Cutting Costs

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rnbullis

rnbullis

Member Since 2016
Being new to this forum, it has already been extremely encouraging to read about how other diabetic cat owners are cutting costs successfully (as I have been trying to do). My poor cat has been through so much trial and error, or transition, simply due to my attempt to spend less money on supplies. I was feeling guilty for feeding him Friskies pate instead of Purina DM, due to cost (and the fact that my cat doesn't like eating the DM diet). And, I was worried that I was doing the wrong thing using 100cc syringes with Vetsulin (following the conversion chart). However, it looks like both of those practices are actually fairly common among diabetic cat owners. Super validating!

So, now it seems to be in my best interest to start home testing, and I'm curious as to what glucometer would be best, especially when it comes to cost. I have read that human glucometers can work just as well and cost quite a bit less than pet ones, especially when it comes to the disposables (lancets). I would love any advice on this! I know my cat is still not regulated, as he drinks far more than he should, and steals food from anywhere he can reach. Improper urination happens on occasion, which is incredibly frustrating as well. Please help!
 
Hi and Welcome!

Meter - am assuming you're in the USA. Trip to Walmart to get the

* 'ReliOn' brand either 'Confirm' or 'Micro' model meter. It will have a case and lancet pen inside too.
* Box of test strips for those meters - they take the same strips. Do NOT get the 'Prime' strips which are cheaper but at first, it takes more blood so the other meters are better.
* Box of lancets in the LOWEST gauge number you can find....28's at least, NOT the 'Ultra Thins'. Gauge reads backwards so lower number are bigger.
* Box of 'ketone test strips' - this isn't for the meter, this is to check for ketones developing in his urine.

I prefer the Micro just because of how it fits in my hand. When you have these things, let us know and we'll help you with the next step!!!

Again, welcome to the best place you never wanted to be...
 
For Lancets and my Glucometer, I use them from Meijer (Midwest store Walmart patterned after it.) I use the Meijer Essentials meter made by Agamatrix which appears to be the Target Onsync and the CVS generic meter. For lancets I again use them from Meijers 100 for $4-6. My meter runs about $20 for 100 test strips.

A BAD meter for cats is one made by Nipro, using the word Truetest or Ture result or basically True followed by anything.
 
Anitafrnhamer said:
If you would like to pm me your address, I would love to pass Squeaker's meter on to you. There are some test strips and lancets left.
Click to expand...
Are you sure? What kind is it? I'm assuming your kitty passed if you're willing to pass this on to me. If so, I'm so sorry!
 
You can't beat Walmart for the affordability of diabetic testing supplies. And you're in luck because they just had a significant rice drop on many of the items.

For example, at the stores nearest to me:
  • Relion Prime meter - $9.00
  • Box of 100 lancets - $1.48
  • Box of 100 test strips - $17.88
  • Box of 100 U100 syringes - $12.58
 
AZJenks said:
You can't beat Walmart for the affordability of diabetic testing supplies. And you're in luck because they just had a significant rice drop on many of the items.

For example, at the stores nearest to me:
  • Relion Confirm meter - $9.00
  • Box of 100 lancets - $1.48
  • Box of 100 test strips - $17.88
  • Box of 100 U100 syringes - $12.58
Click to expand...
Someone else had recommended the Relion Prime line, which cost almost exactly the same as what you just listed. Is there a major difference, do you know? I'm just about to order...
 
@rnbullis - Forgive me. I meant Prime. I don't know why I typed Confirm.

One thing to consider when choosing a meter is the size of the blood droplet that it requires to test. The Prime requires a 5 microliter sample. It's cousin, the Micro, requires a droplet about half that size - 3 microliters. In the beginning, when your cat's ears aren't yet trained to bleed well, being able to test a smaller drop can be a huge advantage. We started with the Micro until we could reliably get good sized drops out of Jenks before graduating to the Prime.

But that small drop size benefit comes with a cost. The meter is more expensive and the strips are roughly twice the cost of the Primes ($35 per 100ct).

Whichever you choose, we wish you the best of luck with your home testing. :)
 
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AZJenks said:
You can't beat Walmart for the affordability of diabetic testing supplies. And you're in luck because they just had a significant rice drop on many of the items.

For example, at the stores nearest to me:
  • Relion Prime meter - $9.00
  • Box of 100 lancets - $1.48
  • Box of 100 test strips - $17.88
  • Box of 100 U100 syringes - $12.58
Click to expand...
Whoa, those test strips are 32 bucks here in my town.
 
Ok I might be wrong on that. I'm going back to WM tomorrow or Friday, and I will look then. I planned to get another meter so I would have one as a backup. I'm one of those obsessive people who worries that what can go wrong, will go wrong. Several of the slots for strips at Walmart were out of stock..and I noticed the other day at CVS that THEY were out of strips, too. I already have backups on batteries, lancets, etc..but only one meter at the moment. So I'm planning to overstock on everything in case some wierd kind of shortage ever happens with any of my supplies. And since Reli-on has been recommended here, I will probably chose Reli-on no matter what the cost.
 
@Jeanne Skadowski - If the shelves are empty, just ask for the strips from the pharmacy. At least at my stores, they've pretty much stopped putting strips on the shelves because people steal them.
 
@Jeanne Skadowski - I think the CVS meter is the same as the Target OnSync so you can get the strips at a Target or Kroger. It also looks like it uses the Presto strips that you can get from ADW buying the 24 pack = $0.09 a strip.
 
I love the Relion Prime and the way the strips wick up the blood very easily. I had been using the Vet Trak that the vet had me buy in my panic of Sparkle's diagnosis. Then I realized I could never afford the strips for that. I have not found the larger blood drop to be a problem at all. The Relion Prime meter is now only $9 as another person mentioned and the lancets (reg. not ultra thin) are only $1.48 per 100. I bought a ton of the lancets and am considering getting another Prime as a back up. The strips are $9 for 50 or $18 for 100. I decided to buy the vials of 50 at a time so that I have the freshest strips and don't run the risk of possibly contaminating or messing up a whole vial of 100.

Also, I had thought the supplies were kept in the pharmacy at some of the stores, but have since found that every WalMart that I have checked here in Dallas has the supplies on the shelf, it just takes time to find where each store has them shelved.
 
@Sparkle the 100 pack of strips is a box containing two vials of 50 each.

Depending which store in my area, some keep behind pharmacy counter and some keep on shelf.
 
1) check how much blood the meter needs - some need more than others and getting one that uses less will be appreciated with a cat who is having a problem, is cold, and not as much blood is going to the ear.
2) like printers where the ink breaks the bank, with meters it is the strips. Check that cost before you buy the meter
3) realize that these are accurate, regardless of the brand, plus or minus 20% (so if you read 100 what it actually could read is 80-120 if you were to do it again right then) AND as they are for humans you will need to calibrate them with cats. Mine, for example, given to me by a kind person on this list, is off about 30 points when I get readings around 100 or lower (so a reading of 90 would actually be about 120 plus or minus 20% so 90*.2 = 18 so the real reading is somewhere in the range of 120+ or - 18 which is 102 to 138) but is off around 120 points when readings are in the 300's (thus 300+120=440, then plus or minus 20% so 300*.2= 60 so the real reading is somewhere in the range of 440- 60= 380 to 440+60= to 500). Every single time I take my cat to the vet and they draw blood I check what they get against my meter so I have my own curve to translate cat readings on my meter to actual.
4) regardless of the inaccuracies of these meters with the 20% variation and the unequal curve between the difference between what a cat reading really is when using a human meter, the trend can give you some ideas about what is going on. Just don't do what I did when my meter read 40. Cat was behaving normally, calibrated to a cat his real reading was likely around 70 (plus or minus that 20%) and I was afraid of insulin shock. Nope just the meter differences. For that also go by behavior.
 
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