5/6 A2 Gizmo AMPS 345 | +4.5 138 | +6 130 | +8 180 | +10 241 | PMPS 557 | +3 419

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tobakett

tobakett

Member Since 2018
Yesterday: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/5-5-a2-gizmo-amps-333-6-279-pmps-418.195134

So this was an eventful morning. Got woken up from a dead sleep at 3am to the "hurk hurk" noise. Woke up just in time to see Widget (civvie) hurk up a little clear snotty liquid and some fur. Looked in the master bath and there is a big old hairball and brownish liquid that reeked of wet food...so I am 99% certain she is the culprit and I just woke up to the aftershock. Haven't had a hairball in months, though I used to give them Laxatone, but that's a no-no for Gizmo now because of carbs. Thing that threw me off is he is always the one who has hairball issues, not her, but I did give both of them a thorough brushing with the furminator yesterday since the spring shed has started, so maybe she just injested a lot more than usual grooming herself after I was touching her.

Little worried though since I thought being well hydrated with a wet diet meant hairballs wouldn't happen anymore, since they can just digest the hair?

Also was worried since the autofeeder hadn't been touched yet at 3am, but the moment I turned on the kitchen lights (as I then HAD to search the entire house for any other vomit) and had both cats up and seeing what I was up to they saw the food and quickly ate it. So maybe they were as tired as me and just conked out and missed the fact it opened.

Gizmo only ate about half his breakfast at AMPS immediately but seeing as he ate a whole meal only 3.5 hours ago he probably is just gonna come back to it on an hour or so I'm guessing. I'll check after I get a few more hours of ZZZs in.

So what's the cheapest option strip-wise that is reliable for BG testing? I thought I heard one of the Walmart relion monitors was supposed to be good but can't find that thread now. The less the better for test strips, since I am a data junkie and would like to be able to afford to get as much data as my heart (and Gizmos goodwill) and wallet will let me. I will still need to suck it up and use the AT2 to give the vet curves since that's what they have in office (unless there is a standard formula for me to "convert" human numbers to AT2 numbers?)

Definitely want something as easy to use as the AT2, preferably that beeps to let me know it got enough blood like the AT2 does. None of this weird having to blow blood onto strips with a little tube like I remember my late great aunt having to do back in the 90s.

Suggestions?
 
Many people use one of the Walmart ReliOn house brand meters. The Micro or Confirm models take only a tiny blood drop to give a reading and their strips run around $30 per 100. Another model, the Prime has even cheaper strips (about $18 per 100) but it needs a slightly larger blood drop to give a reading. I'm in Canada and can't get those at a Canadian Walmart. All test strips here are $$$.
 
So I overslept and did not start my curve when I wanted to and decided to make a run to Walmart to get the Relion Micro.

Came home to HIS FIRST BLUE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to retest just to be sure! 138 and 132 in the AT2, 79 on the Relion Micro.

Ugh, the fact these strips are a third of the cost is refreshing. Also found ketone strips that were only 7 bucks rather than 15 so got those and lancets that are 1.50 for 100 instead of the 15 bucks I spent for the 100.

I feel like an idiot. And very angry at capitalism at the moment.

BUT HES IN BLUE!!!!!!!!
Gonna try to test every 2 hours. For at least a week I am going to test with both at the same time just to get a feel for things and then switch to just using the AT2 to do curves for the vet I think.
 
Ok, so I updated the spreadsheet so I can have both data in one spreadsheet. I have saved templates for both conditional formatting and ranges on their own tabs, then have one tab that is "AT2 Data" which I still have primary (this listed first) for now until I get the feel for the Relion. But then I have a tab for 2018 that will be for the Relion, since the hope is that moving forward the AT2 will only be used for occasional curves and that the Relion will be me day to day "real" data.

For experienced members, does my spreadsheet look okay, or what can I do to make it easier to understand? Because I have to use a mobile device at home doing 2 separate sheets is very difficult which is why I wanted to merge the 2 together since it is much easier to switch tabs than sheets on my phone.
 
Still coasting blue at +6! 130 on AT2, 75 on Relion Micro

Though on the human meter that's green??

Also got the lab numbers finally updated too!
 
Looks like the bounce has started. :rolleyes: Nice stretch of blues/greens depending on the meter you are looking at.

Using a pet meter against a human meter is going to make you crazy. There is such a big difference in the numbers and it will make your dosing decision maddening. Keep in mind that the protocol is written for human meters. I get that when you switch over you feel the need to compare the two. The numbers are closer together on the lower end and then they get further apart when kitty is in higher numbers. The important thing is the lower numbers which could be dangerous for kitty.

Gizmo is looking good!

ETA: Where did you find ketone strips for 7 bucks? I just had to buy some and they were 8 bucks each. Usually, I order from Universal Pharmacy, a Canadian pharmacy. A lot cheaper but couldn't wait for the slow arrival from CA ( I think they use the Pony Express)
 
+3 419 on AT2, 382 on RC

For the first few days I'm just running both to A) have a curve on the AT2 to report to vet since she is wary on human meters (though I am hoping in time I will win her over with data) and b) to get used to the feel and use of the meter and have a bit of a 'verification'. Like, if I had just tested with one, I probably would have retested several of the numbers today just because he was so much lower than usual and then shot up (and wasted more money overall in the process). I intend to run curve days with the AT2 but will also use the RC just so that I have consistent data to export into graphing and such to look for trends (data nerd alert, lol). There is definitely a different feel for the RC and Gizmo is a bit skittish of it...he is typically suspicious of new things.

@Bobbie And Bubba For ketone strips this is what I found:

ReliOn Ketone Test Strips, 50 Ct $6.64 (USD)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Ketone-Test-Strips-50-Ct/33574014

From what I could tell these are the same as any other strip. No luck so far catching him at the LB yet but it's not urgent for me, just more of a "let's practice this for the day when we might NEED it so it's not a scary foreign thing we are trying to figure out when you are already feeling crummy and scared and moms feeling panicky and scared". Even at Dx the lab urinalysis did not find any ketones despite his weight loss so I'm not too worried there.
 
I totally understand you appeasing your vet about the AT compared to human meter.

Good price on ketone strips. I use the Abbott Precision Xtra and apparently they are a bit more. Darn it! Even though both are so much more than the urine strips, if you can't catch kitty in the box then the urine strips are useless. Also, the blood ketone strips are a snapshot of what is happening right then where as the urine strips can be about 4-8 hours behind.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
I totally understand you appeasing your vet about the AT compared to human meter.

Good price on ketone strips. I use the Abbott Precision Xtra and apparently they are a bit more. Darn it! Even though both are so much more than the urine strips, if you can't catch kitty in the box then the urine strips are useless. Also, the blood ketone strips are a snapshot of what is happening right then where as the urine strips can be about 4-8 hours behind.
Click to expand...

Oh, these are urine sticks. 50 of them. Before today the only ones I saw were the Ketostix brand and they were 15 bucks for a tube of 50 around here. Not quite at the financial spot to spring for that blood monitor yet, though if my attempts to use the urine sticks fail that will have to be my next step.
 
tobakett said:
Oh, these are urine sticks. 50 of them. Before today the only ones I saw were the Ketostix brand and they were 15 bucks for a tube of 50 around here. Not quite at the financial spot to spring for that blood monitor yet, though if my attempts to use the urine sticks fail that will have to be my next step.
Click to expand...
My mistake! My mind went right to blood test strips instead of urine test sticks.

A lot of peeps using the urine test sticks say that their kitties go to the LB within 15 minutes of eating.
 
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