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Barking.

kev-w

kev-w

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,901
Location
York
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I've just left a face book freestyle libre group as comments have been removed for a post referring to a dog owner buying a sensor/reader for their dog. I saw the post and was warming up for some breakfast trollage on the subject, but I can't so I left.

It's an irrational annoyance I'm feeling this morning over this.
 
Annoyance that you can’t play troll or that someone wanted to monitor their dog?!
 
Oh both of those definitely, but then that's me.

Woof.....
 
So the dog is diabetic - they use the same blood sugar monitors and strips as us but you have an issue with them self funding a flash monitor?
 
kev-w said:
I've just left a face book freestyle libre group as comments have been removed for a post referring to a dog owner buying a sensor/reader for their dog. I saw the post and was warming up for some breakfast trollage on the subject, but I can't so I left.

It's an irrational annoyance I'm feeling this morning over this.
Click to expand...
I presume it was not supplied on the NHS. I would not have a problem with this unless it was. since I too buy my meters privately and it is a free market. This use of CGM is creative, since it is difficult to finger prick an animal at the best of times.

If Libre's were in short supply then my views would be different, but from what I have read the delays and difficulty for humans to get one is limited by the selection criteria not by supply difficulties. There are also second user meters available too on the second hand market amd this may be where it came from. This Forum itself has also had people offering them for resale.
 
Having fought quite hard to get a script for the device being unable to afford it I think getting one for a dog a bit pointless.

But let's not turn my thread into a bone of contention.... :p
 
kev-w said:
Having fought quite hard to get a script for the device being unable to afford it I think getting one for a dog a bit pointless.

But let's not turn my thread into a bone of contention.... :p
Click to expand...

You clearly aren't a dog lover, I would happily fund a flash GM if my dog became diabetic and I've continually funded my own CGM because its worth it to me.
 
I think the issue for me is whether the dog got the sensor prescribed by the NHS (they won't have since dogs don't have access to human doctors, medicine or health care organisations)
Also whether getting a sensor for a dog deprives a human of access to that sensor (it won't - unless there aren't enough sensors to go around, which happens rarely, and Freestyle are constantly upping their production to cope with growing demand).

I also see further problems with a sensor or on a dog (furry skin, position of sensor, dog scratching sensor off, etc) but those are for the dog owner to deal with.

From my own point of view, if I had a diabetic dog then I would weigh the pros and cons of cost and convenience against lifestyle factors and inconvenience. Medical costs for a diabetic dog could easily exceed £100/month. But I have no idea if having a sensor would result in a reduction in those costs.

I don't for a second imagine that by putting a sensor on a dog I am impacting a human's access to one via the NHS.
 
Our diabetic cat thinks it's more like meowing, rather than barking... ;) He'd rather I prick his ear that stick something on him. Meow! ;) (Our cat was diabetic due to panceatitis long before I became one. If I hadn't borrowed his meter after hearing I had a fatty liver, it would've been a lot longer before I found out about the T2...!)
 
I just wonder
1) what self respecting dog would allow a sensor to be attached in the first place
2) how similar or ( more likely I think) different human and canine interstitial fluids and blood glucose profiles are are
 
When my dog was spayed her pre-op blood test showed raised glucose levels. Until we got her re-tested on her follow up review the thought of a Libre sensor went through my mind as I could not imagine pricking her paws or ears regularly every day would be an easy task. My thoughts didn't get very far because her repeat test at the review showed perfectly normal levels, and the raised ones were put down to the stress she had at the time.

However, the vet told us that Libre sensors have been researched on dogs, have been trialed, and are in use.
http://www.americanveterinarian.com/news/wearable-flash-glucose-monitor-tested-in-dogs
 
I think it's wonderful to stick a libre to your diabetic dog if you can afford it. But @kev-w , if you join the Abbott Libre Off Topic group on facebook instead of the main group, you can bark away all you want, as the topic is there as well and still open for comments. Have fun!
 
We've just adopted an English Pointer who has Immune-mediated hemolytic anaemia (IMHA), an autoimmune disease. Her previous owner was a neighbour who sadly died suddenly. She spent £15,000 on keeping the dog alive, which is a bit mind-boggling.

Poppy is now seven years old, in remission and hopefully will be our beloved pet for years to come. Would I have spent that kind of time, effort and money on an animal, no matter how sweet? Probably not. But Eleonor was happy to do it and it took nothing away from any humans. In fact, that money might have contributed towards research into the human version of the disease.
 
kev-w said:
I've just left a face book freestyle libre group as comments have been removed for a post referring to a dog owner buying a sensor/reader for their dog. I saw the post and was warming up for some breakfast trollage on the subject, but I can't so I left.

It's an irrational annoyance I'm feeling this morning over this.
Click to expand...

Yep I saw that post as well. I know there are a lot of dog lovers/animal lovers out there so am not going to say a word. It was being self funded, so am guessing the owner must have been pretty well off. I cant afford to self fund so am very pleased with the help of the NHS and Welsh CCG's :)
 
porl69 said:
Yep I saw that post as well. I know there are a lot of dog lovers/animal lovers out there so am not going to say a word. It was being self funded, so am guessing the owner must have been pretty well off. I cant afford to self fund so am very pleased with the help of the NHS and Welsh CCG's :)
Click to expand...

I can remember a point in my distant past when a workmates dog was on the same long acting humalin I as me and I'd help the lad out with half vials of mine & syringes, which was a little naughty of me but hey :p and the year before last I fed my young uns rabbit (it lives with me) from an animal syringe with ground food & pineapple as it was very ill from a fur ball, the rabbit's 7 this year so I'd say I'm not cruel to animals, I may give a cat a squirt from the hosepipe if loitering around my bird feeders, but that's as far as I'd go.
The libre wearing dawg must come from Barking tho, and I too am grateful to the NHS for my libre, collected & fitted this aft and just survived its first swim & gym.

I sometimes can't help myself not saying things :p light the touch paper and stand back :)
 
Oldvatr said:
I presume it was not supplied on the NHS. I would not have a problem with this unless it was. since I too buy my meters privately and it is a free market. This use of CGM is creative, since it is difficult to finger prick an animal at the best of times.

If Libre's were in short supply then my views would be different, but from what I have read the delays and difficulty for humans to get one is limited by the selection criteria not by supply difficulties. There are also second user meters available too on the second hand market amd this may be where it came from. This Forum itself has also had people offering them for resale.
Click to expand...
From what I read (I’m in this group too), people were hacked off precisely because there are difficulties in supply for self funders. Not only have a lot of patients been denied them on prescription (in England especially) but they’re having problems with delays of several weeks when ordering from Abbott direct; or being overcharged by pharmacies. One lady got jumped on by people unable to get a single sensor because she bought ten at once.

Feelings are running very high with respect to Libre availability just now...
 
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