Which meter?

My vet uses the alphatrak 2 and originally my husband and I were thinking of staying with the same meter, but the cost of the strips seem so astronomical. I’ve read reviews that the freestyle lite strips work, but also reviews that they don’t code right. Does anyone use the ReliOn Prime? The cost of the strips on amazon seem doable. We already have a large bill from the vet we’re trying to pay off (newly diagnosed, after being diagnosed incorrectly at an emergency clinic), plus switching to higher quality low carb foods...which has proven to be trial and error and I’m so stick of standing in the cat food aisle! We’re on one income and I’m trying to find a job solely to help with Brady’s vet bills and diabetes diagnosis. Our vet has a meter we can take for a trial run, we’ll be talking about that with her tomorrow. In the mean time... ReliOn Prime?

*I thought I set up a signature, but I don’t see it in my preview.
Brady, 8-9 years old, dx on July 12th, on Prozinc and a low carb wet food diet.

 

Hi. You do have a signature. It says "Brady—diagnosed 7/12/2018—Prozinc"

More people use human meters than use AlphaTrak. I have seen some mention using the ReliOn Prime. I think it takes a little more blood than the RelliOn Micro or Confirm, but apparently, the strips for the Prime are cheaper.

 

Brady was the name of our first diabetic cat...loved that boy to death

@FurBabiesMama is right, the Prime needs a bigger blood droplet than the Relion confirm and micro meters. It really depends on how well Brady's ear bleeds. Also, if he is calm and patient and doesn't mind you messing with his ears, then the Prime could be ok. If he is impatient or hates his ears being touched, you might be less frustrated with the Confirm or micro (these two use the same strips, the Micro meter itself is just smaller).

But ultimately you need to do what you can afford, and what works for you. Unfortunately, you won't know what works until you try it (unless you have a friend you can borrow one from).

Hope that helps. Best,
Sandi.

 

I use the ReliOn Confirm. I haven't had any issues with it. The strips are $39 for 100 at Walmart.

 

Brady is a handsome guy! I don't have advice about which meter to buy, but I would recommend not going with the Freestyle Pro even though costs are low. It uses quite a bit of blood and throws an error if the strip doesn't soak up enough from the blood source. We wasted so many strips it ended up being more expensive than the alternatives.

 

I started out with the Relion Prime. I picked it because it was cheap. I had so much trouble getting a blood drop that was big enough to test. Cleo is not a patient cat and I'm not a patient human, so this was very frustrating for both of us. Finally, I went back to Walmart and bought a Relion Confirm. We're a lot happier with that. I wish I hadn't even bought the Prime or that I had come here and asked which meter to get before I bought it.

 

I've used the Relion Prime from the very beginning and have never had any issues. Warming the ear up before testing and using Vaseline to help the blood bubble is a game changer. The prime is definitely the most affordable one when it comes to the actual device and test strips. $9 for the device and $9 for 50 strips or $17.88 for 100 strips.

 

Thank you all! I can be patient, I just get flustered. My husband is really patient. Brady loves being loved on, but we’ve never tried testing before. The vet has an alphatrak we can borrow before buying. We’re going today to get his bg checked and hopefully bring home a meter.

 

Another quick question, where can I find info on levels on a human meter vs a pet meter? I want to make sure we’re using the right numbers.

 

Thanks, I see my signature now!

 

I use Relion Prime ($9 at Walmart) because it, and more importantly, the strips, are inexpensive ($17-$18 at Walmart for 100). I've also been using the Relion micro 33 gauge lancets, and after my cat and I got the hang of testing, no problems getting enough blood. It might have been easier for me to get the hang of it at first to use the bigger lancet, but I bought them because smaller needles and lancets have caused family members and I less pain over the years. YMMV

 

The test strip price was the reason I was thinking ReliOn Prime. I don’t mind shelling out $40+ on a meter kits, but if the test strips are $50+ for 50-100, it just seems silly. Thank you!

 

The main thing you need to know is the 'take action' number which is 50 on a human meter and 68 on an AlphaTrak. Human meter results run lower. I believe I have heard people mention that the difference is greater in the higher numbers. There is no exact conversion formula or anything. You will want to start using one of the spreadsheets we use to track test results and insulin doses given. You can put a link to your spreadsheet in your signature as you will see that most of us have done. Be sure to select the correct spreadsheet based on whether you will be using an AlphaTrak or a human meter. You will also want to add to your signature what kind of meter you end up using.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

To me, having as much accuracy as possible is important, and I like using what the vets use, so I choose to use the AlphaTrak. Yes, the strips are expensive (I usually pay between $43 and $48 for 50 strips), but I still prefer to use the AT strips. If money is an issue, definitely go with a human meter. That is what most people use.

 

I think one of the most important things is using the same meter and strips in the same way consistently because not only do you need numbers, you need to be able to ascertain ups and downs and trends. Using different meters or strips could mask subtle, but important, information. This could be an issue if say a home meter were used in mornings and a cat sitter/day care meter were used in the evenings, etc.