Glucometer hell

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donaleen and Ozy

donaleen and Ozy

Member Since 2013
Ozy was diagnosed early this month. We bought our first glucometer at a local store... it is an OnSync with Kroger brand. We have had no issues with it except the strips cost over a dollar a piece.

So, I went on Amazon and purchased their highest rated glucometer which is a TrueResult. We tested it with the control solution, no problem. But when we started using it, we got Error E05 almost all the time. We called the company. They say it isn't designed to work with animals. But none of them are, are they?

So I dug around for hours on this site. I see many complaints on the TrueResult glucometer. But it is listed in the top tier on the Consumer Reports review on the link provided on this site.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/glucometersNov12.pdf

We bought another 100 test strips for the OnSync for $110 to tide us over until we can figure out which glucometer to buy. That is the hard part.

The choices seem to be
Relion Micro (or some other Relion)

Arkray (but which one?)

I've spent all morning and last night on this and I am still confused. Please help.
 
Hi,
I use the Relion Prime from Wallmart and have no issues at all with it, the strips are $9.00 for 50. The unit itself was $16.00 and when tested with my vets there was only a .5% difference, he said to use it so we do. Hope this helps a little. Hang in there.
 
Let me see if I can help a bit....we use the ReliOn Confirm which takes the same strips as the Micro. The ReliOn brand meters are sold at Walmart but are actually MADE by Arkray. The Confirm is the 'Glucocard 01', Micro is the Glucocard 01-Mini. The strips for both the Confirm/Micro and the 01/01-Mini are all the same strips.

I have replaced KT's with another Confirm, specifically ordered a Confirm when we adopted Dakota too. I DO think I'd like the mini a bit better tho'. IMHO, I would NOT buy the Arkray 'Vital' or the Walmart 'Ultima' nor would I change to the Walmart 'Prime' even tho' the strips are cheaper....too many issues with those.

...just my 2 cents...
 
I had the Relion Confirm but must have gotten a defective one as I had problems with it early on. I switched to the Arkray Glucocard (so I could use the strips I bought for the Confirm) and it's been great so far.

Good luck!
 
Wow I dont know where you found that report but I dont think it applies to cats in terms of reliability?. Here is the one we have that is a bit better:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjcBiiIVLby8dDUzZmMzUmNmVUtWWERST2xidWxnUVE#gid=0

Many of us here seem to use the Relion brands and Arkray quite happily. I myself use a Bayer Contour since I cant get those brands in Canada and am happy with it. I used to have a freestyle lite but found it misrepresented any number over 200 ( said anything over 200 was much lower than it actually was)

Wendy
 
An added plus - the Glucocard 01/Confirm only need a .3 microliter blood drop - tiny - so you don't get as many errors due to insufficient blood.

Note that ratings from Consumer Reports were based on human use, not use with pets.
 
I personally don't like Walmart, so I order online from AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com

I have used the Infinity meter (by US Diagnostics) for several years and like it. Meter costs $8 and test strips run between $31 - $35 per 100 (cheaper when you buy in bulk).

To get free shipping, I order a bunch at a time - I just ordered 500 syringes and 600 test strips and a backup meter (I don't do as many tests as some here on FDMB). That should last about 8 months except I tend to give some supplies to newbies in my area to help them get started.
 
I use the Bayer contour - and like it - no coding the strip to meter, takes very little blood. Haven't gotten any errors. Strips are more than Relion, but not too bad a price.

Relion Confirm is a good meter - many people here use that one. Or the arkay equivalent.
 
Thank you everyone for taking the time to share with me. And thank you, mimi, for the spreadsheet. All this info helps. I think I can figure it out with what you shared.

As for where I got the link on Consumer Reports glucometers, it's from the glucometer advice page. This page...

http://www.felinediabetes.com/glucometer.htm

I am like you, phoebe, not fond of Walmart.
 
I used the AccuChek Nano for a while but the strips were too expensive to test as much as I wanted/needed to. I've also used the OneTouch and a couple of other meters I can't remember off the top of my head because once I ran through the test strips, they've ended up in the bottom of a drawer (everyone in my family over the age of 40 ends up with diabetes so they started passing along their old meters and strips for me to use).

I then switched to the ReliOn Micro because the test strips are so cheap. I did a few side-by-sides with the AccuChek and they were almost identical within 1-2 points of each other. Once I started getting better at testing, however, I was getting frustrated because I'd get a blood drop onto the test strip faster than the strip would register as being in the glucometer and was wasting a lot of test strips because I'm so impatient. :lol: That's when I switched to the Prime; it immediately registers the test strip has been inserted and is ready for use. With higher numbers over around 250-300, the Prime does run on the higher end of the +/-20% variance, but is still "accurate enough," especially since Mikey rarely tops 300 (usually as a result of a skipped/fur shot). I've also found the Prime to be more accurate with lower numbers (under ~80) than the Micro since the Micro seems to register too low (my non-diabetic has tested in the 20s on it vs. 40s on the Prime! :o ). I now use the Micro for a backup or a double-check if I'm getting weird numbers.

I'm also not a fan of Walmart and could count on one hand the number of times I'd been in a Walmart before Mikey's diagnosis. Since then, I found a Walmart "Neighborhood Market" that is more like a grocery store and I go there about once every month or so to stock up on strips, syringes, and insulin as needed (I never buy anything else). I'm a sell-out for my cat. :oops: :lol:
 
I have used the Relion brand meters for years and with several diabetic cats. I have been extremely pleased with both the meters and their customer service. Twice one of my cats have knocked the meter off of the counter and Relion replaced the meter for free with no hassles. I have used both the Relion Ultima and the Confirm. The meters are about $9 and it costs less than $40 for a box of 100 strips.
 
plus I never tell them it is for cats. something they do not need to know.
I have had no problem with the prime and I am for cheap any day. gotta save where you can. I have many meters and really have had no problems with any of them but stick to the relion when I have to purchase for the price factor
 
Thanks for the great information. I do have another question. I found references on this site to linking to the vendors so this site gets a bit of money. However, I can't find any links to anywhere that sells glucometers and test strips. Can anyone help me with that?
 
if you click on the links at the top of each page - see the walmart logo, and under it the american diabetes wholesale - that is where you need to click
 
I am not seeing those links... I wonder if AdBlock is keeping me from seeing them.


Yup, that was it. Thanks for helping me with where they should be.
 
donaleen said:
I am not seeing those links... I wonder if AdBlock is keeping me from seeing them.
Click to expand...

Well, yes. You'd need to turn it off to link from the board so the board gets some fiscal support back from the vendor.
 
Well, oddly I was seeing ads for some things but not Walmart, or ADW, or Amazon. So that confused me heartily. I turned off Adblock for this site and now I see the links.
 
So, I went on Amazon and purchased their highest rated glucometer which is a TrueResult. We tested it with the control solution, no problem. But when we started using it, we got Error E05 almost all the time. We called the company. They say it isn't designed to work with animals. But none of them are, are they?
Click to expand...

According to the owner's manual, the E5 error code means "strip error". The company response that "it isn't designed to work with animals" is nonsensical. It doesn't matter if the error is "strip error" what you are testing with it. Cat blood, human blood, or a cup of coffee. If the meter kept giving you strip errors, then either the strips or the meter are faulty. My guess is that the meter is faulty, and they didn't want to own up to it. Or send you free replacements for the meter and the strips.

But, that said, there is nothing wrong with a TrueResult meter. It ranks near the top of the Consumer Reports list, and ranks higher than at least one of the Relion Meters that everybody here swears by.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE people, stop slamming the meter based on outdated information. Yes, two years ago, they were ranked low on the CR report. Last November, they cracked the top 5 with that meter. And YES, of course the CR rankings are based on human blood tests and not pet tests. NONE of the human meters is "approved for pet use". You can't on one hand say that an Acucheck or One Touch or Relion is just fine on cat blood AND they are high-rated by consumer reports, and then turn around and say "The True Result sucks even though it's highly ranked by CR".

A couple of years ago, several people had big problems with FreeStyle Lite meters and the new butterfly strip technology. Does that mean every Freestyle meter was a piece of junk, and continues to be a piece of junk?

At least three times in the past year, our webmistress, Rebecca, has posted in threads like these that people need to stay up-to-date.

Here are two of her statements posted in 2012, after the Consumer Reports ratings for 2012 were published.

As far as ALL "True" meters being bad for cats, well, meters change and it would be helpful if we quit bashing meters for old results. _R...
Click to expand...
Consumer Reports recently listed several meters with "true" in the name and also a FreeStyle meter as some of the best meters available.

I've posted this before and asked people to keep updated on info they post on this site. Meters change, diabetes care changes, life changes.

_Rebecca
Click to expand...
 
Carl, Think Tank this one?

"Burn me once, shame on me. Burn me twice, shame on you."

Until a statistically significant number of people are willing to use some of the once suspect meters on cats, in a scientifically designed study, many people will still continue to suspect these meters. Some of the criteria for this controlled testing are 1. the exact same ear, same blood drop, 2. within seconds of each other, 3. a wide variety of meters. 4. a wide range of diabetic cats and non-diabetic cats with different ranges of BG's. Some in the low ranges, some in the middle ranges, some in the higher ranges. 5. same batch numbers on the strips used. And a whole host of other criteria.

Ok, who can design the study for us? Our hypothesis is that the Freestyle with butterfly strips and the meters with True* in their name have been improved enough to read accurately in felines at all BG ranges. Who's willing to volunteer their cat, civie or sugar, as a test subject and test at least two different meters side by side? Maybe we can get a grant to fund this and get it published in one of the vet journals.
 
Thank you, Carl!

Test strip/meter technology has been improving rapidly over the last few years. Rather than repeat the same info year after year gathered from a very small sample of members... please stay current!

Here's an unbiased listing of the 2012 lab tests on human glucometers from Consumer Reports:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/glucometersNov12.pdf

Be patient. It takes awhile to load.
 
Well, we sent the strips back to Amazon; we couldn't return the glucometer. I guess I would say the company gave themselves a black eye today. We tried at least 15 strips and we got errors all but two times with blood. The test solution worked both times we tried it.

I just never would have guessed that it would be this difficult to get a reasonable glucometer and test strips ... I bought the third one tonight I went to Walmart tonight where I purchased a Relion Micro.

We tested with both the new Relion and our original Krogers brand OnSync glucometer tonight... they were only 20 points apart. Unfortunately the numbers were the highest they've been in several days 365 on the Relion and 345 on the OnSync.

That was my first time in a Walmart. I just went to the pharmacy. Probably not the full Walmart experience.
 
Good that you were able to get a meter, and that it tested that close with your old meter. I think you can keep the old one as a "back-up" and have some degree of confidence that if you need to use it, it'll give you good results.

Don't sweat the PMPS number tonight. It's just one number, and all it is is a data point on your chart.

That was my first time in a Walmart. I just went to the pharmacy. Probably not the full Walmart experience.
Click to expand...

If you really want the "full walmart experience", assuming your walmart is open 24/7, go there at about 3AM on a night you can't sleep. Just for the entertainment value. :lol:
 
The only store I've ever been in at 3 am is the old original LL Bean in Freeport, Maine... back in the late 70's....now that was cool. Or at least I thought so then. I think it was an old woolen mill. It had old old wooden floors.

You know, I was looking at the TrueResult glucometer and it says on the box "not for resale". What does that mean? Does that mean it was some sort of sample or something? It seems odd that Amazon would be selling something like that. (It was sold by and shipped by Amazon). I wish I had noticed BEFORE I opened the box.

And thanks for the support on the number. I don't think he feels well when it is that high. I don't like him to feel bad. Or do I imagine that he doesn't feel well when the numbers get high? When your basic cell chemistry isn't working right, it's got to make you feel strange, I think.
 
"not for resale". means what it says. They could be meters given to a doctors to give (not sell) to patients), distributed in the government Medicare/Medicaid program or some other program. There is nothing wrong with them.
 
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