Diabetes educator CHARLOTTE ROWLEY answers a curly Helpline question about dogs and diabetes.
Managing diabetes in humans can be difficult, but managing diabetes in pets can be a whole other challenge. For a start, your dog can’t let you know if they have any symptoms. And getting them to cooperate with insulin injections and finger pricks for blood glucose checks might even earn you a bite.
With that in mind, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) could make life a little easier for dog owners – but is it an option for our pets? It’s a question that comes up occasionally on our free Helpline – “Can I get a CGM for my dog?”
The short answer is yes! While there are no pet-specific sensors on the market, in Australia it’s now quite common for Freestyle Libre sensors to be used to support pets, particularly dogs, with diabetes.
The sensor is placed over the animal’s neck or to the side of their chest and – as with humans – linked to either a smartphone or a reader.
However, while a sensor lasts for 14-15 days in humans, in cats it lasts about eight days and in dogs just six, so it will get expensive.
Also, there is no NDSS subsidy for CGMs for our animals. To use this system consistently, you are looking at around $315-$525 per month, depending on how often you need to change the sensor. According to my research, pet insurance won’t cover the cost, so unfortunately CGMs may be out of reach for many dog owners.
While we’re on one of our favourite topics, another dog-related question we get on the Helpline is people wanting to find out more about how to access and train a medical support dog – Lions Assistance Dogs is a good starting point.
At the Kellion Awards this year, we were honoured to meet Anita Gustafsson and her medical assistance dog, Flicka. [link to story]
Kellion Victory Award recipient Anita Gustafsson tells her story | Diabetes WA
Anita has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was seven months old and relies on Flicka to let her know when her blood glucose levels are falling. A standard Labradoodle, Flicka nudges Anita when she is having a hypo, and Anita knows from the severity of the nudge how serious the hypo is.
We’ve even had clients tell us anecdotally that their dog lets them know when they are having a hypo – even if they haven’t been specifically trained as a medical support dog.
In fact, one Brisbane doctor informally surveyed around 800 of his patients who were living with diabetes. One in three were dog owners and, of these, 70 per cent claimed that their dog knew when their blood glucose levels were low.
Alert Dogs who know when your blood sugar is low | Diabetes Australia [link]
As technology has advanced, though, it appears more of us (humans and dogs alike) are embracing the latest technology, including CGMs.
While there are a lot of dog lovers in our organisation, Diabetes WA doesn’t support dogs with diabetes, so please talk to your vet if you need support for your pet.
We do know human diabetes though, so if you have a question about anything related to diabetes, our team are here for you – and there really are no silly questions.
Give us a call on 1300 001 880.
