3/10 30 or 31 gauge 6 or 8 mm 1/2 unit syringes. These can also be bought at Walmart. Make sure you get the ones with 1/2 unit markings.
You can still use the pen insulin you have. I can show you how to do this at the end of the post.
I also think that 2 ‘clicks’ which is probably 2units is too much insulin if he is only recently diagnosed and was started on that dose.
1 unit is the starting dose at most if you put are feeding a low carb diet.

How to draw the insulin form a Lantus pen

 

[Carla Boyd]

Thank you. I went to Walmart and geared up and was successful on my second try! His bs was 377. It says to check again at 7 hr mark after dose. Does this sound right to you?

 

[Holtfam6]

Hi,

I use the libre 2 system. I'm mixed on it. It does make life easier as you can monitor frequently and easier than blood testing. I had one sensor last for 14 days without issue. The second one malfunctioned and started reading chance's blood sugar as normal through the night. I didn't give him his morning insulin as he was below 200. According to the sensor, he stayed under 200 all day. When it was time for his second dose, I decided to do a blood test and he registered high and it's taking us awhile to get him where he was before. It was my fault, I should've done blood as soon as I had a funky reading. I had another one stop at day 9.

I think it's a good system to try. I signed up online after I googled 14 day libre free trial that the pharmacist recommended. I got the reader and one sensor for $65. Each refill señor cost $37 on that program. I had the vet put on the first one and I taught myself how to do it on my own. It is convenient for your vet to get readings and the convenience for you. When the sensor stops working before day 14, I call the libre support line and report the issues and they have always sent me a free replacement sensor. I don't volunteer it's a cat and they don't ask. Not sure if this makes a difference. I do highly recommend that you get a blood glucose monitor as a back up. I bought the relion at walmart.

Any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Carla Boyd]

Thanks. Does your cat require that he wear a onesie to keep from knocking it off?

 

[Holtfam6]

We had an old thunder jacket from a dog. Chance wore that for a brief period with the first one. I use skin tac when I apply. It's basically a wipe that leaves the skin "sticky" to help the sensor stick. I saw that a vet in an online video that has had great results sticking and functioning for 14 days used it to prep the skin. You can order a box on amazon for $10. I think the box may last close to a year as you only use one wipe at a time. I wrap the sensor area with cobain wrap and secure with medical tape.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

You may want to take a look at this post on the Think Tank board -- it's a discussion along with other information on the FreeStyle Libre. The thread was started a while ago.

Members who have used the Libre seem to have mixed success. I would encourage you to learn how to home test so if there's a problem with the Libre you have a back up system. Another consideration is the cost. I doubt that I went through $60 worth of strips in 2 weeks and I tested a lot. The price on the Libre sensors may come down (or I may have the price wrong since one of the other members mentioned a program where the cost is $37).

Like Bron, I would encourage you to use a syringe for dosing. The pens are not as accurate and you are unable to dose in amounts smaller than 1.0u. We advise dose changes in 0.25u amounts based on the existing research on Lantus (glargine).