AlphaTrak3 Blood Glucose Monitoring Kit for Dogs, Cats and Horses

So, I tried a couple budget testers to try and save money when these folks raised prices... It did not go well, to be completely honest and forthright. The testers I recieved, one was super complicated and came with incorrect literature for the device. The second budget tester would only work if the ambient temperature was cooler than 70°F. Then, when I did a control, it was wildly out of calibration, by like 40 or 50pts(enough to be the difference between a crash, some neuropathy, or even some keto) extremely dangerous with small animals. These are my reasons for coming back to AlphaTrak at full price.

After a month of learning all the in’s and outs after our senior cat said “No more Libre” as it was OK to get a baseline but overall is expensive, lasts only 2 weeks, not for cat (humans) and not supported for animals. So our wonderful vet next told us about the alpha track. It’s easy in principle but execution and use in another thing. Also, Alpha Track does not provide much info on actual lancing for depth, tips or videos. We found our cat would not allow lancing other paw so we were left with her ear option. We later found through research that lancing the is hurtful and stressful.

I wish the directions were more clear. The errors that the glucose meter showed were hard to find? I had to search the internet to understand what the monitor was telling me was wrong. It also doesn't tell me what to do if my monitor shuts off midway through of trying to get enough blood. When I turned the monitor back on it would give me an error and that I had to use a new test strip. After going through 10 strips that were then useless I then got my dogs ear blood first then turned on the monitor. I was so disappointed that I wasted over 10 dollars worth of strips to figure this out. I do love that my vet has the same glucose monitor.

I didn't post my first review, below, regarding difficulties during setup. Now, after using it a few months I am thoroughly impressed. Love how the strips "suck" up the blood, and the unit gets ready to test quicker than the 2 model. They are sturdier than the strips for the 2. I really like the lancets (don't use the pen), just ordered more. I still don't have the date set up properly, but bought some cat logbooks for each of my 3 diabetic cats that I prefer to use to keep records. There is always an adjustment period for a new model of something, and this is no different.

A life-saver for when my cat gets her glucose monitor off on a Saturday and I can’t get in to the vet for a new one until Monday. This is tricky (read frustrating) to set up. But after that, read the instructions, watch some videos and you can do it. It’s really a non-event for the cat. I got more nervous than I needed to be. Tips:* Open the app on your phone and keep it nearby.* Gather the things: the AlphaTrak, lancet, test strip, a square of toilet paper* I aim for that little vein about 1/16” from the edge of the ear.

UPDATE: I may have figured it out. The AlphaTrak2 strips timed out quickly so I'd have to get the device to the ear right away. This one has to cycle through all these numbers and symbols on the screen before it is ready to accept the blood, which may have caused the errors I was getting.

I recently set up my AlphaTrak 3 meter and began using it and so far so good! The “Quick User’s Guide” was helpful with initial device set-up, control testing, and Bluetooth set up. The app was easy to download onto my phone and pair with my meter as well. The tricky part, as others have suggested, is using the lancet and lancing device and getting a blood sample.