Background: The FreeStyle Libre (Abbott Laboratories) is a flash glucose monitoring system (FGMS) that measures interstitial glucose concentration (IG). The system is factory-calibrated, easy to use, inexpensive, and could be useful for monitoring diabetic cats.Objectives: To evaluate the analytical and clinical accuracy of the FGMS in cats and establish the lag-time between IG and blood glucose concentration (BG).Animals: Twenty client-owned diabetic cats and 7 purpose-bred healthy cats.Methods: Prospective study. Blood glucose concentration was measured using a portable glucose meter validated for use in cats that served as a reference method for IG, as measured by FGMS. In diabetic cats, data were collected for sensor wearing time with different methods of application and accuracy across glycemic ranges. Accuracy was determined by fulfillment of ISO15197:2013 criteria. In healthy cats, lag-time between IG and BG was established after IV administration of exogenous glucose.Results: Good agreement between IG and BG was obtained (r = .93). Analytical accuracy was not achieved, whereas clinical accuracy was demonstrated with 100% of the results in zones A + B of the Parkes consensus error grid analysis. In the immediate 30 minutes after an IV bolus of glucose, when BG was increasing rapidly (approximately 2%/min), IG increased slowly, resulting in a difference of as much as 579 mg/ dL, and no positive correlation between BG and IG was found.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The FGMS did not fulfill ISO requirements but is sufficiently accurate for glucose monitoring in cats, while considering the lag between IG and BG during periods of rapid changes in BG.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with a dysfunctional intestinal barrier and an increased risk for systemic infection and inflammation in people, though the pathogenic mechanisms leading to this are poorly understood. Using a canine model of DM, we showed that the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-α agonist fenofibrate modulates plasma lipid profiles and markers of intestinal barrier function. A 3-week course of fenofibrate reduced fasting interstitial glucose and inflammatory cytokine IL-8 and TNF-α concentrations, which correlated with reduced triglyceride levels. The lipidomic profile exhibited significantly lower levels of triacylglycerols, phosphatidylethanolamines, diacylglycerols, and ceramides following fenofibrate administration. On histopathological analysis, we observed an aberrant amount of intraepithelial CD3+ T lymphocytes (IEL) in the small intestine of dogs with spontaneous and induced-DM. Fenofibrate reduced IEL density in the duodenum of dogs with DM and enhanced markers of intestinal barrier function in vivo and in vitro. There were minimal changes in the intestinal microbial composition following fenofibrate administration, suggesting that repair of intestinal barriers can be achieved independently of the resident microbiota. Our findings indicate that lipid metabolism is critical to functionality of the intestinal epithelium, which can be rescued by PPARα activation in dogs with DM.

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Background Day‐to‐day variability impacts safety of insulin therapy and the choice of monitoring strategies. Side‐by‐side comparisons of insulin formulations in diabetic dogs are scarce. Hypothesis/Objectives Insulin glargine 300 U/mL (IGla300) and insulin degludec (IDeg) are associated with less day‐to‐day glucose variability compared to porcine lente (PL) in diabetic dogs. Animals Seven intact male purpose‐bred beagles with toxin‐induced diabetes. Methods In this repeated measured study, PL, IGla300 and IDeg were compared in 2 phases: once‐daily (q24h) and twice‐daily (q12h) administration. Interstitial glucose concentrations (IG) were measured continuously throughout the study. For each formulation, maximal q24h dose was determined using the same algorithm (while avoiding hypoglycemia) and then maintained for 72 hours. In phase 2, 70% of the maximal q24h dose was administered q12h and maintained for 5 days regardless of hypoglycemia. Coefficient of variation (CV) and glycemic variability percentage (GVP) were calculated to determine day‐to‐day and intraday variability, respectively. Results There was no difference in day‐to‐day variability between PL, IGla300, and IDeg in the q24h phase. In the q12h phase, day‐to‐day variability was higher (P = .01) for PL (CV = 42.6 ± 6.8%) compared to IGla300 and IDeg (CV = 30.1 ± 7.7%, 25.2 ± 7.0%, respectively). The GVP of PL was lower (P = .02) compared to IGla300. There was no difference between PL, IGla300 and IDeg in %time IG < 70 mg/dL. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Insulin degludec and IGla300 administered q12h were associated with lower day‐to‐day variability, which might be advantageous in minimizing monitoring requirements without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia.

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