Advice for blood glucose monitor in Canada!

[Seasnskies]

Hi there!
I have a 10 year old cat named Chloe, who has had diabetes for almost two years now. Up to this point, the vet clinic really has a done very little monitoring, and I feel that just randomly giving her insulin makes no sense when I don't know what her blood sugar levels are at. I have been reading on the forum on and off for the last several months, but finally decided to get a monitor for myself to test her with.
I am wondering if any other Canadians know which monitors are the best to purchase in Canada, and offer the best value? I have seen some of the pet ones advertised, but it seems that the strips are very expensive for those, and from what I have read, a human glucose monitor is just fine.
Any and all advice is much appreciated!
Chloe and her mama

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hi and welcome Chloe is adorable I have done a search for you about human meters from Canada that members have suggested to others I will post them for you. Also you want to buy 26 or 28 gauge lancets
Just make sure if you order test strips on line you always order enough just not 50

Here's one
The cheapest option I know of in Canada is the Bravo meter, but it's only available online so you have to make sure you order strips early enough that you get them before you run out. It's a human meter, not a pet meter, but all our dosing methods were developed with human meters so we're very comfortable using them.


Also found this a member posted
In Canada most pharmacies will give a free meter when buying the test strips. I am in Winnipeg and the best price I can get for human meter strips ( they all seem to be around the same price) is Shopper's Drug Mart when using the senior's discount..every Thursday here...with 20% off regular price. Free Style Lite strips cost me $71 and every 5 weeks or so you can also get a bonus $10 Shopper's card, which brings the cost down to $61/100.


Found this also posted by another member

As for meters that are available in local stores, I believe Freestyle Lite strips are the cheapest available in Canada. There is a coupon on the website for a free meter.https://myfreestyle.ca/en/products/lite ...Just fudge the info as if Fritz is a human!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

A lot of people use the Freestyle Lite because it just needs a small drop of blood. Or buy their test strips on eBay to save some money.

I used the FreeStyle Lite meter. It takes the smallest drop of blood. Strips are $80-90 per 100. (Strips are crazy expensive in Canada.) You can use your PC points at Shoppers. Call around though. Some people have said that strips are cheaper at Costco (no need for a membership to use the pharmacy).

Do you London Drugs there? They often have sales for cheaper test strips and will throw in the meter for free.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Bonus, the Freestyle lite is a lot cheaper! And available in most store pharmacies. Some people in the east buy at Shoppers Drug Mart and use the points.

A number of Canadians use the FreeStyle Lite. It needs a 0.3 blood sample. Strips are expensive in Canada. FreeStyle Lite strips run about $80/100 You can use your PC points and grab a senior for Seniors Day at Shoppers.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
Here is a video one of our members did

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

If you ever would like with dosing we have a spreadsheet we use to track our cats numbers to see how the insulin is working and how low its it's dropping
We have a lot of experienced and knowledgeable members here, if it wasn't for their advice Tyler wouldn't be in remission. I will give you the link on how to set it up and it also explains how it works
If you have trouble setting it up just ask we have someone who will help you

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/spreadsheets-tech-support-testing-area.6/

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.

 

[Seasnskies]

Hi and welcome Chloe is adorable I have done a search for you about human meters from Canada that members have suggested to others I will post them for you. Also you want to buy 26 or 28 gauge lancets
Just make sure if you order test strips on line you always order enough just not 50

Here's one
The cheapest option I know of in Canada is the Bravo meter, but it's only available online so you have to make sure you order strips early enough that you get them before you run out. It's a human meter, not a pet meter, but all our dosing methods were developed with human meters so we're very comfortable using them.


Also found this a member posted
In Canada most pharmacies will give a free meter when buying the test strips. I am in Winnipeg and the best price I can get for human meter strips ( they all seem to be around the same price) is Shopper's Drug Mart when using the senior's discount..every Thursday here...with 20% off regular price. Free Style Lite strips cost me $71 and every 5 weeks or so you can also get a bonus $10 Shopper's card, which brings the cost down to $61/100.


Found this also posted by another member

As for meters that are available in local stores, I believe Freestyle Lite strips are the cheapest available in Canada. There is a coupon on the website for a free meter.https://myfreestyle.ca/en/products/lite ...Just fudge the info as if Fritz is a human!

Thank you for those suggestions. I appreciate it very much. I am new to using this forum, so sorry for the delayed response. I will definitely check those out. Chloe is doing well.