What BG Meters do you all use?

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Jessica1995

Jessica1995

Member Since 2015
What BG Meter(s) do you all use?
I know with Canine Diabetes the most popular meters seem to be the Alpha Trak 2 and the Advocate Pet Test Meter. Some of the Human meters that seem to be used with canine diabetes are the CVS Advanced, and One Touch Ultra 2
 
Jessica, I'm using the Bayer Contour Next (human meter) only because it's what we had a spare one of since hubby is diabetic. Our vet uses a human meter as well, the AccuCheck.
 
Jessica, I have been told, If you're in the US, the Relion Confirm or Micro from WalMart are both great meters and the strips aren't too bad either. I personally use the One Touch Ultra 2.
 
Another meter some use is the Target Up and UP.
I've used the Confirm and Confirm Micro. The Micro fits in my hand quite easily. I was able to put the strip half-way in before testing, then use just one hand to push it the strip the rest of the way in once I'd gotten the ear pricked.
 
I use Walmart's ReliOn Micro. You get the best value with their glucometer strips. With other brands, you'll be paying more for the strips.
 
I am not familiar with the Prime strips. I am guessing they are larger than the Micro and Confirm strips and require collecting more blood. I pay about $35 for 100 Micro/Confirm strips.
 
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Also, ADW carries the unbranded versions of the Confirms, the Glucocard 01 and 01 Mini. The strips should be compatible between them.
 
I use the Accu-Chek, recommended by my vet. I do have a Bayer Contour Next as well. I get frustrated when I have to throw out strips because I haven't gotten enough blood (expensive Accu-Chek strips), so I keep threatening to change to the Bayer because you can try again on the same if you don't get enough blood the first time. Not so with the Accu-chek, one strike, you're out.
 
I use the Accu-chek Aviva. I like it so much I have 4 of them :smuggrin: The strips are a bit more spendy, but I buy them on eBay and that helps. Just now I averaged around $18/50.

I have their newer Nano that seems to be replacing the Aviva on the shelves that I will have to try out one of these days and see how it compares just in case they quit selling the Aviva and the strips that go to it.
 
I use the AlphaTrak 2 but because the strips are outrageously high priced, I use the Freestyle Lite strips. Made by the same company, they look identical and always register within 15 points of AT strips. They cost about 1/3 as much.
 
Jessica1995 said:
So would the human meters require a larger blood sample than the animal meters?
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No they don't. Pretty small drop will do. Of course this depends on the guage lancet you are using. For new testers 28 guage is good. As the ear gets more accustomed to testing the 30 guage will work great too.
 
Jessica1995 said:
So would the human meters require a larger blood sample than the animal meters?
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I don't know what the AT uses, I think the 0.3? Most human meters in use right now use 0.3-0.6. The Aviva uses 0.6, one of the higher ones. But I found that its "sipping" action made it so I don't notice it needing more blood.
 
Brashworks said:
I like it but I don't have anything to compare it to!
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Neither do I to be honest - someone here recommended me the Relion. Our local Walmart only had the Confirm in stock on the day I went to buy it so that's what I finished up with - never tried any other meter as the one my step-son uses (I can't remember the brand at the moment) has "Free" in the name so I never tried comparing with that one!
 
manxcat419 said:
Neither do I to be honest - someone here recommended me the Relion. Our local Walmart only had the Confirm in stock on the day I went to buy it so that's what I finished up with - never tried any other meter as the one my step-son uses (I can't remember the brand at the moment) has "Free" in the name so I never tried comparing with that one!
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LOL April!

My Dad is a diabetic and I had hoped to try his out when he came to visit but it turns out he has the same meter! I can't complain, he is over 65 and insulin dependent so he gets 3000 strips a year free and he left me 100! At nearly $1 a strip I was very, very grateful!
 
Wow, I can imagine - that's a great help, especially considering how many strips our kitties can get through some days! In fact, it's probably a good thing you finished up with the same meter he has!!
 
For sure. I cry a little to see the price on strips in the U.S. But I understand your insulin costs can be exorbitant. I may use the extra funds to buy an automatic feeder - never thought you could use with wet food but I saw another thread today says you can. Who knew? Genghis seems to do better with mini- meals but I work all day.

I love this place!!
 
Yeah, the strips are a bit cheaper, but our insulin costs 3-4 times as much!! I'm looking at buying an automatic feeder too for times when we're away and our housemate can maybe only feed them once a day. Rosa has to have food available all the time - her numbers only stay level when she can graze just a few mouthfuls on and off all day so I figure it's cheaper to buy an automatic feeder than to have to buy insulin again! She's obviously still diabetic, but diet-controlled because I know if her food is late and she goes a few hours without, her numbers do start to increase (not out of normal range but too close for comfort). As far as I can tell it's fairly normal for a lot of cats to manage better numbers on mini-meals. :)

I love this place too - it often feels like the only place where people really understand!
 
Here is one chart of testing of accuracy for some different meters:

http://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2013/07/blood-glucose-meter-accuracy-comparison-chart/

Before using this data, it is important to know the limitations:

  1. The study only looked at one manufacturing lot. Every time a manufacturer makes a set of test strips, quality can go up or down. This chart only gives us a peek at a single manufacturing run a few years ago.
  2. The methods used to test the meters have a margin of error of up to 8%. Therefore, not all of the inaccuracies can be automatically attributed to the meters themselves. This is especially true if you look at the “within 5%” column.
  3. The meters below were tested in Europe. Not all meters are available in the USA. Some meters may have differences between their European counterparts with the same name.
  4. There is no way to compare current meter accuracy. This is the sad truth. Independent testing of accuracy is very expensive, and no one is doing it. It is up to us to fight for independent testing.
There are other comparison sites, but one thing I have noticed is that the reviews can vary from year to year. A meter that had a high rating one year can have a much lower rating a year or two later.
 
Jessica1995 said:
What BG Meter(s) do you all use?
I know with Canine Diabetes the most popular meters seem to be the Alpha Trak 2 and the Advocate Pet Test Meter. Some of the Human meters that seem to be used with canine diabetes are the CVS Advanced, and One Touch Ultra 2
Click to expand...

Jessica, I've been home monitoring Misty's BG for nearly a month. I was gifted an AccuChek Performa (human meter) and strips from a diabetic friend. For the first week I got a few error messages and went through extra strips due to not getting a sufficient drop of blood. We've improved our routine mainly through vigorous ear play (tickling, rubbing and scratching for about a minute before ear pricking) and getting a reading on the first attempt.

I've purchased the FreeStyle Optium Neo (also a human meter) as it can test for Ketones which will be handy while we are traveling (or as a spare) but I haven't used it yet so can't offer any feedback.
 
Cat Ma said:
I am not familiar with the Prime strips. I am guessing they are larger than the Micro and Confirm strips and require collecting more blood. I pay about $35 for 100 Micro/Confirm strips.
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The Prime uses .5 microliters. Very seldom have I gotten a not enough blood error, and it is normally when she is getting squirmy and it doesn't suck up enough.
 
ReliOn Micro/Confirm requires only a 0.3 milliliter blood sample. There are times when I can get a reading with a tiny amount of blood with my Micro meter.

But I have to say there are times when I get the perfect sample, blood beads up great, I have enough blood on the strip and the meter just keeps flashing. No error messages pop up.
 
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Have you guys not seen the new animal meter that is out? It is called the Advocate Pet Test. Several of the members of the Canine Diabetic group that I am part of have compared it to the AT2. Seems pretty comparable.
 
No, I am happy with the ReliOn meter and strips. There's no need to use or promote an expensive pet meter. Vets sadly try to but smart pet owners know better.

Jessica, I see you are a volunteer with Bell Rock Veterinary Clinic. What do you do there?
 
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Jessica1995 said:
What BG Meter(s) do you all use?
I know with Canine Diabetes the most popular meters seem to be the Alpha Trak 2 and the Advocate Pet Test Meter. Some of the Human meters that seem to be used with canine diabetes are the CVS Advanced, and One Touch Ultra 2
Click to expand...
Jessica1995 said:
Have you guys not seen the new animal meter that is out? It is called the Advocate Pet Test. Several of the members of the Canine Diabetic group that I am part of have compared it to the AT2. Seems pretty comparable.
Click to expand...
Jessica, ad to comment on your Cat He looks exactly like my Oscar I even went to see if some one was contacting me until I saw your name. How cute is that!
Regarding the meters yesterday I bought the Relion Prime from Wallmart Strips came with- Now I'm ready to try to test and Oscar is not having it. What do you do when your cat is to heavy and big to handle? I did not shoot him this morning after he ate and he has been fine all day. I wanted to do te stick before his evening meal but he is putting up a nothing doing. He has Big Paws and Sharp Claws! Please reply!
 
Rose Z said:
Regarding the meters yesterday I bought the Relion Prime from Wallmart Strips came with- Now I'm ready to try to test and Oscar is not having it. What do you do when your cat is to heavy and big to handle? I did not shoot him this morning after he ate and he has been fine all day. I wanted to do te stick before his evening meal but he is putting up a nothing doing. He has Big Paws and Sharp Claws! Please reply!
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Rose, I place and hold CJ between my legs with her facing away from me and poke from behind. Staying calm is important. Sometimes I poke her when she's resting. It takes time and practice so don't be discouraged if you don't get it on the first several tries. It took me awhile to get it right.
 
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Thank you will try this but he is really not liking it one bit, I may try when he is asleep. Thanks for your rely. It really makes me nervous afraid I will hurt him!
 
I felt the same way you did. I was so terrified I was going to scar CJ for life. But it doesn't hurt her at all and the more you poke, the easier it gets. Be sure to aim for the "sweet spot".

Yes, try when Oscar is asleep. That's how I started out with CJ, when she was relaxed. Now I can test her anytime and anywhere. She now even sits and waits for me to poke her! If Oscar is still not cooperative, try the "burrito wrap" by wrapping him in a towel to restrict movement. He may not like it in the beginning but he will get used to it. Especially if you reward him with treats and lots of praise afterwards.

You mention Oscar is on Vetsulin. That's a fast-acting, short-acting insulin. Many cats in this forum use a longer acting insulin like Lantus, Levermir or ProZinc. You can find more info and get questions to your concerns about Vetsulin here:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/vetsulin-caninsulin-humulin-n.19/

Have you watched the videos and read the tips in this forum? There are lots of great suggestions here.

What are you feeding Oscar? Switching to a low carb canned food diet is important. Also, feeding smaller portions can help control Oscar's weight and bring his BG (blood glucose) numbers down.
 
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Rose Z said:
Thank you will try this but he is really not liking it one bit, I may try when he is asleep. Thanks for your rely. It really makes me nervous afraid I will hurt him!
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Rose, you aren't hurting him. I have not done what most do by setting up a specific testing spot. I normally get down on the floor wherever Shiloh happens to be. Not ideal, but it works for us. I get her in my lap and poke from behind most times.
 
Rose Z said:
Jessica, ad to comment on your Cat He looks exactly like my Oscar I even went to see if someone was contacting me until I saw your name. How cute is that!
Regarding the meters yesterday I bought the Relion Prime from Wallmart Strips came with- Now I'm ready to try to test and Oscar is not having it. What do you do when your cat is too heavy and big to handle? I did not shoot him this morning after he ate and he has been fine all day. I wanted to do the stick before his evening meal, but he is putting up a nothing doing. He has Big Paws and Sharp Claws! Please reply!
Click to expand...

@Rose Z my kitty is a girl. She is not diabetic so I really cannot give you any tips on that. But I can say I am here to learn. I want to be a Vet, and I know that it seems some vets have absolutely no knowledge in treating Canine and Feline Diabetes so I want to be the one that changes that trend!

@Cat Ma I clean kennels, sweep vacuum, and help where ever I am needed. Last week I helped with giving a cat fluids. Start from the bottom and work my up. One of the Vet Techs there has been there for 11 years and she started where I am at right now :) It may seem like a sucky spot at first, considering that one would want to do fun stuff, but sometimes that is where one has to start. Today I got to learn how to set up slides for Fecal testing...FUN!
 
Jessica1995 said:
Have you guys not seen the new animal meter that is out? It is called the Advocate Pet Test. Several of the members of the Canine Diabetic group that I am part of have compared it to the AT2. Seems pretty comparable.
Click to expand...
I think it is
- too expensive
- requires pressing a key to indicate cat or dog

from: http://affordablediabetes.com/pettest-meter-by-advocate
"
PetTest Meter by Advocate
Notes:
•This device is for use under the direction of a veterinary professional.
•Home testing results do not substitute for veterinary advice.
•For in vitro diagnostic use only for dogs and cats, not intended for human use.
•Read instructions before use.
•Do not use strips after expiration date.
•Do not refrigerate."

"
Description
The PetTest Blood Glucose Meter is to be used for testing the blood glucose of your pets. The PetTest Blood Glucose Meter was designed specifically for dogs and cats, assuring the most accurate readings.

Steps to performing a test:
  • 1. Insert the test strip into the strip port. Meter will turn on automatically.
  • 2. Select the correct mode for your dogs and cats by pressing the M button.
  • 3. Apply blood from your dog or cat. Results will be displayed on the screen in five seconds.

Features:
  • Calibrated for Dogs & Cats
  • 0.3/ul Sample Size
  • 5 Seconds Test Time
  • No Coding Key Required
  • Extremely Easy to Use
  • Accurate & Precise Results

Includes:
  • PetTest Blood Glucose Meter
  • PetTest User Manual
  • PetTest Quick Reference Guide
  • PetTest Test Strip
  • Carrying Case
  • 2 AAA Batteries"
"Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price $59.99"
 
The Pet meters may be more expensive yes, I agree with that. However they are more accurate as they are calibrated for animal blood. The Pet Test is Cheaper than the AT2 as are the Strips. Are there Human meters that are comparable yes. I am not in any way to "Promote the AT2 or Pet Test". I was just wondering if anyone had seen the new meter
 
All glucometers in the US are allowed to be within +/- 20% of what a lab would get. And if you have feline-specific reference numbers for human meters, they are just as accurate. Its like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit - just a different scale.
 
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