First post and a meter question

Hi all. I am April in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

I am a feral colony cat caretaker and recently caught a momma and her six kittens. A rescue took over care for momma as I socialized the kittens. Momma (Stella) has now been returned to me for fostering because she has diabetes.

The rescue vet started her on 2 units of Cansulin twice a day. They gave me no instructions about testing her glucose levels. I know enough about diabetes that I am not comfortable giving insulin blind so I borrowed an Alphatrak from a friend and have been testing Stella’s blood. I also borrowed a human glucometer to see if we were getting the same results because the AlphaTrak strips are crazy expensive!

I got a reading of 24 on the AlphaTrak this morning and from the same drop of blood, 17.2 on the OneTouch Verio. So now I am confused.

Has anyone else ever compared readings from the AlphaTrak against a human glucometer? Her sugar is definitely high, so that isn’t a problem, but that is a very big spread in the readings.

I am just trying to find a reasonably priced alternative to the AlohaTrak because $2 a Test strip is outrageous.

 

Waving from the Kawarthas. Thank you for looking out for the ferals.
There is no way to compare readings from a pet meter and a human meter. Many of us have tried.
The take action number on an AlphaTrak is 3.8 (68 in US numbers – multiple x 18 to get US numbers).
The take action number on a human meter is 2.8 (50 in US numbers).
High numbers are high on any type of meter.

Strips are crazy expensive in Canada. Insulin is not. Caninsulin (designed for dogs obviously) is not the best insulin for cats. They have a different metabolism. There are better insulins out there. Lantus, for instance, is a great insulin for cats and inexpensive. A box of cartridges at $110 will last you 6 months at least.
A lot of people in Canada go with the FreeStyle Lite meter. It takes a small amount of blood and the strips cost roughly $80/100.
You are going to go through a lot of strips. Save up and use your PC points at Shoppers Drug Mart to buy strips. Take advantage of Seniors Day if you are one or have one handy.
There's another meter with strips much cheaper but has its drawbacks. I need to be away from the computer for a couple of hours and can tell you about it when I return.

I'm tagging some mods to have your thread moved to the Health Forum where more eyes will see it. Or you can start a new post there yourself.
Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)

There is a wealth of experience and research on this forum. We can help you keep Stella safe every step of the way.

@Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Marje and Gracie – please move this post to the Health Forum? Thanks.

 

Unfortunately I don’t have any control over her care so I can’t get the insulin changed. It is up to the rescue, but I will make that recommendation and they can discuss it with their vet.

from what I understand, the Freestyle lite strips work in the AlphaTrak so if I can get my hands on a couple to test I may go that route.

 

Done. You’re welcome. Thanks for the tag, Kel.

 

We highly recommend against this. There is no scientific proof that this is safe. Yes, we have members who do it but we strongly urge against it as our methods of regulation and the meter manufactures state you should be using the strip designed for the meter you are using. Freestyle strips are not designed for the AT.

Welcome to FDMB and we hope to help you in your rescue work.

 

I am 99% sure they are made by the same company, right down to the butterfly on the strip.

It is obscene that strips for the AlphaTrak are $2 each!

 

2 bucks??? and here I thought a dollar was outrageous. What diabetic can afford that???

 

Yeah, it is $104 for 50 strips. The Freestyle Lite strips are about 80 cents each.

It is amazing how they decide something is for animals and then jack the price!

On a side note, for humans we have a few programs to help individuals cover the cost of the medications and supplies. Pumps can be paid for through our Assistive Devices Program which also provides funds to help with the purchase of pump supplies. There are other programs that help with the cost of insulin or strips.

But for pets, they expect that if you love your pets you have a bottomless wallet that will pay for all of the supplies you need.

We have our own cats and a dog with allergies that are so bad it is costing me $300 a month to feed him. Plus, we have Stella, her 6 kittens and three more kittens here. I am going to go bankrupt just feeding them all Thankfully, Stella is the rescues responsibility at this time so they provide the insulin and other supplies but since the vet did not advise them to glucose test, they do not have a meter or supplies for that so I am on my own there. I know enough about diabetes that I didn't feel comfortable blindly injecting insulin without any idea what her BG levels were. Realistically, getting her a pump is probably in my best interests, it is likely on a matter of time before I end up with my own diabetic cat LOL

 

They aren’t. They used to be but no longer.