Bailey got his wings... June 26, 2014

[Patty]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Here's info on LifeScan (OneTouch) in AU http://www.lifescan.com/company/world/australia/

I don't see a direct location for Novomax in Australia. Here's their page http://novabiomedical.com/contact_nova/locations.php

As Craig said, test strips are the real money maker for glucometer companies. I use a OneTouch and retail they run over $1 a strip but I can get them for 1/3 that price on ebay. I just watch for good expiration dates and factory sealed boxes.

I'd call various pharmacies/chemists to see if they can help locate a GOD meter.

I just saw Jenny's post on the Verio. That looks promising. As she said, don't mention its for a dog.

Patty

[CarolW]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

I just went to the OneTouch Verio link, and from there, clicked on company information. That's LifeScan. Perfect. It's a meter that's probably comparable to the OneTouch Ultra2 available in Canada and the U.S. Anyway, it's the same company, and going by the photo of the meter, it seems to have a similar display.

I'll be watching with interest.

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:29:12 (PDT)

[Geoff]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Thanks all, not sure what to do, Amazon have them but they won't ship to Australia (tried a few)

INTRODUCING ONETOUCH VERIO®… Accurate results you can trust.

* No coding required means one less step and more convenience
* ONETOUCH VERIO® is very specific to glucose and has no reaction to maltose and galactose
* Easy to learn and easy to use
* Accurate results you can trust

I think this might be a good one to try. my friend can get the strips cheap so I will let you all know how I go!! I assume the statment above "is very specific to glucose and has no reaction to matose and galactose" means it is Glucose Oxidase technology?

Geoff

[Patty]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Geoff, that's what I was guessing too on the Verio. You could call the company to verify. http://www.onetouch.com.au/strips

[Geoff]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Hello Patty, I should of mentioned I phoned One Touch and asked if it was Glucose Oxidase and he said yes it was. That was just through the helpdesk which gets put through to the UK for support! So I have ordered one, comes free (I hope) with 10 strips so I can test. Fingers crossed because if this wont doesn't work I am at a loss!

Also, my diabetic friend has a FreeStyle Optium Glucometer which uses Amperometry for testing. I assume this is different to the other two methods, GOD and GDH-PQQ technology? If so I might borrow his for a try.

Geoff

[Shellie]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Good luck Geoff! Let us know how it goes!

[Geoff]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Hello all, quick update, just got him home from the vet. Did not speak to the vet (tomorrow) but the curve was good, apart from the high of around 30, which is better than last week but still starts off high. The dry food I give him contains glucosamene, which is a carbohydrate but does not get converted into glucose.

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org...e-effects.html

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org...-diabetes.html

So I am not sure what could be causing such a spike. If I were to give him more insulin (don't worry, I will not unless vet advises me to) then his curve will presumably drop further but one would "assume" that there would still be a morning peak. To re-cap, I feed Bailey

1/4 tin of science diet mature adult 7+ savory chicken entree plus 1/2 cup(60grams)of Purina Supercoat lite & mature

Typical Analysis of the dry food
Crude Protein
17.0%
Crude Fat
7.0%
Salt (Sodium Chloride)
1.3%
Crude Fibre
4.0%
Calcium to Phosphorus
1.3:1
Sugar
Not added
Linoleic acid
1.3%
Metabolisable energy
300Kcal/100g

Which based on his portion is 180 calories which is 756 kilojoules

Typical analysis of science diet Canned

939 kcal/kg ( 347.43 kcal/per 370g can)
87 calories per ¼ tin or 365 kilojoules

So in total per meal he has approx 266 calories not including the T/D dental bites.

Cheers,

Geoff

[Shellie]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Hi Geoff...was looking thru your thread...don't see a weight on your dog. It just seems like 1100 calories per meal is an awful lot. That's over 2000 per day. Is that right? Here is a calculator to determine how many calories a dog should be getting each day.. http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm

[k9diabetes]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Hi Geoff,

Could you get the results of the curve if you don't have them and post Bailey's blood sugar levels here so we can see how much of a spike he has and when it occurs?

That is a lot of calories unless Bailey's a big dog. Our 65 pound dog - who was not very active though - ate about 1,000 calories per day.

Natalie

[Geoff]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

That was a miscalculation! He is only eating 266 calories per meal, I think I had 266 * 4.2 to convert into kilojoules!

His curve is as follows in mmol/l multiply by 18 to get the other method
08:30am 37.6
10:30am 15.59
12:30pm 10.64
2:30pm 8.3
4:30pm 13.5


On a good note, I purchased the One-Touch Verio meter and it works! That is such good news. Bad news is I am still not 100% certain on where to obtain the blood sample. I have been using his upper lip but today he just didn't like that and the clicker made him suspicious. Not sure if I am lancing too deep or not. Does this method hurt for dogs (if done correctly?) Last weekend I tried it several times and each time he did not whince, this time I felt he could feel it. Perhaps I need to let it heal a little there are some blue-ish dots where I previously lanced, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks all,

Geoff

[jim maceri]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Geoff,

Not sure if your dog will tolerate it but I use the elbow callus. Spirit doesn't even flinch if I do it right. I don't use a lancing device but simply do it free-hand. The base of the tail is another spot that works for us as does the carpal pad. 95% of the tests though are on the elbow callus.

[CarolW]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

(snip)
On a good note, I purchased the One-Touch Verio meter and it works! That is such good news. Bad news is I am still not 100% certain on where to obtain the blood sample. I have been using his upper lip but today he just didn't like that and the clicker made him suspicious. Not sure if I am lancing too deep or not. Does this method hurt for dogs (if done correctly?) Last weekend I tried it several times and each time he did not whince, this time I felt he could feel it. Perhaps I need to let it heal a little there are some blue-ish dots where I previously lanced, any advice would be appreciated.
Geoff

Delighted the meter works; it should really do a good job; I believe it's akin to the OneTouch Ultra2 in North America.

The upper lip has VERY few nerve endings; that's why pricks there are painless, with the very rare exception.

I knew the clicker would make Kumbi nervous, so I pricked by hand.

I BELIEVE using the clicker puts a bit more force into the prick than does a simple pushing-in of the lancet needle by hand. For that reason, I always sank the needle to its full depth for Kumbi (who didn't bleed all that easily - you have to go by how your dog bleeds).

I'm suggesting you could try pricking by hand! I'd place the needle-point in position, and then just push; quite gently, but sinking the needle all the way, in one smooth move. Then withdraw the lancet and wait for the blood drop.

Those little blue spots occurred with us, too; they'd heal up in a day or so.

Let us know how things go!

We can see from your curve that the insulin is working; congratulations!

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 06:34:24 (PDT)

[jesse girl]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

i am not sure if that 37.6 number is correct it does look a bit out to place and sometimes at much higher levels the number can be off quite a bit but its some thing to keep an eye on because if you look at that number as gold that would be a drop of 22 points( almost 400) from 8:30 to 10:30 now if you gave shot at 8:30 and for example my jesse insulin starts for her at 1.5 hours after shot and your baby had about the same onset time that would be a huge drop in a half hour

that is why i am a bit skeptical on that number but it is something clearly that needs watching and retesting and a reason for concern

[Patty]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

His curve is as follows in mmol/l multiply by 18 to get the other method
08:30am 37.6 mmol/l / 677 mg/dL
10:30am 15.59 / 281
12:30pm 10.64 /192
2:30pm 8.3 / 149
4:30pm 13.5 / 243


On a good note, I purchased the One-Touch Verio meter and it works! That is such good news. Bad news is I am still not 100% certain on where to obtain the blood sample. I have been using his upper lip but today he just didn't like that and the clicker made him suspicious. Not sure if I am lancing too deep or not. Does this method hurt for dogs (if done correctly?) Last weekend I tried it several times and each time he did not whince, this time I felt he could feel it. Perhaps I need to let it heal a little there are some blue-ish dots where I previously lanced, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks all,

Geoff

Geoff,
SO glad to hear the meter works! I'd love to know a comparison if you get a chance to compare it at your vets office. You'd want to test your dog like you do at home (so you're using capillary blood) just before/after your vet draws blood to run on his lab machine to get the difference.

As far as the lancing device, that's really very individual. I lanced by hand for the first year on Ali's lip (only pricked it about 1/4 of the way in). I had more luck with the AccuChek Softclix lancets and eventually picked up one of their lancing devices. I think the Softclix is softer than some and I like the way their lancets are beveled. We use the 2 or 2 1/2 setting on her. Ali's lip stick

If you do have an elbow callus as Jim mentioned, that's really ideal. Ali doesn't have one.

Bailey's curve is quite deep. If this pattern is a continuing trend, I think changing his food ratio might help level things out. But now that you can test, finding out what's happening before the 37.6 might help identify what his higher levels are due to. What time is food/insulin?

Again, so glad the meter works for him!
Patty

[CraigM]

Re: Geoff: A question about meter problem

Don't know if the size (gauge) of the lancet needle has been mentioned. I think the most common gauge lancets are either 30 or 31, very thin and great on human finger jabs. Some of us have better luck with the slightly thicker 26 or 25 gauge lancet. As with syringes, the bigger the number, the thinner the needle.