Please help, which glucose meter is best?

[Moni]

I’m new to this forum and just need some advice on which glucose meter is the best for my 13 year old cat. The vet treated her symptomatically for thyroid so she has been taking methimazole twice a day for a few months. My vet recommended not to do the bloodwork as it is very expensive and she is an older cat, but I’m concerned that her symptoms suggest she may have diabetes. I could at least rule this out if I buy one and see for myself. I’ve been trying to research whether to use a human meter or a pet specific one, that’s when I stumbled upon this thread. It’s such great information, thank you.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Most all of us use a human meter

Here is the link for the meter and test strips so you don't have to search for them
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or if you're running low you can just order them from Walmart


. 50-120 is normal
Reading for the human meter. Just withhold food 2 hours prior to testing because you don't want the BG number to be influenced by food .
You can get a few more tests in if you want to

@Moni

 

[Moni]

Most all of us use a human meter

Here is the link for the meter and test strips so you don't have to search for them
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or if you're running low you can just order them from Walmart


. 50-120 is normal
Reading for the human meter. Just withhold food 2 hours prior to testing because you don't want the BG number to be influenced by food .
You can get a few more tests in if you want to

@Moni

Thank you so much!! Do I need to it the needles with it or the solution?

 

[squeem3]

Honestly, any Human blood glucose meter will work. Most people choose one that has inexpensive test strips, such as the Relion brand, because that is what you need to buy often. A small blood drop size required for the test strip is another consideration. 0.6 ul or less is ideal. Another criteria some people include is a brand that is widely sold at store pharmacies as well as online so they can pop into a store to buy more strips in an emergency. Some brands seem to be sold only online and it's easy to forget to order more test strips unless you have auto ship / subscription. There are online guides that compare different Human meters and blood drop size such as these:

https://professionals.optumrx.com/c...HCP/Assets/PDF/MeterComparisonChart_11x17.pdf
http://main.diabetes.org/dforg/pdfs/2020/2020-cg-blood-glucose-meters.pdf

You can try looking for a used meter and unexpired related supplies on a local FreeCycle or Buy Nothing group if your cat isn't diabetic and you just want to check levels occasionally.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Thank you so much!! Do I need to it the needles with it or the solution?

Are you talking about the lancets to poke the ear with? Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets , any brand will do
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand notthe lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

 

[squeem3]

The control solution you don't need. It's used to test the meter and ensure it's working properly.

Most starter kits include the meter, some test strips, and some lancets, maybe a lancet device. Check the box to see what's inside. If it's just the meter in the box, you'll need to buy a separate box of the required test strips and any brand of lancets. The lancet is what you use to prick the cat's ear (or paw) to get a drop of blood from. Some people use a lancet device with a lancet loaded in it to do the prick, others just carefully freehand the lancet.