They like for you to return the malfunctioning sensor. While They recommend that you save the box for 14days incase there is a problem with the sensor.
Today I received two free replacements in the mail. I called Abbot and gave my name and neglected to say I was using them on my dog. I then had one go out early and the replacement never started working… $125 down the drain. When calling the first time I also was told no replacement was available because I was using them on my dog. I have had very few problems with the system but recently had several sensors go bad. We learned about the use of the FreeStyle following a hospital stay with internal medicine specialist. The ability to constantly monitor glucose has been a life changer as my dog was so traumatized by a curve at the vet, I had to begin doing them myself at home. I have been using the FreeStyle Libre 14 day for about 6 months. Abbott is not only not supportive, they won’t even admit that the applicator could be defective! I keep hoping that with more and more veterinary practices finding that the CGM is a good thing for animals, that some day they may become more reasonable. Yesterday was my first real problem: the applicator obviously is defective the sensor remained in the applicator. Thus, we return to a similar spot only every eight weeks. We do have two rectangles, on on each side of the dog, providing four placement areas. We do this at home, no need for biweekly in clinic vet visits.
No skin issues, no discomfort for the animal. Upon expiration, we remove the sensor with Goo Gone for Skin, using a cotton swab to gently “ring” the sensor till it almost literally falls off. This provides additional adherence without the use of any glue. The we put a ring of SkinTac where the edge of the sensor will go. Our protocol involves clipping the area with close clipper setting, then going over the area with a Flawless face trimmer. We do not use surgical glue, hence less skin irritation. We’ve been using the freestyle libre system since my dog was first diagnosed with diabetes,, with few issues. That means that if you’re trying for continuous coverage, you’d put a new Libre on a few hours to a day before the old one stops working, let the new Libre slowly acclimate / calibrate, and then activate the new one and switch over.) So once you have the attachment worked out, you’ll get the most valid data if you wait and activate a few hours after placing the Libre. (Tip: the first few hours the sensor is under the skin may not yield accurate data, but the count-down only begins when you activate. We tried one type of adhesive bandage but it didn’t stick to our cat’s fur. The tissue glue really helps, as does a feline t-shirt or such to cover it. The first couple of sensors loosened within the first day and sometimes didn’t give readings, but even 12 hours’ readings out of 24 was incredibly helpful. So much data, and so easy to upload by phone and share with the vet! I think that without this, it would have taken much longer and required way more trips to the vet and paw-pricks to find the correct insulin dose. We love the Freestyle Libre on our newly-diagnosed diabetic Siberian cat. Just one patient of ours showed a clear discrepancy between CGMS data and glucometer readings after a few days of initially believable data.
We’ve now used this in a few dogs and our experience is that it’s reasonably-priced, easy to apply, easy to extract data and, on the whole, reliable in the euglycaemic to hyperglycaemic range. ‘Conclusion and clinical importance: The FGMS is easy to use and is accurate for IG glucose measurement in diabetic dogs.’ 2016 Jul-Aug 30(4): 983–988.Īccuracy of a Flash Glucose Monitoring System in Diabetic Dogs Its use in dogs is supported by at least preliminary reports: The Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS).
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-There is large day-to-day variation in parameters of serial blood glucose concentration curves in diabetic dogs.’īut now, not before time, we have a reasonable alternative. Rand, BVSc, DVSc, DACVIMīottom line: ‘In this subset of 20 paired curves, an opposite recommendation for dosage adjustment was made on 40% of occasions. 2014 ACVIM AbstractĮvaluation of day-to-day variability of serial blood glucose concentration curves in diabetic dogs For example:įRUCTOSAMINE LEVELS DO NOT AGREE WITH CLINICAL CLASSIFICATION REGARDING DIABETIC COMPENSATION IN DIABETIC DOGS UNDER TREATMENT. The limitations of glucose curves and fructosamine assays in managing diabetic pets are well established. Our experience with the Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system in diabetic dogs