Suggestions for human meters - UK please!

Hi all,

now that we seem to be getting somewhere with Galaxy's dose and sugar levels, I will need to test more rigorously and honestly, I can't afford the Alphatrak strips anymore, what with the vet bills as well, and another dental exam coming up tomorrow... So I am seriously considering putting my Alphatrak on Ebay and getting a human meter, which I am hoping to get off amazon UK. I know there's already a thread asking for suggestions for human meters, but this is the UK here, so anyone from this country, what human meters do you recommend?

Many thanks in advance.

 

I’m in a UK Facebook group and the most popular one used there is the codefree monitor!

 

Yes the Code-free is a popular choice and pretty cheap. One Touch Ultra is always a good bet, and the Accu Check Performa Nano is used by some UKers too.

 

You've had some good suggestions, Edy.
I would also add the One Touch Verio to the list. I got this recently because my new diabetic girl is difficult to get blood from (has little flimsy ears that don't bleed well) and this has made things much easier for us as it only takes a small blood sample. The blood sample it needs is only a smidge larger than the one needed by the Alphatrak (0.4 instead of 0.3 microlitre). I get all my supplies on Ebay, and find it much cheaper that way.

Eliz

 

Thank you for all the suggestions! I have since ordered codefree. I have 5 alphatrak 2 test strips left, which I am going to keep until codefree arrives, and use them as test strips to see the difference between the two results (human and feline numbers). I am bit worried about getting numbers that are nowhere near Puss's real glucose level.

 

Hi Edy,
I see that your kitty is on a really high dose of Prozinc. Was going to ask if you'd had him tested for acromegaly, but looked back through your posts and see that you have reasons for not wanting to go that route.
Just a thought, but it's 'possible' Galaxy might do better on a longer lasting insulin such as Levemir. Levemir is often a preferred insulin for kitties with high dose conditions. It is a depot insulin (forms a little store in the body that releases over time), and may mean that Galaxy has insulin active in his system for more of the time than is currently the case with Prozinc. Vets in the UK can prescribe Levemir under the 'cascade' system of prescribing. Since it's a human insulin you can get it from a pharmacy as long as the vet lets you have a prescription.
If you think it's worth considering changing insulin, it might be helpful to either post in the Lantus/Levemir subforum, or to start a new thread on the main forum about this for more info and advice.

I also see from the comments on your SS that Galaxy has bad neuropathy. Are you giving methylcobalamin (methyl B12) supplements? These have helped many kitties to heal from neuropathy. In some kitties significant recovery is only seen once the blood glucose gets into a better range, but that's not always the case. Some cats see an improvement even when the kitty is still in high numbers; my own kitty was helped enormously by methylcobalamin even though his blood glucose was still high at first.

Eliz

 

Hi Eliz,

thank you for your advice re: Levemir, it has made me consider this option, especially now that we get through one prozinc vial in less than 4 weeks (opened previous 23/07).

I have been giving him cobalaplex for months, and he's only got worse, to the point where he literally can't walk more than 2 meters at a time. (I started a new thread on this in the main forum, Kaminox).

We're waiting to get his numbers a bit more consistently lowish. If he still keeps going up into red preshot, next time I need to buy insulin I'll give Levemir a try.

 

Hi Edy,
'Cobalaplex' is cyanocobalamin, not methylcobalamin. And for neuropathy it's the methyl form of B12 that works best.

A lot of US folks use a cat-specific form called 'Zobaline'. That has now, sadly, become really expensive to import into the UK, so quite a few UK folks use Dr's Best 'fully active B12' methylcobalamin. The capsules are each 1500mcg, so it's necessary to give two of those to get a typical 3mg dose.
It's also possible to add some folic acid. 'Biocare' do liquid folic acid drops. If you're interested in these there are some details on where you can buy these in the second link in my signature (scroll right down to 'Other General Info').

There's more info on neuropathy and the use of methyl B12 on this page here, and there are some good links on the page as well:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/weak-back-rear-legs.htm

 

OMG!!! I can't believe this!!!! OK, I'm going to put it down to him being young, I mean the vet, I'M FURIOUS!!! That he would recommend something and not even know the difference! Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I have seen cyano- and methyl-cobalamin mentioned here and there, but it never registered in my brain that they can possibly be so different etc... so never really investigated... I can't thank you enough!