Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How flash glucose monitors track low and high sugar in healthy dogs
By Brisman, Rebecca F et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of low and high interstitial glucose concentrations in healthy, nondiabetic dogs using a flash glucose monitoring system.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy, nondiabetic dogs had their glucose levels monitored using a flash glucose monitoring system (FGMS) for up to 14 days. During this time, over 70% of the dogs experienced at least one low glucose reading, while about a quarter had high readings. Smaller dogs (weighing 2.5-20.5 kg) were more likely to show low glucose levels compared to larger dogs. This study helps veterinarians understand how to interpret glucose readings from diabetic dogs, as even healthy dogs can have fluctuations in their glucose levels.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Flash glucose monitoring systems (FGMS; FreeStyle Libre) are useful devices for managing diabetic patients. The FGMS is reportedly accurate for diabetic dogs with hyperglycemia and euglycemia but might underestimate glucose concentrations during hypoglycemia. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Assess the frequency of low and high interstitial glucose (IG) concentrations recorded in healthy, nondiabetic dogs using FGMS. ANIMALS: Twenty-three hospital employee-owned dogs. METHODS: Prospective, observational study. The FGMS was placed on all dogs to record ≥488 readings each over up to 14 days. Interstitial glucose concentrations were analyzed to identify the frequency of low, normal, and high IG concentrations. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and comparisons between demographic cohorts were performed. RESULTS: During monitoring, 73.7% (14/19) of participants had at least one low IG concentration (<70 mg/dL), whereas 26.3% (5/19) had at least one high IG concentration (>180 mg/dL). The mean (±SD) percentage of low and high IG concentrations per dog was 2.8 ± 4.3% and 0.8 ± 2.2%, respectively. Markedly decreased IG (<55 mg/dL) and markedly increased (>250 mg/dL) IG concentrations occurred in 63.2% (12/19) and 10.5% (2/19) of dogs, respectively. The frequency of low IG concentrations in dogs weighing 2.5-20.5 kg (2.2%; interquartile range [IQR], 1.1-5.0) was higher (P = .02) than in dogs weighing 20.6-41.4 kg (0.1%; IQR, 0.0-0.7%); the median difference was 2.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.6-10.1). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Low and high IG concentrations were recorded in healthy, nondiabetic dogs, providing a context for interpreting FGMS results in diabetic dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41789551/