Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
by Dr Christine Fry, Woodend Veterinary Centre, VIC
This is a small sensor that’s used to monitor dogs and cats with diabetes mellitus. They wear the sensor for about a fortnight while it tracks their blood glucose levels and ensures that everything is under control. It’s very easy to use.
What’s good about it
The sensor is applied directly to the skin of the animal with some extra adhesive. The animal shouldn’t be able to scratch at it so the back of the neck or over the scapula are good positions. The sensor links to an app on the owner’s smartphone so they can track the blood glucose levels. The vet can also link to their app and retrieve the data in real time. It allows us to monitor the animal each day and ensure their insulin dose is correct.
Historically, diabetic patients would need a day in hospital with manual blood checks every couple of hours. The Freestyle Libre eliminates that whole process, and the patient can stay at home without any stress. As stress can elevate blood glucose levels, this sensor successfully removes that factor. After two weeks, the sensor just drops off or we can remove it.
This new technology makes it much easier for vets to manage diabetic patients. As it also removes the stress associated with a hospital stay, it makes everything better for patient and owner.
What’s not so good
In some cases, the glued sensor can irritate the skin. The other problem is that some clients are tempted to adjust the insulin dose without consultation. That can be very frustrating.