Welcome to the Guardian RT...for cats

WARNING! I am discussing and showing photos of OFF LABLE USE of Medtronics Guardian RT, a human diabetic care device.  Do not take this as medical advice, or reccomendations. This use is 'experimental'. Humans, talk to your doctor. Pet owners, talk to your vet. Guardian RT users, talk to your doctors and your guardian rep!

What you see above is the basic set up for the Guardian RT. The implanted sensor attached to the transmitter is shown on the far right, it's that tan tick thing (transmittor) taped to Pumpkin's hind quarters. The first photo is taking blood from Pumpkin's ear vien so get a blood glucose reading on a glucometer, which you see in the middle, which is used to claibrate the Guardian, which is the black pager like unit with the numbers on it.

The sensor is implanted under Pumpkin's skin. It is a flexible tiny 'wire' that attaches to the plastic. I killed the first sensor in 24 hours, because although I read the directions, I had never seen one before and didn't have a good visual idea of what I was doing.

Here's the cheat sheet.

Don't use the implantation device. it's made for people, not pets. Insert the sensor needle by hand.  Don't use human IV dressing tape, it does not work with pet skin. Use medical skin tape. Secure the implanted sensor without covering the end that attaches to the transmitter.

THINK about where to place this and how to angle it. Pumpkin can not feel it on his hindquarters. He is parlayzed. A normal pet will feel it. Think about the shoulders, the back by the upper ribs. You want a place they won't care about, won't itch at, won't turn around and eat this unit. Each pet will be different.

The unit must be in line of sight with the sensor, and my TV, DVD player and phone all make it have a hard time reading the trasmitter fequency. Move around until you figure out if you have good zones and bad zones.

The implanted sensor is only rated for 3 days use. Here's the real low down. People have used it for up to 100 days (OFF LABEL USE !!!NOT RECCOMENDED!!!) without changing it. At this time, Pumpkin is just starting to use the Guardian, so I don't know how long I'll be able to keep one working on him before needing to change it out. They are removed to prevent infection. However, sutures stay in pets for 10 to 14 days with no problem, often longer. This implanted device is thin, like a suture. It apears to be about 22 gauge.

Every 3 days the sensor sends a timed out signal to the Guardian device. You need to fool the machine. You need to remove the transmitter and reconncect it and tell the guardian rt that it is a new sensor. Thats it. The machine does not know.

This is how we travel, with the guardian on our carrier.  It is such a good thing to be able to press a butting and see where Pumpkin is, what his trend has been, and predict if he will be low, and pre-emptively give him carbs. I sleep better. So does he.

The guardian takes readings every 15 minutes, and you can back track over a day and find peaks and drops. Pumpkin Symogies, which mens he gets low, his body panics and sends out a pre death burst of emergency blood sugar, he lives and then is insulin resistant for a few days. Just like people do.

    Here we are at work... yes he has a funny haircut. Pumpkin gets too hot in summer, but shaving him naked just looks wrong, so he has a pattern in summer of 'ventilation' It keeps him comfortable and he doesn't care.

I will discuss feline diabetes questions with people, and if you are in the San Fransico Bay area / East Bay and you have a diabetic cat, come talk to me.  At this time we are planning to work on incorporating Medtronic devices for pets as long as Pumpkin shows good results. So far, they are awesome.

Peace... Email Pumpkin 

Thanksgiving, 2009. Pumpkin left this life due to massive organ faliure. We grieve him.