Flash glucose monitoring using the Freestyle Libre system is a practical method of obtaining continuous glucose data from diabetic dogs and cats, and is much more affordable and available than other continuous glucose monitors. It does not require calibration with blood glucose concentration. Instead the adhesive sensor disc is simply scanned by the reader to obtain a ‘flash’ of the current and previous 8 hours of glucose data. The information is then stored in the reader and can also be uploaded to generate detailed reports. Each sensor will last for up to 14 days and so provides much more information than standard blood glucose curves.
The pros and cons of this new glucose monitoring technology will be discussed as well as practical tips on how to best incorporate it into your practice. Guidelines will be presented for setting clear goals and for interpretation of the glucose results to achieve better patient outcomes.
Recording from 1 September 2021
Speaker:
Linda Fleeman
Dr Linda Fleeman BVSc PhD MANZCVS
Dr Linda Fleeman runs Animal Diabetes Australia, which is a clinical service that specifically caters for diabetic dogs and cats in Melbourne. Linda is an internationally renowned expert on the treatment of diabetes in dogs and is regularly invited to speak on this topic at international and national forums. Throughout her career, she has worked in both university referral practice and private practice, and her primary focus for more than 20 years has been on all aspects of diabetes in dogs and cats.
Linda graduated from the University of Queensland and completed a Small Animal Medicine Internship at Murdoch University and a Residency in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Melbourne. This was followed by a PhD at the University of Queensland on the clinical management of diabetes mellitus in dogs. She held positions as Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Queensland and Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Sydney before founding Animal Diabetes Australia in 2010.
