Blood Glucose Monitor Question:

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Cory G

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Hello its been quite a while since Ive been here. Things with Freya are going quite well thankfully. I have had her on Caninsulin now since November of last year, and everything is going ok. Freya is recovering from the surgery to remove the pancreatic cyst from her abdomen quite well. She is quickly returning to her playful self, in fact she has been initiating the play with the other cats, which is fantastic.

I have a serious issue with blood, so I have not been able to test at blood at home, but I have been giving the insulin doses myself confidently.

Recently I have been looking at overall costs, and I may change insulin. I realize its important to test the blood glucose especially when on certain kinds of insulin, and have been trying to build my confidence up to do so. My roommate has offered to do it if needed, but she wont be available every time.

Anyway, a friend has given me a blood glucose monitor, I have to find out how much the strips and lanclets are. But I am curious if the monitor is even ok to use for cats. Its a:

OneTouch UltraMini made by LifeScan.

Is any one familiar with this, and is it ok to be using for a cat?
 
Yes, the OneTouch meters are fine. The strips might be a little more expensive though, which is why many of us here prefer the ReliOn brands from Walmart (the strips are at least half the cost vs. most other meters). If you find it a problem affording the strips, it might be worth switching.
 
You might look on ebay to see how much you can get strips for. We used an OTC meter and bought strips for it on ebay. We could get them for less than half the price in stores.
 
Check my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for supplemental assessments to help monitor your kitty's health, particularly urine ketone testing and dehydration checks.
 
Thanks I have noticed the test strips are expensive. We do have a Wallmart near by, I live in Canada, I will check what they carry.

@BJM: I have been doing lots of secondary testing. I have checked her urine (when I can), and mostly it seems alright. No keytones, and her glucose reading is lower then when we started out, MUCH lower. Freya's water consumption seems normal, in fact she hardly touches the water bowl, cause Im feeding her a really good low carb wet food only diet (Natures Variety Instinct, I switched to good food right away). As far as the 5 "P's" yes to all, in fact play has increased LOTS. Urine output is still a bit high, but its way lower then before we started, and its getting lower. She is maintaining her weight, in fact she put a little back on, she was quite down compared to her normal weight, she is maintaining at just over 8 lbs now. Dehydration checks are good. Lastly her breath smells like her food, and no concerns on teeth.
 
Canada won't have the ReliOn meters. Many Canadians use the Bayer Contour as well. Not sure how that compares in price for the strips though. :?
 
According to the consumer reports from august 2013 that are posted above the Bayer strips are expensive too. In fact their almost as expensive as the OneTouch ones. WOW.... I really need to find a cheaper option.
 
Hi there:) I'm in Canada, and use the Bayer Contour or the Accu-Check Aviva meter and usually get my strips on ebay.ca. If you're comfortable online shopping there, they can be half the cost or less for a lot of them, just keep an eye out for expiry dates and such. There are quite a few buy it now if you don't like auctions and if you buy in bulk (like 200 strips) they are even cheaper. I know some people close to the border hop down to get the ReliOn from Wal-Mart in the US. Their strips are $9 for 50, I'm so jealous! Hope that helps :razz:
 
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