What is the best glucose meter to use at home?

Hi, my 10 year old calico cat was misdiagnosed last November as just having diabetes, but actually has pancreatitis and a very bad kidney infection on top of this situation, which is probably affecting her blood sugars. She went into a diabetic coma 9 hours after her 2nd shot of caninsulin a few days ago- I tried glipazide for a few months but she had bad side effects and it wasn't working properly. The emergency vetinary hospital (had her in for 2 days!)did an ultrasound and that's how they discovered she also had these 2 other conditions. I want to buy a glucometer to test her blood sugar myself, as I am not trusting of the original vet and am going to find another clinic that knows what they're doing!!!! Animals need to be monitored like humans.
I read that it's best to find a glucometer that needs less blood for a sample-like Freestyle. Does anybody have experience with this meter? Also, it apparently comes only with a 25 gauge lancet and is not interchangeable. Please let me know what would be best to start with. Thanks!!!
Tara Lynn & "Cally"

 

Hi Tara Lyn, welcome to FDMB

Here's a consumer review on the various meters people here use:
http://docs.google.com/View?docID=dd5ck ... on=_latest

Here's an old thraed of the previous FDMB board that will have some helpful info in it (best place to test, tricks to help get a blood sample)
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... ?8,1612186

A mor recent thread with personal thoughts of beans (us) here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2787

Cindy also runs a 'newbie kits' thing. You can get a starter kit:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=304

I've looked and looked but can't find the thread where someone said what the size blood drop is, usually the smaller blood droplet required the easier (we used one touch and accu check, accu check had a smaller amount but I liked both)

Asfor vetsulin-you said inconsistent bg readings. One, kitties are normally stressed at vets and therefore you will not get an accurate bg reading there (Lucky's could go up as much as 200 points!)
Secondly have yu seen the FDA warning on vetsulin? The company itsef is telling vets to transition kitties to alternative insulins.
My recommendation would be to use a onger acting insulin-Lantus (Glargine) or Levemir (Detemir)
If used within 6 months of diagnosis, Lantus has an 84% remission rate, Levemir 82% in the latests study. You can go and have a look in both those isg's and read up on them (diferent to how you use vetsulin but a lot more consistent in my view, which is why we swapped)

Any more questions post away. May be worth cross posting in health as well as here as this forum isn't very busy and we are currenltly encouraging people to try and change insulin from vetsulin/caninsulin becase of the warning.

 

Hello and welcome

You are smart to want to be testing at home. A hypo induced coma is terrifying. I used an ascencia contour and was very happy with it. Little drop of blood, quick timing for reading, reasonably priced strips.
I hope the dose is lower than it was at that time?

Pancreatitis is something many of our kitties have experienced and there are ways to manage this and make it easier to regulate your kitty.
Might I suggest you post on the main health forum and put in your heading, "newly diagnosed, pancreatitis, vetsulin user."

Meanwhile, please read through the stickies warning about this insulin here on the forum, really, all are indicating a switch in insulin, this is just not a reliable option at this time....
and have a look at this user guide
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=302

When dealing with an infection it is not unusual for insulin needs to decrease as the infection clears up and the pain from a pancreatitis flare up recedes. The sooner you can master the home testing the better.

We can help you with any questions you may have. My kitty had triaditis, one step further than pancreatitis, but managed in much the same way.

I found that by using Janet and Binky's food charts , I could find food 15% carbs ( or under), 38-45% protein, and keep the fat in the mid 30%.. All kitties are different but this helped us. We fed Fancy feast grilled tuna and chicken and raw rabbit.

Glad you found us... does all that make sense?

 

Hi Tara Lynn,

I recognize this going into hypo soon after starting Caninsulin. You are absolutely right to start hometesting asap.
I would recommend a meter that tests bloodglucose as well as ketones.
Here that is Precision Xceed by Abbott. But I don't know if this meter is available where you live.
Sorry.. :roll:

 

Hi Tara Lynn. How is Cally now? Is she home?

First - please do not give her the same dose of insulin that sent her into a hypo/coma! What dose was that? Also know that kitties can be extremely sensitive to insulin after a hypo like that. Without knowing what dose you gave I'd say cut it in half or even less until you can be testing at home.

I use the True Track meter ("house" brand at many pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS...) because the strips are the cheapest I can find (buying them online) The Walmart Relion brand meter is very good and strips are fairly cheap.

Lancets: Oi, please don't use a 25 gauge lancet - that is a big, fat one. Ouch! 30 gauge works well on kitty ears and I swear by the BG Ultra Fine II ones. They are much better than any other 30 gauge ones I have tried - hands down. I use the lancet free-hand (no device that is spring loaded to snap at the ear). I feel I have better control and aim with it that way.

Pancreatitis can come and go. Beau has had it on and off for 7 years. Mostly, it is under control now. Don't know about the kidney infection. Do they mean urinary track infection? Those can be common in diabetics because of the sugar in the urine being a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. What treatments are they giving her for those conditions? Pain meds, antacid (pepcid), fluids and sometimes antibiotics for the pancreatitis are common, but I don't know hows those would effect the other infection.

Good luck - and let us know how Cally is doing.

 

i've been using the Freestyle meters now for 3+ years so I can tell you that yes it is very easy to use and for a long time did take the smallest blood sample (0.3uL vs. 0.6uL or greater for the other meters). butttttt, now on the market is walmart's store brand Relion Micro and it is designed much like the freestyle, taking the same very small blood sample. it is also much more economical than the Freestyle. I really need to switch myself but just haven't brought myself to make the change. i'm just kinda resistant i guess. LOL!!!

also as far as the lancets go, they are completely interchangeable from one meter kit to another excluding the accu-chek aviva. the lancet device that comes with the aviva takes it's own specially designed lancet ring thingymabob but you don't have to use the lancet device that comes with a meter kit. here in the States you can buy a lancet device separate from a whole kit so if you don't like the one that comes with the meter you buy, you can just try a different device for usually under $10

i typically use 30 or 31 gauge lancets in my freestyle lancet device and the brand of lancet doesn't matter, they all seem to fit.