NEW MEMBER - Starting home testing after 3 months, want to do everything right for my boy

butterball123

butterball123

Member Since 2026
My cat was diagnosed with diabetes on Feb 1, 2026, after I noticed excessive thirst and large urine clumps.

Since then, I've been following my vet's plan with regular fructosamine testing and dose adjustments. After doing more research and finding this group, I'm realizing there's more I can be doing at home, and I really want to make sure I'm giving him the best care possible moving forward. I love him to death and want him to feel better and have the best chance at regulation/remission.

I've now ordered an AlphaTrak monitor (arriving tomorrow) and will be starting home testing right away.
(I'm in Canada, so options like the ReliOn meter aren't available to me. If there's something better or more affordable in Canada that someone knows of, please let me know.)

Current treatment​

  • Insulin: Lantus, currently 5 units twice daily
    (started at 3 units and gradually increased based on fructosamine results)
  • Dosing method: All I knew was what our long-time vet told us, willing to do anything to help my boy.
  • Diet: Purina DM dry
    → I did try the wet version early on, but he wouldn't eat it and has always preferred dry.
    → I'm very open to transitioning to low-carb wet, want to do it safely so he keeps eating enough.

Feeding/schedule​

  • Meal and Injections at 7:30 AM / 7:30 PM
  • Small meals are split evenly throughout the day to help with hunger (automatic feeder).

Fructosamine history​

  • Feb 15: 452 → 3.5 units
  • Mar 8: 453 → 4 units
  • Apr 1: 502 → 5 units
  • Apr 24: 560 → vet suggested increase to 5.5 units
He has never had a hypoglycemic episode and has been very consistent with his dosing. He had urine and endocrine testing done - the urine came back with glucose, and the total T4 level was fine. I had the vet check his teeth yesterday for any inflammation that may cause insulin resistance, and she said they look fine.

Next steps​

  • Starting home glucose testing tomorrow
  • Planning to hold off on dose increases until I have home data
  • Hoping to transition to wet food if I can do it safely

Looking for help with:​

  • Getting started with home testing
  • Safely transitioning from dry to wet for a picky cat
  • Dosing guidance once I have glucose data
  • Anything that stands out in his history
I'm here to learn and really appreciate any constructive advice. Thank you!
 
Hi and welcome to the forum!
You sound super organised!!
Definitely great to start hometesting the BGs. We can help you with that. And don’t increase the dose until we are able to see some data. So test before every dose of insulin and then again sometime during each cycle. Try different times from +4 to +7 to start with. If the BG is low, test again in another hour.
Lantus is a good insulin for cats. Butter is on quite a high dose of Lantus but let’s see how he goes with a diet change and having his glucose monitored. Just be aware that changing over from a dry to wet food can lower the blood glucose so do it slowly.

I would suggest buying some Ketostix test strips to test the urine for ketones. We don’t want to see any ketones and if there are are any we need to know.

I would swap to low carb wet food. I will link a chart for you. Look for foods that are 10% or less carbs.
Canadian food chart Canadian Food Chart - PC Extra Meaty Line
Dr Pierson’s food chart Info - Dr. Pierson - new Food Chart

help us help you Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

HOMETESTING hints and links Hometesting Links and Tips

Transitioning from dry to wet food Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food
 
Hi butterball and your person!

About meter & strip affordability, I've only ever used the Contour Next because of its affordability and availability.

I just checked prices for Alpha Trak strips and gasped. AlphaTRAK 3 Test Strips
138 for 50 strips. I hope they're made of 14 karat gold. :woot:

You might want to get a less-expensive system because strips are something you'll need quite a few of. I was at my local Shopper's Drug Mart on Friday, and they were selling Contour Next meters for around 30ish$. Strips are 85$ for 100. I buy mine in bulk on eBay and get a great price for them.

Plus, because Contour and Freestyle are used for humans, you'll find these supplies at every drug store.

I hope this helps!
 
Hello!! I cannot offer advice on anything but I do also have the AlphaTrak and I struggled at the beginning with getting enough blood in the hole - sounds silly but there is an air vent hole and a blood hole. When blood goes in the blood hole, the air pressure is what sucks it up!

Anyways, I would suggest testing on yourself first. That was a suggestion by the kind folks on this forum. I was able to figure out how much blood I needed and the angle to hold the strip to my bead.

I would also suggest a thicker lancet to start - I started with 30 and could never get a bead and 28 was much easier for me.

I’ve not been here long with my Cheech, but everyone is so kind and willing to help. Ask lots of questions. There’s no such thing as stupid one, and if there is, I’ve already probably asked it 😹
 
Hello from Toronto and welcome.
First of all I gotta say I'm really impressed with how organized you are and all the info you already have. Well done 👏

As Lara had already mentioned you shiuld be using a human meter as
°it will be cheaper innthe long run (strips cost)
°all our data on here is tailored for human meter numbers

I personally use Bravo meter, but unfortunately I do not think it's still available. I will link a website where I got it from below as they have some other affordable options. That's also where I get my other supplies like test strips and lancets. Their shipping is very fast and it's a great website.
As for syringes I get mine from pet drug mart as that's the cheapest I could find. Their shipping takes a little bit longer so make sure you order in advance.
If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Also not sure if anyone else had mention this aready but you can post on Lantus forum so your posts don't get overlooked and you can get advice or help much faster if needed.

I have a good feeling you will do just fine. We have a lot of wonderful people on here ready and willing to help. Good luck on this journey 🤗🐈

Diabetes Express, Canada's One Stop Diabetes Shop est. 2005

Cats | Diabetic
 
Welcome from Canada!

You've already got some great advice above and like Karolina said, so impressed with your organization... I'm sure you're going to do great for your little guy!

I'll add in some of my experience:
- I use the the Freestlye Lite meter and it comes free when you purchase a box of strips. If you have a membership/access to Costco, that's the cheapest I've found. I think it's $73 CAD for 100 strips. I started out with the AlphaTrak as well, as I think that's what all vets recommend now, but the cost was just too much.
- Depending on where you're at in Canada, you can get Lantus straight from the vet with no prescription. I used to buy from the vet and it was at least 3x the price as getting directly from the pharmacy.
- With a higher dose at 5+ units, I wonder if it's worth testing for Acromegaly or IAA (another forum here)... although I know you're still feeding dry food so that may be influencing the higher dose. Tagging @Wendy&Neko to see what she recommends, she's very experienced with this. Binx has Acro and has been as high as 7.5 units, I got him tested around 6 units. I haven't pursued a treatment yet, but he has a cocktail of other things going on (hyperthyroidism, CKD) , so I'm trying to sort those out first.

You've definitely come to the right place and you'll get lots of support and advice here! Good luck, Butter seems to be in great hands 🤗
 
Hi everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for the kind words and helpful advice. I really appreciate it.

The meter arrived late this evening, and I did my first home glucose test before his insulin shot (306 mg/dL on the AlphaTrak). I did waste one strip on my first attempt, which hurt a bit given the cost 🥹, but the second try went much better. Butter was an absolute angel through it.

I also realized I forgot to include some basics. Butter just turned 10 years old a week ago and weighs about 7 kg. He has had some dental issues in the past, including a chipped tooth that was removed (the vet suspected possible tooth resorption), and he has a slight heart murmur, but has otherwise been healthy (and an absolute joy).

I’m going to look into a more affordable meter as well, so I appreciate all the suggestions.

I’d really appreciate some advice on transitioning to wet food. He’s been a dry-food cat his whole life and wouldn’t eat Purina DM wet food when I tried it before. I did pick up some Purina DM pâté but haven’t tried it yet. I’ve read the shared resources, but I want to make sure I’m doing this safely for a diabetic cat and that he continues to eat reliably before insulin, especially since my mornings are a bit rushed.

I also don’t want to change too many things at once, so I’d love to hear how others found the transition to wet food, what worked best for picky diabetic cats, and any recommended foods that are easy to find in Canada.

I’m a master’s student juggling a full-time job, so I’ll fit in glucose checks throughout the day as I can and build a routine that works. Any tips on making this more affordable would also be appreciated.

I’m going to try to get a couple more tests tonight around 9:30 and 11:30, and will keep updating my spreadsheet. Please let me know if anyone has trouble reading it or if I’m not filling it out correctly.

This group has already eased my mind a lot. It’s been a stressful few months learning this on my own, so I’m really grateful for the support.
 
Hi butterball123,
Greetings from Toronto.🇨🇦
I am also struggling with the transition from dry to wet, and I havent had any luck either. I have tried about 12 different varieties, heated it, sprinkled dry kibble on top, bought the Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortiFlora Powdered Probiotic Supplement which was suggested on Reddit as a way to lure cats to eating wet (no dice). I wish I had a solution. What I have done, is atleast transition away from the original high carb dry (Meow Mix and Hill Science Diet) to low carb dry Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Chicken Kibble Cat Dry Food - which is supposedly low carb. My cat is fussy, so I was surprised she took to it quite easily- but I was atleast happy that she was transition away from the high carb kibble.I still want her to transition to wet so im still trying to find that right one. Grocery stores, Walmart, etc usually have sales for the canned varites for Friskies Pâté and Fancy Feast Classic Pâté that you might want to try.

​

 
Jake88 said:
Hi butterball123,
Greetings from Toronto.🇨🇦
I am also struggling with the transition from dry to wet, and I havent had any luck either. I have tried about 12 different varieties, heated it, sprinkled dry kibble on top, bought the Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortiFlora Powdered Probiotic Supplement which was suggested on Reddit as a way to lure cats to eating wet (no dice). I wish I had a solution. What I have done, is atleast transition away from the original high carb dry (Meow Mix and Hill Science Diet) to low carb dry Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Chicken Kibble Cat Dry Food - which is supposedly low carb. My cat is fussy, so I was surprised she took to it quite easily- but I was atleast happy that she was transition away from the high carb kibble.I still want her to transition to wet so im still trying to find that right one. Grocery stores, Walmart, etc usually have sales for the canned varites for Friskies Pâté and Fancy Feast Classic Pâté that you might want to try.

​

Click to expand...
Hi Jake88, thank you for sharing this.

It actually helps a lot to hear I’m not the only one struggling with the transition. It sounds like you’ve tried so many of the same things I’ve been reading about, so that’s really helpful to know what might or might not work.

I’ve also been a bit worried about the quality of some of the more accessible wet foods, like Fancy Feast, especially since my cat is on the older side. Still, I’m starting to understand that for diabetic cats, the priority is really getting them onto any low-carb wet food that they’ll actually eat, even if it’s not perfect.

I may try some of the Friskies or Fancy Feast pâté options to see if I can get him interested at all, and go from there.

Thanks again for your input, and I hope we both have some success with our picky cats soon!
 
butterball123 said:
I also realized I forgot to include some basics. Butter just turned 10 years old a week ago and weighs about 7 kg. He has had some dental issues in the past, including a chipped tooth that was removed (the vet suspected possible tooth resorption), and he has a slight heart murmur, but has otherwise been healthy (and an absolute joy).
Click to expand...
Just wanted to mention you can include his details in your signature like some of us have.

And also he's super cute! 😍
 
Karolina & Nestle said:
Hi,
Just wondering where you're getting Dr. Elsey's from? I thought they discontinued in Canada.
Click to expand...
Hi,
I got it from Chewy online. I tried the small size first to see if my cat would take it.
I did a 80% old food and 20% Dr Elsey mix first to do the transition as its a heavy type of kibble on the stomach, and slowlllyyyyyyy changed the percentages over about 3 weeks, and now she is on 100% Dr Elsey Chicken. The Salmon is suppose to be the lowest of all the flavours in terms of carbs, so I just bought that, but my cat isnt too excited. I might try the canned but its pricey and only comes in case, but I was told if she doesnt like it you can return it (Chewy).
 
There are a ton of wet food options besides Fancy Feast in Canada. If you look at Bron's reply on post #2 and the link to the Dr. Pierson's food chart, there are a lot of brands listed. It's an older list so there are many more new ones out there now. I fed raw food primarily to Neko. The transition was very easy, just put a small percent of the new food in her bowl, and kept increasing the percent each day. But, she was very food motivated and hardly met a food she didn't like. Places like Pet Valu/Bosleys, Petsmart, and the smaller independent pet food chains have lots of the options on the Dr, Pierson list. A lot of cats don't like the DM pate. It's called dietetic management, it's nothing special for diabetes, and the ingredients aren't great either.

Other dry food transition ideas are feeding freeze dried raw food and gradually increasing the amount of water added. I've also seen a couple people feed the Squarepet VFS Powercat dry food which is supposed to be lower carb. However, your goal should be to ultimately get him on a wet food diet as it's better for our senior kitties.

For meters, the Freestyle seems to be the cheapest test strips on the west coast. London Drugs one such place to buy them. I got a free meter with my test strips there. Some of the vendors have free meter with strips promotions, so worth checking to see if you can find one of those. You want a meter with the smallest blood drop requirement, and cheapest test strips.
 
Canadian folks, you likely have stores in your area that stock a lot of great options for your cats, such as Global Pet Foods and Petsmart, to name just two. You'll get better quality food than what's at the grocery store, although Fancy Feast pates remain a tried & true favourite for cats, with some caveats.

For example, I give my cat several things in rotation, which is what she likes, including Nulo Lamb & Beef pate, Weruva BFF Duck & Tuna pouches, RAWZ Rabbit, Koha Kangaro, and Mouser Rabbit & Mouse, as well as freeze-dried rabbit, turkey, duck, pork, and sometimes bonito.

Crushing up and sprinking some freeze-dried meat on top of wet food can help cats transition to wet food, respecting that every cat is different.

Adding a bit of water to wet foods is great to try. My cat loves it when I make wet food a bit more soupy for her. And it helps them get more water, which is essential. With wet food, it's really important to not default to gravy foods, as they can be very high carb. Keep a few cans of them on hand always for when you might need to carb your cat up, but the pates are in general much lower in carbs, and ideal for diabetic cats.
 
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share a quick update.

I’ve added all of Butters’ recent readings to the spreadsheet and it should be up to date now. Please let me know if anything looks off or if I’m not filling it out correctly.

Today his pre-shot was 346, and his +5 was 320. I was also able to get a +8 yesterday (314) and a few evening checks (301 PMPS, 273 at +3).

I also introduced some wet food today and he actually ate about half wet / half dry, which I was really happy about.

Is this enough data to increase his dose to 5.5 units (as vet recommended)? Should i wait to transition more to wet food to see what his sugars do?

If anyone has thoughts on his numbers so far or anything I should be watching for, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks again for all the help!
 
butterball123 said:
Should i wait to transition more to wet food to see what his sugars do?
Click to expand...
Yes, this! I've seen a lot of cats need considerably less insulin when they switch to low carb wet. The most extreme was a cat on 5.5 units of insulin, got a needed dental and the dry food went away and he ended up in remission. Very quickly - and very stressful couple days for his caregiver. Make the food transition gradually.

Regarding what to watch for.. You've been great at getting preshots and at least one other test each cycle (time between shots). If you see a test at +2 or +3 that is quite a bit (like 20%) lower than the preshot, try to get a later test that cycle. With Lantus, that big a drop early on can mean an active cycle needing more monitoring. Unfortunately, many cats like to see their lower numbers at night. Early days yet, but that could be Butter's pattern too.
 
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