6/13 Ivy Amps 288, +3 238, +6 185, +9 217, Pmps 106, +3 160 Libre | Feline Diabetes Management Board

6/13 Ivy Amps 288, +3 238, +6 185, +9 217, Pmps 106, +3 160 Libre

Happy to hear she let you sleep last night. Beautiful picture of Ivy, as always. She's so fluffy and soft. I just wanna loose myself in that fur hehe. Wishing you both a happy Furrrrrriday and let her know Nestle is waiting on the beach
⛱️ 😊 😎 🐈🐈‍⬛💕🐾
1000103886.webp
 
Yikes! Huge drop at +4. Glad you pulled things up!
Staci, what did you ever decide about feeding Ivy omegas? Did you take her off it? I've reintroduced it to Jude (after worrying that it might cause his bg to increase), but I still worry a bit.
 
Last edited:
Mary & Jude said:
Yikes! Huge drop at +4. Glad you pulled things up!
Staci, what did you ever decide about feeding Ivy omegas? Did you take her off it? I've reintroduced it to Jude (after worrying that it might cause his bg to increase), but I worry a bit.
Click to expand...
Hi Mary, I haven’t addressed the omegas. Still using it in her food.

Next time I meet with the nutritionist, I will discuss it with her (not sure when I will have that meeting though).

Have you noticed any changes in the BG since using it vs not using it?

Yeah, it’s been a weird cycle, I think it may be the new Libre acting wonky 😳
 
Karolina & Nestle said:
Happy to hear she let you sleep last night. Beautiful picture of Ivy, as always. She's so fluffy and soft. I just wanna loose myself in that fur hehe. Wishing you both a happy Furrrrrriday and let her know Nestle is waiting on the beach
⛱️ 😊 😎 🐈🐈‍⬛💕🐾
View attachment 430
Click to expand...
Awwww cute kitty!
Ivy would probably enjoy your snuggles, if she let herself. She does seem to allow cat lover people to get close.
Sometimes she amazes me at whom she chooses to permit to pet her 🥰

I think she tried to take a dip with Nestle today ⛱️👙☀️🌊
Hope you have a nice night, Karolina 😻🐈💕🐈
 
Staci & Ivy said:
Hi Mary, I haven’t addressed the omegas. Still using it in her food.

Next time I meet with the nutritionist, I will discuss it with her (not sure when I will have that meeting though).

Have you noticed any changes in the BG since using it vs not using it?

Yeah, it’s been a weird cycle, I think it may be the new Libre acting wonky 😳
Click to expand...
I have not noticed any changes in the bg since re-starting it. It's possible that the higher numbers the last time were the result of a FIC flare. It's hard to know. But I know the omegas have anti-inflammatory properties, and I would like for Jude to benefit from that if possible. I definitely DO NOT want to throw him into the "p" (ANTI-JINX!!!!). He's never had it, and we don't want it.

BTW, I took it upon myself to write one of the CGM companies today and asked them to consider redesigning an animal CGM. There isn't one, is there? It's the human monitor that everyone uses, right? They probably will hit delete on my email, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask (and I'm sure others have asked in the past, repeatedly; I'm adding to the list of requests).

The journal of small animal medicine that I recently started reading talks about the importance of avoiding bg levels below 60. They argue that lower bg levels (below 60) lead to more frequent hypos in the future. They're big advocates for using CGMs because they think that caregivers often miss hypos when they are hand testing. This chapter discusses diabetes in both dogs and cats.

Here is what they write in a summary of the chapter on hypos [titled: "Glucose Counterregulation Clinical Consequences of Impaired Sympathetic Responses in Diabetic Dogs and Cats"]

• Insulin induced hypoglycemia (IIH) is common in veterinary patients and limits ability to achieve adequate glycemic control with insulin. • Frequency of IIH is underestimated when using blood glucose curves as a monitoring tool. Continuous glucose monitoring is superior for detecting hypoglycemic events. • Some diabetic dogs and humans have impairment of the autonomic nervous system and are less able to respond to IIH. • Loss of sympathetic innervation to pancreatic islets (sympathetic islet neuropathy) occurs in dogs with diabetes mellitus. • Even when not associated with clinical signs, IIH is not benign: It lowers the threshold for sympathoadrenal defenses and increases the risk of future severe iatrogenic hypoglycemia.

Summary Hypoglycemia begets hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia. There is no evidence in dogs, cats, or in other species that in DM, counterregulatory hormones are released excessively in response to hypoglycemia. The opposite is true: hypoglycemia counterregulatory responses are impaired in DM. Better glycemic control and avoidance of hypoglycemia might minimize this impairment. To some degree, however, this impairment is associated with the underlying pathologic condition leading to DM [there is a chapter devoted to this in the journal] and is irreversible once DM has been established. Clinically, it is important to recognize that episodes of IIH in veterinary patients are not without consequences and have long-term effects. Antecedent IIH attenuates the sympathoadrenal responses and sets the patient up for an increased risk of severe future iatrogenic hypoglycemia.

Graves, Thomas K.; Gilor, Chen. Diabetes Mellitus in Cats and Dogs, An Issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, E-Book (The Clinics: Veterinary Medicine) (p. 559). (Function). Kindle Edition.
 
Mary & Jude said:
I have not noticed any changes in the bg since re-starting it. It's possible that the higher numbers the last time were the result of a FIC flare. It's hard to know. But I know the omegas have anti-inflammatory properties, and I would like for Jude to benefit from that if possible. I definitely DO NOT want to throw him into the "p" (ANTI-JINX!!!!). He's never had it, and we don't want it.

BTW, I took it upon myself to write one of the CGM companies today and asked them to consider redesigning an animal CGM. There isn't one, is there? It's the human monitor that everyone uses, right? They probably will hit delete on my email, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask (and I'm sure others have asked in the past, repeatedly; I'm adding to the list of requests).

The journal of small animal medicine that I recently started reading talks about the importance of avoiding bg levels below 60. They argue that lower bg levels (below 60) lead to more frequent hypos in the future. They're big advocates for using CGMs because they think that caregivers often miss hypos when they are hand testing. This chapter discusses diabetes in both dogs and cats.

Here is what they write in a summary of the chapter on hypos [titled: "Glucose Counterregulation Clinical Consequences of Impaired Sympathetic Responses in Diabetic Dogs and Cats"]

• Insulin induced hypoglycemia (IIH) is common in veterinary patients and limits ability to achieve adequate glycemic control with insulin. • Frequency of IIH is underestimated when using blood glucose curves as a monitoring tool. Continuous glucose monitoring is superior for detecting hypoglycemic events. • Some diabetic dogs and humans have impairment of the autonomic nervous system and are less able to respond to IIH. • Loss of sympathetic innervation to pancreatic islets (sympathetic islet neuropathy) occurs in dogs with diabetes mellitus. • Even when not associated with clinical signs, IIH is not benign: It lowers the threshold for sympathoadrenal defenses and increases the risk of future severe iatrogenic hypoglycemia.

Summary Hypoglycemia begets hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia. There is no evidence in dogs, cats, or in other species that in DM, counterregulatory hormones are released excessively in response to hypoglycemia. The opposite is true: hypoglycemia counterregulatory responses are impaired in DM. Better glycemic control and avoidance of hypoglycemia might minimize this impairment. To some degree, however, this impairment is associated with the underlying pathologic condition leading to DM [there is a chapter devoted to this in the journal] and is irreversible once DM has been established. Clinically, it is important to recognize that episodes of IIH in veterinary patients are not without consequences and have long-term effects. Antecedent IIH attenuates the sympathoadrenal responses and sets the patient up for an increased risk of severe future iatrogenic hypoglycemia.

Graves, Thomas K.; Gilor, Chen. Diabetes Mellitus in Cats and Dogs, An Issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, E-Book (The Clinics: Veterinary Medicine) (p. 559). (Function). Kindle Edition.
Click to expand...
Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
And good idea writing to request an animal CGM.
Which company did you write to, just curious 🧐

Hopefully one day they will see there’s a big need and it would be so awesome if it was geared to pets ❤️‍🩹
 
Staci & Ivy said:
Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
And good idea writing to request an animal CGM.
Which company did you write to, just curious 🧐

Hopefully one day they will see there’s a big need and it would be so awesome if it was geared to pets ❤️‍🩹
Click to expand...
Pacific Diabetes Technologies because they are more inclined to being experimental.

I'll copy the same request to Dexcom and Abbott tomorrow.

It wouldn't hurt if we all wrote to them.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Pacific Diabetes Technologies because they are more inclined to being experimental.

I'll copy the same request to Dexcom and Abbott tomorrow.

It wouldn't hurt if we all wrote to them.
Click to expand...
Love the idea. I will do so as well.
If you have contact information, would you send it to me in a DM and I will then send an email too.

Thanks, Mary 😘
 
Here is the address that I got from their company website: info@pacificdt.com. I'll look at the other companies' websites tomorrow--they typically have a "contact us" email posted.

Here is the letter I sent; feel free to use any or none of it--just sending it in case it helps you save time:

"I'm writing to ask that Pacific Diabetes Technologies consider creating continuous glucose monitors for smaller animals.

My cat is diabetic, and diabetic cats have special needs when it comes to diabetes treatment. First, cats are one of the few mammals that can go into diabetic remission—their pancreas can spontaneously start working again. While the possibility of remission is wonderful for our kitties, it also creates a dangerous situation of possible hypoglycemia as we manage their treatment. The possibility of going into remission requires that we frequently test and monitor to ensure our kitties are not becoming hypoglycemic as a result of insulin through their diabetic cycles. And beyond the possibility of a hypoglycemic episode as a result of a cat's pancreas restarting, cats, like humans, suffer ups and downs in blood sugar through a given insulin cycle, and monitoring is the only way that we can keep our kitties safe from general drops in blood glucose. Most caregivers use handheld monitors to test, but the frequency of testing required through the day to ensure a cat's safe blood glucose level is often impossible as animals often can't be taken to work or other places where the caregiver is required to be. Having an animal CGM offers caregivers the opportunity to monitor their cats while they are away from them and to take measures if their animal needs intervention (if their blood glucose begins dropping). Another reason why an animal CGM is necessary is that while some cats tolerate hand testing, other cats simply do not, and their caregivers are forced to use human CGMs. While the human CGMs can be adapted for use in cats, their design often causes complications for animals and caregivers specifically because they are not designed for use by furry little animals, like cats. A redesigned CGM made specifically for smaller animals would be a godsend. If a CGM designed for animals were to exist, many caregivers who currently only hand test would likely switch to CGMs, simply for the continuous reassurance in blood glucose reporting that the devices are designed to offer.

I realize this is probably not a novel request, and I realize that the market is probably not huge for animal monitors, but I am writing to humbly ask that the company please consider the caregivers and animals for whom these devices would make diabetic treatment much safer and healthier.

Thank you very much."
 
Mary & Jude said:
The journal of small animal medicine that I recently started reading talks about the importance of avoiding bg levels below 60. They argue that lower bg levels (below 60) lead to more frequent hypos in the future. They're big advocates for using CGMs because they think that caregivers often miss hypos when they are hand testing. This chapter discusses diabetes in both dogs and cats.
Click to expand...
Super-interesting. Thanks for sharing this info Mary
 
Mary & Jude said:
Here is the address that I got from their company website: info@pacificdt.com. I'll look at the other companies' websites tomorrow--they typically have a "contact us" email posted.

Here is the letter I sent; feel free to use any or none of it--just sending it in case it helps you save time:

"I'm writing to ask that Pacific Diabetes Technologies consider creating continuous glucose monitors for smaller animals.

My cat is diabetic, and diabetic cats have special needs when it comes to diabetes treatment. First, cats are one of the few mammals that can go into diabetic remission—their pancreas can spontaneously start working again. While the possibility of remission is wonderful for our kitties, it also creates a dangerous situation of possible hypoglycemia as we manage their treatment. The possibility of going into remission requires that we frequently test and monitor to ensure our kitties are not becoming hypoglycemic as a result of insulin through their diabetic cycles. And beyond the possibility of a hypoglycemic episode as a result of a cat's pancreas restarting, cats, like humans, suffer ups and downs in blood sugar through a given insulin cycle, and monitoring is the only way that we can keep our kitties safe from general drops in blood glucose. Most caregivers use handheld monitors to test, but the frequency of testing required through the day to ensure a cat's safe blood glucose level is often impossible as animals often can't be taken to work or other places where the caregiver is required to be. Having an animal CGM offers caregivers the opportunity to monitor their cats while they are away from them and to take measures if their animal needs intervention (if their blood glucose begins dropping). Another reason why an animal CGM is necessary is that while some cats tolerate hand testing, other cats simply do not, and their caregivers are forced to use human CGMs. While the human CGMs can be adapted for use in cats, their design often causes complications for animals and caregivers specifically because they are not designed for use by furry little animals, like cats. A redesigned CGM made specifically for smaller animals would be a godsend. If a CGM designed for animals were to exist, many caregivers who currently only hand test would likely switch to CGMs, simply for the continuous reassurance in blood glucose reporting that the devices are designed to offer.

I realize this is probably not a novel request, and I realize that the market is probably not huge for animal monitors, but I am writing to humbly ask that the company please consider the caregivers and animals for whom these devices would make diabetic treatment much safer and healthier.

Thank you very much."
Click to expand...
Great letter, thanks so much, Mary 💪🏼🎉👏🏻
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top