New to Feline Diabetes. Need Help!

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JessicaAnn393 said:
I am currently shopping for new food and will be getting the glucose meter and supplies. Not sure if there are treats that are okay for diabetic cats?
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:cat:
If you don't feel like waiting for supplies to be delivered, you can buy the 26 or 28 gauge in Walmart, CVS, Walgreen's.
Meter at Walmarts if you are planning to use a human meter , and the syringes with half unit markings, which I posted above :cat:
 
Thanks everyone for all this advice! It is very helpful. I am in Palisades Park so not too far from Diane and Janet :) I got new wet food. I bought a few different brands Fancy Feast Classic Pate, Tiki Cat, Blue Wilderness. I looked through the chart above and tried to find the lowest carb foods. I also got a glucose meter, lancing device, 26 gauge lancets and test strips. All Relion. Do you know if other brands of gauge lancets and test strips are compatible with this glucose meter and lacing device? Also, what is the difference from a a regular glucose meter and a pet glucose meter besides the price? I am going to try to find a different vet that I am more comfortable with and who can give an exact regimen for Leo. Thanks again for all your help!
 
JessicaAnn393 said:
Thanks everyone for all this advice! It is very helpful. I am in Palisades Park so not too far from Diane and Janet :) I got new wet food. I bought a few different brands Fancy Feast Classic Pate, Tiki Cat, Blue Wilderness. I looked through the chart above and tried to find the lowest carb foods. I also got a glucose meter, lancing device, 26 gauge lancets and test strips. All Relion. Do you know if other brands of gauge lancets and test strips are compatible with this glucose meter and lacing device? Also, what is the difference from a a regular glucose meter and a pet glucose meter besides the price? I am going to try to find a different vet that I am more comfortable with and who can give an exact regimen for Leo. Thanks again for all your help!
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With the Relion meter , which one did you get the Prime or the Premier.
You can buy any brand lancets to test freehand, I have never used the lancing
device at all, never even bought one. I myself think it's easier to just hold the lancet
In your hand and poke.

I know most of the devices make a noise and might stress the cat out and
with the device I think you have to put it on different setting so it will go deep enough to peirce the ear.
You have more control doing it freehand.
You have to use the test strips that are for Relion Prime
If you bought the Relion Premier you have to use the test strips for that meter.
 
The prime is a human meter, so it's going to read lower then an alphatrak. the numbers are closer together at lower ranges, and far apart at higher numbers. The scale for normal on a human meter is 50-120 and on an alphatrack 2 it's 68-150




Human meter
A small 0.5 microliter sample size gives accurate results in as little as 7 seconds · No-code meter has a 250-test memory and is easy to use
 
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  • AlphaTRAK patented technology requires the world's smallest blood sample only 0.3 µL (microments)

The prime is a human meter, so it's going to read lower then an alphatrak. the numbers are closer together at lower ranges, and far apart at higher numbers. The scale for normal on a human meter is 50-120 and on an alphatrack 2 it's 68-150




Human meter
A small 0.5 microliter sample size gives accurate results in as little as 7 seconds · No-code meter has a 250-test memory and is easy to use
 
Hi
I use the Alphatrak and like it very much as it takes such a tiny drop of blood and you just touch the side of the strip to it and is sips it up quickly. BUT as @Diane Tyler's Mom says both the meter itself and strips are very expensive. It cost me £99 from Amazon for the starter pack which which is the meter, lancing device, control solution, 25 testing strips and 30 lancets. Then 50 strips is £50 !!
I ended up with the Alphatrak as it was the one the vet recommended when Mac was first diagnosed - I needed to get one in a rush before my appointment for the vet to show us how to give an injection & test so just grabbed that one (guess we were lucky as this was in August & the vet agreed to let us both in for the demo rather than their own 1 person per pet covid limit).
Anyway if I had known about the the human meters being used I may have gone with them but I am lucky and my pet insurance covers it so I am sticking with the Alphatrak. I was pleased when I asked the vet a few weeks ago what they use and he said an Alphatrak as I would have been somewhat peeved if they were using the much cheaper human versions !!! :)
From what I have gathered reading the posts on here over the few months it doesn't matter what meter you use as you know the relevant "good & bad" numbers that apply & that's all on here. The clever people even have spreadsheet templates set up for human monitors & pet monitors & US & non-US. They honestly think of everything !
 
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My last post got a bit long so just to say separately I also freehand with the lancets.
I started off using the lancing device and used the 4 setting but found it a bit tricky to see exactly where I was aiming at because the business end is coloured plastic not clear (stupid idea !).
I got up the nerve to try freehanding after a particularly rough day trying to test & many helpful comments on here and can honestly say I'd never go back. But it's whatever suits you the best :cat:
 
Hi Gill,

Gill & Mac (UK) said:
I started off using the lancing device and used the 4 setting but found it a bit tricky to see exactly where I was aiming at because the business end is coloured plastic not clear
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Do you have a picture of the lancing device that you could upload? I'm curious because it sounds like it is different to the one I got with my Alphatrak (2014 vintage).


Mogs
.
 
JessicaAnn393 said:
Thanks everyone for all this advice! It is very helpful. I am in Palisades Park so not too far from Diane and Janet :) I got new wet food. I bought a few different brands Fancy Feast Classic Pate, Tiki Cat, Blue Wilderness. I looked through the chart above and tried to find the lowest carb foods. I also got a glucose meter, lancing device, 26 gauge lancets and test strips. All Relion. Do you know if other brands of gauge lancets and test strips are compatible with this glucose meter and lacing device? Also, what is the difference from a a regular glucose meter and a pet glucose meter besides the price? I am going to try to find a different vet that I am more comfortable with and who can give an exact regimen for Leo. Thanks again for all your help!
Click to expand...
I don't use a Lancing Device.... It's easier to just poke. Plus many cats don't like the pop sound they make. You can try it if you want. I think the lancets are pretty universally sized. These are what I use. TruePlus Sterile Lancets, 28 Guage, 3 Boxes of 100 (300 Total) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4MOK5Q/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
 
:D:facepalm::D oops - not sure what happened there! sorry Mogs (@Critter Mom) when I do it from my phone I always have to save it to a pdf first & half the time it never seems to like it anyway. Now on the laptop so hopefully this is more successful.

Gill
lancing device.jpg
 

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@Gill & Mac (UK) -

Thanks again, Gill. Take 2 is much better! :D

They've changed the device big time compared to the one that came with my Alphatrak:

iu




As you can see from the pic above, it came with a clear cap for starters so it gave at least some chance of seeing where the lancet was headed. I actually did the pokes without any cap, simply using the device a bit like a pen. It was therefore easier to see where I was aiming the tip of the lancet. I didn't depress the button to 'fire' the lancet. (Not a wise thing to do without the cap on, and no you may not ask how I know this. :oops:)


Mogs
.
 
I got the Relion Prime. The problem is that my vet did not give me specific instructions on what to be doing. I want to try to get him to a new vet as soon as possible. Any North Jersey people recommend vets? This has definitely be expensive and I just found out I have pet insurance but it does not cover pre-exisiting conditions.
 
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