Possible to purchase Alphatrak 2 test strips in store?

Sudio3

Sudio3

Member
Hello, I ran out of test strips. I did a bad job of keeping track and now we only have one more left on Saturday night. I was hoping I could run to the store or pharmacy to pick up more but so far no luck. Does anyone know if the only place to buy is online? I have the AlphaTrak 2

Thank you!!
 
You cannot buy AT2 strips anywhere but online, at the vet's office or possibly a pet pharmacy. They are not available at any regular retailers. Most of us here use a human meter and it never hurts to have a backup.
While not as accurate as is possible, you can buy Freestyle Lite strips at your local Walmart or pharmacy and use them. They are the same strips however the ones branded AT2 have been batch tested to determine which code on the AT2 meter will give the most pet lab equivalent result. We know of 7 cat codes so using the cat code you currently have your meter set to, you'd stand roughly 14% chance of getting the most accurate results.
While I don't recommend this as a long term solution, the readings, even without the correct code would still be in the ballpark and certainly better than none.
If you choose to go this route, do not use the code on the Freestyle Lite strip vial. It is for use with older human meters only. Use the cat code your AT2 meter is currently set at.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
You cannot buy AT2 strips anywhere but online, at the vet's office or possibly a pet pharmacy. They are not available at any regular retailers. Most of us here use a human meter and it never hurts to have a backup.
While not as accurate as is possible, you can buy Freestyle Lite strips at your local Walmart or pharmacy and use them. They are the same strips however the ones branded AT2 have been batch tested to determine which code on the AT2 meter will give the most pet lab equivalent result. We know of 7 cat codes so using the cat code you currently have your meter set to, you'd stand roughly 14% chance of getting the most accurate results.
While I don't recommend this as a long term solution, the readings, even without the correct code would still be in the ballpark and certainly better than none.
If you choose to go this route, do not use the code on the Freestyle Lite strip vial. It is for use with older human meters only. Use the cat code your AT2 meter is currently set at.
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Ok thank you so much. I much appreciate it.
 
Most of us use human meters in part because it's easier to get supplies. It looks like you just joined, so I don't want to throw too many things at you all at once, but if you're interested in switching to a human meter and need to run to the store anyway, it might be a good opportunity. :)
 
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I use freestyle insulin X strips and run comparisons from time to time with the AT 2 strips The results seem to be the same. I understand the freestyle lite stops are the equivalent.
 
Djamila said:
Most of us use human meters in part because it's easier to get supplies. It looks like you just joined, so I don't want to throw too many things at you all at once, but if you're interested in switching to a human meter and need to run to the store anyway, it might be a good opportunity. :)
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Thank you. So would it be ok to buy the pharmacy brand human meter (CVS) along with the same brand test strips and lancets? Then I’m assuming you use it pretty much the same as the AlphaTrak 2? Thank you so much! We were going to do the curve testing tomorrow so maybe we’ll just do it with the human meter. Thanks again.
 
Yup. I used the CVS store meter for quite awhile. They do take a large drop of blood than the AT2 does, so you might need to milk the ear a bit more and maybe make sure you're using a larger size lancet (something in the high 20's should be good). The numbers read lower, so it will instantly make you feel better about how Nudi's doing :), but our protocols are written for human meters, so the guidelines won't change any, and you'll save some money and have the strips more easily available.
 
Djamila said:
Most of us use human meters in part because it's easier to get supplies. It looks like you just joined, so I don't want to throw too many things at you all at once, but if you're interested in switching to a human meter and need to run to the store anyway, it might be a good opportunity. :)
Click to expand...
Hello! So I bought the CVS human meter and have been using that yesterday and this morning. This morning the number was 200 on the human meter so I didn’t give him his dose. I hope that was the right thing to do? Usually when we check with the AT2 right before the shot it’s in the high 300’s low 400’s. He has been on 2 units of Prozinc for a week and two days. He seems ok and it’s been 5 hours after we were supposed to give him his shot. Thank you!
 
Djamila said:
Yup. I used the CVS store meter for quite awhile. They do take a large drop of blood than the AT2 does, so you might need to milk the ear a bit more and maybe make sure you're using a larger size lancet (something in the high 20's should be good). The numbers read lower, so it will instantly make you feel better about how Nudi's doing :), but our protocols are written for human meters, so the guidelines won't change any, and you'll save some money and have the strips more easily available.
Click to expand...
Great thank you so much. I bought the human meter and have been using since yesterday. Much cheaper! Nudi’s sugar tested at 200 this morning so I didn’t give him his shot. Would you be able to direct me where I can read about the blood sugar numbers? Thank you!
Djamila said:
Yup. I used the CVS store meter for quite awhile. They do take a large drop of blood than the AT2 does, so you might need to milk the ear a bit more and maybe make sure you're using a larger size lancet (something in the high 20's should be good). The numbers read lower, so it will instantly make you feel better about how Nudi's doing :), but our protocols are written for human meters, so the guidelines won't change any, and you'll save some money and have the strips more easily available.
Click to expand...
 
When you come to the Prozinc Forum, the posts that have the yellow "sticky" tag at the beginning are where you would find information about the BG numbers. They have a lot of great information. I would encourage you to still post and ask for help though since the stickies give the basics, but it is a little more nuanced than that. :) For example, the rule to not shoot under 200 is for when you're first starting out. Once you are comfortable testing and know more, you can start to shoot under that. We can help you figure out how to do that safely.
 
Djamila said:
When you come to the Prozinc Forum, the posts that have the yellow "sticky" tag at the beginning are where you would find information about the BG numbers. They have a lot of great information. I would encourage you to still post and ask for help though since the stickies give the basics, but it is a little more nuanced than that. :) For example, the rule to not shoot under 200 is for when you're first starting out. Once you are comfortable testing and know more, you can start to shoot under that. We can help you figure out how to do that safely.
Click to expand...
Ok thank you so much!
 
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