Supplies shopping list

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Sally the Calico

Sally the Calico

Member Since 2019
Getting a Walmart shopping list together so I can get my act together and start testing Sally. She's very skittish so it's going to be a challenge. So far when she sits with me I have been lightly rubbing her ears btwn my fingers to get her used to being touched there. She's not a big fan, but tolerating it better.

So think I'm going to go with the Walmart Relion meter. Seems to be used a lot by members here. Pros and cons? Is there a better, more preferable choice?

Here is my list...
*glucometer - Relion (Prime? premier?)
* test strips
* lancets
* sharps box
* neosporin
* cotton pads or gauze
* freeze dried treats. ?? PetSmart is nearby... or should I order online? Looked up Halo Liv-a littles, but recent Amazon reviews say the quality has declined

Hypo emergency kit supplies:
* honey
* high carb canned food
* ketone test strips (any brand?)

Missing anything?
 
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The most important item of all is missing - a treat for you!

Medium carb canned food for your hypo kit. Something in the 12-15% range would be good, like the Fancy Feast (FF) in gravy foods per the food chart www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

The Walmart Relion meters are used a lot here because the test strips are much less expensive then for a pet meter. You can go through a lot of test strips, especially in the beginning when you are trying to see how your cat is doing and testing pre-shot plus mid-cycle tests to find that nadir or low BG (blood glucose) level.
 
Some medium carb food to add to the hypo kit may be helpful. You could get KetoStix for the more official brand. They make neosporin with pain relief, now, which may be helpful.
 
Deb & Wink said:
The most important item of all is missing - a treat for you!

Medium carb canned food for your hypo kit. Something in the 12-15% range would be good, like the Fancy Feast (FF) in gravy foods per the food chart www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

The Walmart Relion meters are used a lot here because the test strips are much less expensive then for a pet meter. You can go through a lot of test strips, especially in the beginning when you are trying to see how your cat is doing and testing pre-shot plus mid-cycle tests to find that nadir or low BG (blood glucose) level.
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A treat for me. LOL. I like the way you think!

Medium carb... got it. Used to feed the FF gravy lovers, so that will work.
Thank you!
 
Deb & Wink said:
And if you ever need a bit of craziness or laughs in your life, you should visit the Community and Off-topic Forum that is on this message board. We have a lot of fun over there.
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I definitely will! Sounds similar to a lampworking forum i belong to... they have a section called the "Bathroom", where you can talk about anything, and it gets "flushed" at midnight. (no evidence left behind, ha!) Since I'm sure I will be here a lot, i will definitely pop into the Community forum for a visit. Thanks for letting me know!
 
Panic said:
You could pick up a hand feeding syringe if you like, in the event that kitty NEEDS food. Also you could swap out the sharps container for a needle snipper. :)
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Thank you! I used to have a couple, from syringe-feeding our cat Sam, but no clue what I did with them once he started eating again. Probably tossed them. (Sam crossed the Rainbow Bridge day after Thanksgiving sadly. He was not diabetic, but other medical issues. What I went through taking care of him has at least given me slightly more confidence (and patience) in giving insulin shots and now to learn how to test BG.)

Needle snipper? So cutting off the needle and throwing in regular trash? I have wire cutters that I'm sure would work. I'm embarrassed to admit that i have just been placing the red cap back on the needle and tossing in our regular trash. Figured no one would get poked that way.
 
Aw, I'm sorry to hear about Sam! <\3

Yes, it's this right here. It's like a form of sharps container because of the biohazard sticker so it must be disposed of properly. My vet accepts them. This one holds 1500 needles, then just recap and toss the syringe in the trash. A lot less bulky than containers and way cheaper. I actually glued a magnet to mine and keep it on the fridge.
 
Panic said:
Aw, I'm sorry to hear about Sam! <\3

Yes, it's this right here. It's like a form of sharps container because of the biohazard sticker so it must be disposed of properly. My vet accepts them. This one holds 1500 needles, then just recap and toss the syringe in the trash. A lot less bulky than containers and way cheaper. I actually glued a magnet to mine and keep it on the fridge.
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Thank you. Was not aware of how to dispose... wonder why my vet never said anything?? good grief!
 
When you get lancets, you want to start with the larger lancets at first, 26 gauge, until their ears learn to bleed better. Then you can move to the smaller lancets (larger gauge).

When looking at meters, it'll be easier on you if you have one with the smallest blood drop requirement. Cheaper strips costs are also a consideration. Make sure you have a backup box of strips for the hypo kit.

Both my vet and my local pharmacy accept full sharps containers. The pharmacy would give me an empty one in return. Never hurts to ask.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
When you get lancets, you want to start with the larger lancets at first, 26 gauge, until their ears learn to bleed better. Then you can move to the smaller lancets (larger gauge).

When looking at meters, it'll be easier on you if you have one with the smallest blood drop requirement. Cheaper strips costs are also a consideration. Make sure you have a backup box of strips for the hypo kit.

Both my vet and my local pharmacy accept full sharps containers. The pharmacy would give me an empty one in return. Never hurts to ask.
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Thanks Wendy! Did not know about the lancet sizes. And i will certainly ask about disposal at the rx and vet too. Truly appreciate your advice. :-)
 
Check your city's disposal regulations for disposal of syringes. Where I live as long as they are in a sealed plastic or metal container, they can go in the regular trash. I always clip the tips off just to prevent someone from trying to reuse the syringe. Other places require them to be disposed of in a sharps container.
 
Judy and Freckles said:
Why not the cream?
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Creams get absorbed faster into the skin. Ointments stay on the skin longer and get absorbed slower. So for the pain relief to work longer on the ear where you have done the poking for BG testing, having it absorbed slower gives a longer duration of pain relief.

Just be careful and use little bits, so you cat can't rub it off and get it in their eyes. When a cat washes their face, that paw wipes the ears and then all over the rest of the face. At least my cat does it that way.
 
Panic said:
You could pick up a hand feeding syringe if you like, in the event that kitty NEEDS food. Also you could swap out the sharps container for a needle snipper. :)
Click to expand...

Needle snipper?! Sounds great! How do you dispose of your lancets? Do you use the needle snipper for those as well?
 
I put the twist cap back on the lancets and put them in my sharps container for disposal. Always have the new round cap from the new lancet to put back on the old used lancet sharp poky part.

If you don't have a sharps container, you can put them in an old plastic bottle and put the cap back on the container for safe disposal.

If you just throw your old lancets in the trash without covering the needle part back up, trash disposal pickup folks could jab themselves. Massachusetts since July 1, 2012 (and probably other states since then) changed the law a number of years ago for safer needle and lancet disposal. They do not want them just thrown in the trash, but taken to a specific safe site for disposal, like your local pharmacy or town hall may take them. http://news.mit.edu/2012/new-law-on-sharps-disposal-goes-in-effect-july-1-2012

Plus if you use the lancets "for alternate site testing" which are 26 gauge, those can be tough to clip with needle clippers.
 
Thanks- I currently put them in my sharps container with my syringes. I take the full container to my vet. I purchased the needle snipper for my syringes, but then remembered that I'll still need to dispose of the lancets somehow once my current container is full.

I found a link on the FDA's website about disposing of sharps. For my state, It says that you should put sharps in a strong, plastic container and fill 3/4 full, seal the lid with duct tape, write do no recycle on it, and throw it in the regular trash. I would think I should be safe following the information provided by the FDA guidelines, but it makes me a bit nervous since I've always heard sharps have to be disposed of specially. I work in a university research lab, and our safety division states that sharps are considered biomedical waste and cannot be disposed of in regular trash. So I don't know...... I'll probably err on the side of caution and just continue using a sharps container for the lancets.
 
Looked it up for Virginia:
The state currently allows patients to place used needles/pen needles, lancets (sharps) in a household container such as a laundry detergent bottle, bleach bottle or other opaque sturdy plastic container with a screw-top lid. When that container is full, you should place it in your regular garbage – not recycling. Though this is still approved in Virginia it is the least desirable way to dispose of used sharps.
 
I would google the Solid Waste Services division for your municipality. Here in NC, I know that it can (and DOES) vary from one town and/or county to the next, so I am surprised to even hear that they make a state-by-state recommendation.
 
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