Need Help Choosing Human Meter and Commercial Raw Food

Hello, I'm returning to the board after years of not needing it, with a newly diagnosed 10 year old cat. She developed diabetes in the last three months and was just started on insulin. I still have an original Alpha Trak from my last cat with diabetes about 10 years ago. At the time, I also started using the Reli-On which was MUCH easier because it required less blood and the strips sucked up the blood instead of requiring a pool of blood to bathe in like the damn Alpha Trak. I am not interested in buying the Alpha Trak 2 unless it is vastly better than the original one. I am considering either a new Reli-On or a One Touch Ultra. I would like input about which glucometer folks have found most reliable and accurate. Thanks

Also, this kitty, Henrietta, is a 10 year old female that has been on canned, grain-free Wellness for most of her life and is now being switched to raw. If anyone has a suggestion for a good commercial raw food then I would like to hear it. I am using Nature's Variety Instinct Raw but I know that it has carbs (not grains) in it, carrots and squash. Is there one readily available that has no carbs? For my last diabetic cat, I made his raw by hand (via Dr Pierson's recipe) and he did EXTREMELY well with it but I cannot do that this time so I am trying to find the best thing available commercially. Her blood glucose is in the high 200s currently.

 

The most used meter around here (if you're in the US) is the Relion Confirm or Micro....both take the tiniest sample size and the strips are affordable ($35.88/100)

We used to be on Nature's Variety but then they screwed it up by adding stuff cats don't need so after lots of trial, error and "taste testing", we're now using RadCat

It's a frozen raw that uses eggshell calcium instead of bone (which makes it lower phosphorus and better for their kidneys)

That's not too awful!! We see most cats starting out in the 400+ range! Do you know what insulin you're going to be using?

 

She was just started on Prozinc, 1/2 unit 4 days ago. Vet will adjust dosage tomorrow as it doesn't seem to be doing anything. Yes, I caught it early. I have cared for MANY, MANY more cats (rescue work) since the love of my life became diabetic and died from it two years after diagnosis so I have more experience with what to look for. I'm much more observant of subtle changes now, to the point of being borderline neurotic so I knew within days that something was wrong. I am terribly sad and ashamed that I did not have as much knowledge for the last cat in my care that had diabetes. I loved that boy so very very much.

I was looking at RadCat as it appears to be the only one without carbs. It's worked well for the cat(s) in your care?

 

Oh yeah....China's fluffy like a bunny and really loves it (she's actually "too fluffy" if you get my meaning...LOL)

I didn't really used to believe the claims I heard about raw feeding....then I tried it!!

I buy the big tubs and let one defrost (about 1 1/2 days in the fridge from rock hard frozen) to get it just so I can break it up enough to put it into smaller containers and put most back in the freezer

 

I’ve been feeding my young cats Balanced Blends raw. It’s shipped in two days and comes hard as a rock. They love the chicken and turkey. The beef bone pieces are not ground as fine though. No fruit or veggies or grains.

https://balancedblends.com/

 

I’ve been feeding my young cats Balanced Blends raw. It’s shipped in two days and comes hard as a rock. They love the chicken and turkey. The beef bone pieces are not ground as fine though. No fruit or veggies or grains.

@Chris & China is it really safe to thaw and freeze again?

 

Would home preparing raw with a premix instead of totally from scratch be an option?
Ezc food fur life makes a premix for adding to meat only (raw or cooked meat only). There’s also alnutrin premix for raw feeders. I’ve not used the Alnutrin but I think it comes in two formulas; one for raw meat and organs only and one to add to raw meat, organs? and bone.

Both companies do free samples to try first.
Ezc:
http://www.foodfurlife.com/

Alnutrin:
http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/alnutrin_with_calcium.html

 

You don't let it fully thaw....you just get it to the point where you can "chop it off" the edges

 

That may work, I will look into their ingredients and how easily I can get it. Thanks

 

I've been very pleased with the Relion Prime... I originally got it due to recommendations from here and the price--$9, and the price of the strips $17-18.

 

I second Food Fur Life and making it yourself. It's super easy and once you get used to it, takes hardly any time. I can make up a week's worth of food in the same amount of time it would take me to drive to the store and buy food (and I live quite close to the store!).

If you want commercial, I have one cat that lives on Rad Cat. The other really likes Vital Essentials which has recently come out with frozen patties. They are quite easy to serve: you just drop a patty into the bowl and wait for it to thaw. The company has been wonderful about responding when I've written to them with questions. if I recall, the carbs are less than 1%, but you'd need to write to them to check on which protein you are getting. (I've been giving rabbit).