? 02/06/2022, New Member, Mumu, AMPS 439

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Responding to your private message as I am new to the site myself and if I write something incorrect I want the experienced members here to correct me and make sure you have all the right info. Plus we all learn from each other's posts:bighug:

Hi i was just re reading the comments on my thread trying to figure out what Human metre to buy. Is this the one you were referring to?

https://shop.shoppersdrugmart.ca/Sh...er/p/BB_093815715504?variantCode=093815715504

If so, did you attach the sensor or did the vet? Do you find it stays on well? I'm just looking for a cheaper alternative to using the AT metre at this point.

What you have in the link is the reader not the sensor. I got both the reader and sensor but I think you can use the phone instead of reader. However, from what I heard you cannot download the entire activity to your computer from your phone so you will have only scanned data ( the downloaded data will show every number every 15 min as long as you scan every 8 hours, it is great) . I may be wrong though about the phone vs reader.

Currently there are two free libre sensors : Free Libre 14 days and Free Libre 2. FL 2 has alarms and have not done it yet but I hear great things about it. The readers are different. So stick with one. They work the same but the 14 days does not have alarms.

Not sure in Canada but here are the links for US: Libre 14 days and Libre 2

In the US you can try the first sensor for free as long as you have a prescription and you pick it up at a pharmacy.

Here is the link for the facegroup for libre for cats and dogs which shows how to do you it yourself and make sure it sticks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2894089194158745

I have not done it myself I go to the vet. They last 14 days if you put a onesie on them or cover it with something. Kitty will not love it but we all have to sacrifice. Otherwise they can last anywhere between a few hours to 14 days. All my previous ones since using the onesies have lasted 14 days. There are tips on the FB group to make it last and stick. Each cat is different. Some are not bothered and leave it alone and some do.

Hope this is helpful. If you search in the search bar libre, you will see many people posting about it. I like it but again, sometimes is acting funny and I doublecheck the numbers with the AT or a human meter for peace of mind. The libre is not perfect. You just have to learn to its faults and use it to your advantage. AT 2 am I find it super helpful to scan it and not have to wake up and do the ear poke unless I really have to. But that is just me. You will have to see what best works for you and your baby.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I used the BD Ultrafine II syringes, likely the same ones.

For the most part, human meters will read lower than the AT meter, with larger variances in higher numbers than the normal numbers. Frankly if numbers are above 200, it really doesn't matter when one meter reads 320 and the other reads 400 (just a made up example), both are "too high". What matters is when numbers get into the normal range and that's when the meters read closer. We do know we don't want cats getting below 50 on a human meter or 68 on pet meter. We also know what is the range of "normal BG numbers" for both types of meters. We also know that depending what country you are in, there can be a 15-20 % allowable difference between meters. So what we are looking at is more trends. And our dosing methods are designed for use with human meters. Human meters were around way before the AT started getting heavily marketed to vets. My vet used a Onetouch and found it reasonably close to the lab values she's get. Funnily enough, a lot of vets are now pushing the Freestyle Libre, which coincidentally is a human meter.

For a human meter, you want one that uses a small blood drop. The Freestyle Lite is one option. I've seen use quite a few other types of meters in Canada. You can buy test strips on eBay for cheaper cost. You cannot buy the Relion in Canada. I am close to the border so cross border shopped, back in the day when it was more convenient.

Where are you looking? You can find almost anything on line. Most of the diabetic cat forums started out back before the AT was a thing and use human meters.
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I was searching on google lol.. I have been searching all day and now I am curious to buy the FS Lite strips to use in AT metre using one of the cat codes, does this seem like a smart option or should I buy the FS Lite metre. I might just buy both and test vs the AT trying the cat codes to see if I can get an accurate reading. This diabetes is starting to get expensive and if those strips would work in the AT metre then that would be an affordable option plus I wouldn't have to buy the human metre.
 
Roxana & Henry said:
Responding to your private message as I am new to the site myself and if I write something incorrect I want the experienced members here to correct me and make sure you have all the right info. Plus we all learn from each other's posts:bighug:

Hi i was just re reading the comments on my thread trying to figure out what Human metre to buy. Is this the one you were referring to?

https://shop.shoppersdrugmart.ca/Shop/Categories/Health/Medicine-&-Treatments/Diabetes-Care/Glucose-Testing/Freestyle-Libre-Reader/p/BB_093815715504?variantCode=093815715504

If so, did you attach the sensor or did the vet? Do you find it stays on well? I'm just looking for a cheaper alternative to using the AT metre at this point.

What you have in the link is the reader not the sensor. I got both the reader and sensor but I think you can use the phone instead of reader. However, from what I heard you cannot download the entire activity to your computer from your phone so you will have only scanned data ( the downloaded data will show every number every 15 min as long as you scan every 8 hours, it is great) . I may be wrong though about the phone vs reader.

Currently there are two free libre sensors : Free Libre 14 days and Free Libre 2. FL 2 has alarms and have not done it yet but I hear great things about it. The readers are different. So stick with one. They work the same but the 14 days does not have alarms.

Not sure in Canada but here are the links for US: Libre 14 days and Libre 2

In the US you can try the first sensor for free as long as you have a prescription and you pick it up at a pharmacy.

Here is the link for the facegroup for libre for cats and dogs which shows how to do you it yourself and make sure it sticks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2894089194158745

I have not done it myself I go to the vet. They last 14 days if you put a onesie on them or cover it with something. Kitty will not love it but we all have to sacrifice. Otherwise they can last anywhere between a few hours to 14 days. All my previous ones since using the onesies have lasted 14 days. There are tips on the FB group to make it last and stick. Each cat is different. Some are not bothered and leave it alone and some do.

Hope this is helpful. If you search in the search bar libre, you will see many people posting about it. I like it but again, sometimes is acting funny and I doublecheck the numbers with the AT or a human meter for peace of mind. The libre is not perfect. You just have to learn to its faults and use it to your advantage. AT 2 am I find it super helpful to scan it and not have to wake up and do the ear poke unless I really have to. But that is just me. You will have to see what best works for you and your baby.
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Thank you so much for the information. I think I will stick to manual testing. I am overwhelmed but starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel ( I think).
 
Roxana & Henry said:
Relion from Walmart is very popular here, test strips are the cheapest as well. Here is a post I stole from @Diane Tyler's Mom
I see you are from

THe Relion is a human meter, so it's going to read lower then an alphatrak. the numbers are closer together at lower ranges, and far apart at higher numbers. The scale for normal on a human meter is 50-120 and on an alphatrack it's 68-150

When the AlphaTrak first came out in 2006 one of the members here, Hope, did a comparison with several meters, including the AT. Her conclusion was that the AT was no better than a human meter and not worth the price. You can read about it here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glucometer.htm
You can also use the search function to find other meter comparison discussions. Here's one: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/accuracy-of-human-meters-on-cats.36558/#post-384346

All human glucometers are allowed to have 15-20% variance: For glucose meters used by people with diabetes at home (“over-the-counter”), the FDA guidance specifies the following accuracy standards: 95% of all measured blood glucose meter values must be within 15% of the true value (a lab measurement); and 99% of meter values must be within 20% of the true value.

I use the Free Libre Sensor and when numbers seem funny I perform a check with Alpha Track or another human monitor if the AT acts up or user error lol.

Here are some other glucometers I have noted people use here :

Free Style Lite - small - uses 0.3 units - this looks like the AT but Dr
Contour Next
Aviva Accuchek
Nova Max (can be used to test ketones and glucose)
CareSens N

Now after writing this long post I realized you are from Canada so not sure which will be available to you. Hopefully other members can jump in and help.
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Thank you so much, I have more reading to do now but thinking of trying FS Lite strips in AT and if that doesn't line up just buy the FS lite metre i guess o_O
 
Note, the page on Catinfo referring to low reading on the Freestyle was last edited in 2014. That's 8 years ago, a long time in the history of BG meters and it is not the same meter it used to be. It is true that they used to read low, but primarily in the upper range. There are a number of members using it now.

Unfortunately we don't have recent comparisons of meters in the Health Links forum. The latest Canadian one is 2016.
 
Sisu said:
have been searching all day and now I am curious to buy the FS Lite strips to use in AT metre using one of the cat codes, does this seem like a smart option or should I buy the FS Lite metre.
Click to expand...
Get the FS Lite meter. I would not put strips made by one manufacturer in the meter made by another. The manufacturer recommends against it and I wouldn't risk my cats life on it. You can usually find an offer in some pharmacies where they throw in the meter if you buy 100 test strips, so cost isn't an issue.
 
Sisu said:
Thank you so much for the information. I think I will stick to manual testing. I am overwhelmed but starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel ( I think).
Click to expand...

I know it is overwhelming. Lots of info to take in but such great info on this forum that saves lives literally. Take it one step at a time and you will find what works best for you in time. You are doing great! Keep asking questions and keep searching the forum and things will get less overwhelming in time. It’s a lot to learn in a short period of time. I am in the same boat as you being a new member . I am learning so much here.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Get the FS Lite meter. I would not put strips made by one manufacturer in the meter made by another. The manufacturer recommends against it and I wouldn't risk my cats life on it. You can usually find an offer in some pharmacies where they throw in the meter if you buy 100 test strips, so cost isn't an issue.
Click to expand...

I ended up buying the strips for now as I have AT strips left and i tested against the AT strips.
AT strip read 23.8 mmol/L and FS lite strip read 24. This would seem acceptable?
 
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