New Member - Glucose Monitoring Questions

[Quillsmom]

Hello! My 7 year old boy Quill was just diagnosed this week and I am a bit overwhelmed. The vet told me we could get the libre or come back in 6 weeks for a fructosamine test to see how he is responding. I’ve seen mixed reviews about the cats tolerance of the libre and am looking for any insight. Do you have one on your cat at all times or is it just while he is regulating? If we don’t use one do you do multiple tests a day?
I know these are some questions I should and will ask the vet but would love to get insight from the community. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Mary & Jude]

I'll tag some of our members who use the Libre: @Staci & Ivy @Lauren & Esse @Brianna & Xander

 

[Brianna & Xander]

Hello and welcome!! It certainly is all overwhelming at first (well, always, but it does get better! lol) but you've come to the right place!

Like Mary mentioned, a few of us here use a Libre fulltime. My cat absolutely wouldn't tolerate being manually tested, which yes, would unfortunately be required multiple times a day to keep him safe.

The Libre was hard to get the handle of for us because at first he didn't tolerate it; he routinely bit it until it broke, or just ripped it off. It took some experimenting, but each of the 3 of us has our own method of preventing removal-by-cat. It was a learning curve for sure, but now my partner and I apply them ourselves every 2 weeks and haven't lost one early in I don't even know how long.

A few of us worked on a sticky together that has a lot of info that might be helpful to you! But I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we're happy to answer any questions too.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I think this is the link on the Libre that @Brianna & Xander meant to include. There is also a Facebook group for those pet caregivers who use the Libre.

 

[Brianna & Xander]

I think this is the link on the Libre that @Brianna & Xander meant to include. There is also a Facebook group for those pet caregivers who use the Libre.

Not sure what happened there but yes it was. Fixed now. Thank you!

 

[Quillsmom]

Thank you!!

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Hello and welcome!! It certainly is all overwhelming at first (well, always, but it does get better! lol) but you've come to the right place!

Like Mary mentioned, a few of us here use a Libre fulltime. My cat absolutely wouldn't tolerate being manually tested, which yes, would unfortunately be required multiple times a day to keep him safe.

The Libre was hard to get the handle of for us because at first he didn't tolerate it; he routinely bit it until it broke, or just ripped it off. It took some experimenting, but each of the 3 of us has our own method of preventing removal-by-cat. It was a learning curve for sure, but now my partner and I apply them ourselves every 2 weeks and haven't lost one early in I don't even know how long.

A few of us worked on a sticky together that has a lot of info that might be helpful to you! But I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we're happy to answer any questions too.

Hello and welcome! Brianna has given you lots of good information and the link to our document to provide more information.

I am one of those members you also use a Libre three full-time for my kitty who will not allow poking all day long.
I am able to give her an ear poke when she goes low on the Libre just to verify what the actual number is. I am thankful she allows me to do that even though sometimes it’s a challenge for us.

Most kitties will allow poking, but there are some who just won’t.

The Libre is not a perfect situation, but it’s definitely something to use if you cannot manually your poke all the time. It does take getting used to, as does anything you’re going to use to keep your cat safe.

I don’t know where I’d be without our Libre in this situation and I’m very thankful we have the tool.

Please feel free to ask us any questions and we are happy to help!

 

[squeem3]

If your cat will let you mess with his ears, learn how to manually test blood glucose levels by pricking the ear. It's not hard to do once you get the hang of it. Even if you do use the Libre, you need to know how to test from the ear as a back up. Sometimes the Libre falls off or malfunctions and when it reads LO you need to test from the ear to see exactly how low.

The Libre lasts for about 2 weeks before it needs to be replaced. That's something your vet probably didn't mention. Your vet can put a new one on for $$ or you can learn how to put a new one on yourself. The cost of buying a new Libre is more than buying test strips for a manual meter but for people who have cats that just won't tolerate ear testing, the cost is justified.

If you manually test from the ear, you always test before giving insulin. Spot checks between the two daily insulin injections is ideal. Always test if you see hypo symptoms.