AlphaTRAK 2 Blood Glucose Monitoring System Kit
Brand | Zoetis |
Model Name | AlphaTRAK 2 |
Item Weight | 18.14 Grams |
Battery Cell Composition | Lithium |
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Product Description
The AlphaTRAK Glucose Starter Kit makes monitoring your diabetic pets glucose (sugar) values from home easy. It is accurate and requires only a tiny blood sample. It is made specifically to test blood sugar in dogs and cats.
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 5.5 x 3 x 6 inches; 0.64 ounces
- Item model number : No Model
- Batteries : 1 Lithium Ion batteries required.
- Date First Available : December 8, 2010
- Manufacturer : Abbott Laboratories
- ASIN : B007Z0XULY
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,204,797 in Health & Household (See Top 100 in Health & Household)
- #878 in Blood Glucose Monitors
- Customer Reviews:
Important information
Legal Disclaimer
This is an already opened package. Lancets purchased are still sealed, but test stripes have been opened and unused.
Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the ease of use of the glucose meter. They mention that the manual is easy to follow and the meter is easy on the dog. They also like the performance. However, some customers report issues with the readability of the glucometer. Customers also differ on accuracy, blood requirement, quality, and value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the glucose meter. They say it works well, is accurate, and is useful. Some say that the device is handy and works quickly. Overall, customers are satisfied with the performance and functionality of the product.
"...So, the device is very good, but you have to make sure its accurate by doing what I said, above, plus running the control tests with the control..." Read more
"...Wow. This thing is the GREATEST. SO easy to use. Needs BARELY a droplet of blood! It's incredible...." Read more
"...This product is great and accurate. We plan to do a curve test a month then spot check a few days a week...." Read more
"...If the blood spills over, the strips just don't pick it up. However, if you get it just right, the meter will beep instantly...." Read more
Customers find the glucose meter easy to use. They mention that it requires only a tiny drop of blood, beeps to alert them, and the instructions are there. Some say that the meter is much easier on the dog than the stress of taking her to the vet, and that the graph is easier to interpret than the raw results on the meter. Overall, customers say that it makes life a lot easier and gives them peace of mind that they can check their pet.
"...Was not too bad setting up but, i will be darn if i can't figure out how to rid of the one alarm reminder alert i accidentally set when pushing C..." Read more
"...Wow. This thing is the GREATEST. SO easy to use. Needs BARELY a droplet of blood! It's incredible...." Read more
"...The manual is pretty easy to follow, and I found it easy to set up my glucometer to begin using it, but the manual doesn't tell you the whole story..." Read more
"...at first never having dealt with diabetes before, but it is really easy to use. It has a useful (although cheesy) video and instruction guide...." Read more
Customers like the pain relief of the glucose meter. For example, they mention it's easy to use and helps the stress on their animal. That said, some say it saves money on vet fees and is a real life saver for their diabetic pet.
"...And the fact that there is minimal stress put on my cat, the vet's office can actually have a basis to figure out just what amounts of insulin I..." Read more
"Much cheaper and less stressful for our dog than going to the vet for the blood glucose curve. Instructions could be better...." Read more
"...In closing, we feel that the unit works very well, and does not stress out poodle at all." Read more
"...The last one worked the best, but it upset his stomach a bit so I mix it about half and half with a cubed variety and weigh the basic portions...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the glucose meter. Some mention it's excellent for the price, and a huge money-saver. However, others say the test strips are expensive and the monitor itself isn't cheap.
"...Yes, the lancets and test strips can be quite expensive...." Read more
"...All in all this equipment has been a huge money-saver for me, and also a means of reassuring myself when there are indicaters that my dog's blood..." Read more
"...animals, but as soon as a product is marketed for pets, the price automatically goes up and that's not really fair...." Read more
"This works great and much less expensive than a vet visit for a blood test." Read more
Customers are mixed about the accuracy of the glucose meter. Some mention that the readings are accurate, while others say that it wasn't accurate and the meter was a bit contrary.
"...Eitherway, i still think this is the best meter for pets and with freestyle lite strips being able to be used with it, i am glad i chose it for sure...." Read more
"...n't have anything to do with pet blood glucose, it just gives you a RANGE of special numbers that tells you, if you have the right species code in..." Read more
"...But after a few months, her spot checks became more erratic, really high and really low when we took her to be tested...." Read more
"...PROs- Accurate Results- Ability to manage diabetes without the trip to the vet.- Sample blood in the comfort of your home...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the glucose meter. Some mention it comes with a handy book, a great little diary, and an instructional DVD to watch for set up. They say it's easy to use and provides plenty of lancets and test strips to start with. However, others say that it'd be better off buying a human meter, as it'll be better quality and worth more money.
"...The product comes with a neat and small carrying case to store all your supplies. I've attached a picture of it ready to use...." Read more
"...If you bought the alphatrak testing kit, you'll find the lancet is very poorly made...." Read more
"...It comes with the lancets, testers and monitor.After months of use, here are some TIPS to save you time:1...." Read more
"...Comes with a fitted carrying case for everything, and enough strips and lancets to run a couple of curves and do some spot testing...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the blood requirement of the glucose meter. Some mention that it doesn't take much blood to get a reading, it only requires a droplet of blood. However, others say that it was very difficult to draw blood from their dog.
"...M.. Was pretty quick at reading my cat's glucose level and gives you 2mins to get blood so that is great for new diabetic cat parents especially..." Read more
"...Wow. This thing is the GREATEST. SO easy to use. Needs BARELY a droplet of blood! It's incredible...." Read more
"...We couldn't draw enough blood from the ear and the paw pads wouldn't give blood either. We have been using the lips to get blood from...." Read more
"...Getting the drop of blood was so easy because the dog just sat there while they punctured his upper lip and/or outer ear vein...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the readability of the glucose meter. They mention that it was almost impossible to get a reading, the monitor did not always give a right reading, and the strip only read it 1/3 times. Some customers also report that the machine cannot read the strips and that it gives an error message.
"...managed to waste a good number of test strips because the monitor timed out/turned off before I could get enough blood on the strip and I didn't know..." Read more
"...Let me tell you, it was almost impossible to get a reading...." Read more
"...The monitoring device "times out" after a minute or so after a test strip is inserted...." Read more
"The one I bout from this company 4 paws gave very inaccurate reading. They were all over the place...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Like purple so that unfortunately kinda pushed me in the end into buying this unit that requires extremely pricey darn strips! Yet, i also wanted a reliable pet unit instead of a human one since we are still new to taking care of our diabetic kitty so in the end, this system is worth it to us.
Update: now that i am more knowledgable and comfortable with taking care of my diabetic cat and he is doing better, i decided to start using the cheaper 'freestyle lite' test strips that also work in this pet meter. i use cat code listed on alphatrek test strip vial (37) and have been comparing the readings from the same blood drop using both the alphatrek strips and the freestyle strips and numbers are only 6 lower using freestyle strips compared to the alphatrek strips (6 lower all four times i tested him so far). My cats numbers are mostly under 200 right now and no longer above 300-400 so i don't know how accurate readings would be at higher numbers (read they are higher with freestyle lite strips when BG is higher). Eitherway, i still think this is the best meter for pets and with freestyle lite strips being able to be used with it, i am glad i chose it for sure. Buying the freestyle test strips on auction can save you lots of $$, i won an auction for 12 vials and ended paying 11.12 per instead of the $53 per vial i was paying for alphatrak vials!!
update: readings seem to vary per freestyle lite strip vial, with 3 vials so far, numbers have been an average of 10 lower under 175 glucose levels and 10 or more higher with glucose levels above 175-260.. Given this, i found it best to order another alphatrak meter to solely use with freestyle lite strips so i can change the cat code numbers per new FL vial so to better match the alphatrak strip readings without having to change the cat code of the AT vial strips when i use them to verify low/questionable freestyle lite readings.
update: my second AT2 came with a different lancet device (see pic). i don't know whether this is a newer version or older but, if it is a newer version, it too with cap top is totally worthless as is! do they not check these things when they make them? as you can see in pic, lancet device top cap part is higher then the lancet itself even though lancet is fully ejected as high as it can go. Without top cap i like the feel of this version in my fingers better but, the eject button is a bit stiff and requires more pressure when you push it.
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2017
Like purple so that unfortunately kinda pushed me in the end into buying this unit that requires extremely pricey darn strips! Yet, i also wanted a reliable pet unit instead of a human one since we are still new to taking care of our diabetic kitty so in the end, this system is worth it to us.
Update: now that i am more knowledgable and comfortable with taking care of my diabetic cat and he is doing better, i decided to start using the cheaper 'freestyle lite' test strips that also work in this pet meter. i use cat code listed on alphatrek test strip vial (37) and have been comparing the readings from the same blood drop using both the alphatrek strips and the freestyle strips and numbers are only 6 lower using freestyle strips compared to the alphatrek strips (6 lower all four times i tested him so far). My cats numbers are mostly under 200 right now and no longer above 300-400 so i don't know how accurate readings would be at higher numbers (read they are higher with freestyle lite strips when BG is higher). Eitherway, i still think this is the best meter for pets and with freestyle lite strips being able to be used with it, i am glad i chose it for sure. Buying the freestyle test strips on auction can save you lots of $$, i won an auction for 12 vials and ended paying 11.12 per instead of the $53 per vial i was paying for alphatrak vials!!
update: readings seem to vary per freestyle lite strip vial, with 3 vials so far, numbers have been an average of 10 lower under 175 glucose levels and 10 or more higher with glucose levels above 175-260.. Given this, i found it best to order another alphatrak meter to solely use with freestyle lite strips so i can change the cat code numbers per new FL vial so to better match the alphatrak strip readings without having to change the cat code of the AT vial strips when i use them to verify low/questionable freestyle lite readings.
update: my second AT2 came with a different lancet device (see pic). i don't know whether this is a newer version or older but, if it is a newer version, it too with cap top is totally worthless as is! do they not check these things when they make them? as you can see in pic, lancet device top cap part is higher then the lancet itself even though lancet is fully ejected as high as it can go. Without top cap i like the feel of this version in my fingers better but, the eject button is a bit stiff and requires more pressure when you push it.
The vet set the whole thing up for me ... I was clueless and although I watched the video and read the instructions, I was having no luck setting it up, so beware about this, have your vet set it up for you, so its done right. You are dead in the water if you set it up yourself, and if its not done right.
The vet compared it a couple times with HIS glucometer and we were getting a differential of about 35-40 points. Mine was lower, even at the vet's office. This could be just a quirk of my particular unit.
We tried my unit two weeks in a row at the vets office, and at least got a baseline for mine, so I know that, in my case, I take his blood at home, then add about 30 points to it. NOTE: That is just for MY unit, yours could be diffferent, so its important to take it to the vets when you get it, have them calibrate it for you, then have your cat checked with the vet glucometer AND yours at the same time, so you know what you are doing with this.
Anyway, its a great product. We had trouble getting the ear vein and he did NOT like that. I watched the gal at the vets and she then got him wrapped in a towel and we pricked his pawpad, which is what I do at home now. And I learned that if you rub the pawpad with a wet warm cloth to bring the blood up to the surface, dry it and then cover it with a thin layer of vaseline, the blood will bead up and the whole thing is much easier.
I only do this about once or twice a week and hopefully will be able to taper off to once a week, because although he is good for me, he doesn't like any of this stuff, so I don't want to harass him too much.
But this thing is really invaluable in conjunction to watching for clinical signs and symptoms of high and low blood sugar, as indicated by your vet. I can really recommend it highly. My only caveat is that you NEED to take it to the vets, even one time and get them to set it up and show you, in person, how to work with it on your cat. Believe me, the cost of the one office visit and the cost of the unit is MONEY WELL SPENT.
UPDATE !! 6/23/2014 A WORD OF CAUTION: I had the VETS calibrate my glucometer and after weeks of confusion, found out that we were not getting the right numbers because the person who calibrated neglected to put the SPECIES CODE into the device.
Apparently, when you get a new vial of test strips, the species codes ( e.g. CAT 38, DOG 36, etc. ) can change and you have to make sure that the code on the ouside of the vial matches the code in your device. You put the strip into the device, ( this is before you do the actual blood sampling ) you give it a minute and you should get a NUMBER. If that number ( say its a cat ) that comes up on the glucometer doesn't correspond to the number on the outside of the vial, it won't be accurate.
So, the device is very good, but you have to make sure its accurate by doing what I said, above, plus running the control tests with the control solution and follow the directions very carefully, which unfortunately my vets didn't.
The techs at ABBOTT LABS are very helpful but what helps the most is to give yourself some time, sit down and read all the directions, the manuals, and especially the thin folded paper instructions ( I think they came in the extra box of strips I got.) Anyway, my point is, MAKE SURE that you do all the steps so you don't get inaccurate readings. And TEST IT with the control solution to make sure it falls into a range of designated numbers which indicates that its accurate. The test numbers don't have anything to do with pet blood glucose, it just gives you a RANGE of special numbers that tells you, if you have the right species code in and you have a cat, its running accurately. The video and the initial paperwork in this doesn't really stress this testing and species codes on the device matching the cods on the new test strip vials.
My cat is ok, but we discovered that he was not getting the right dose of insulin, due to the vet's not calculating THEIR device OR my device properly. This stuff is very complicated and it took a village for us to get this straight.
By the way, I would also recommend your having your vets do a regular sugar blood glucose test that they send to the lab, periodically....and then there is another blood test which will chart more extensively the ups and downs of the last few weeks of blood sugar for your pet, called a fructosamine test. That way, you have checks and balances, in the off chance that, as with me, neither your vets nor your glucometer is giving you correct readings.
Additional Update: I have now discovered that there are some very good Youtube videos that help with all this, if you just search Alpha Trak 2 Glucometer Calibration.
3/12/17 Additional update: I found out early on, that my cat will only let me prick his paw pad, not his ear, as indicated by the literature. Somewhere in all this, I learned that if you put a damp washcloth under warm water, wring it out and rub his paw pad with it, slightly vigorously, but not enough to freak him out, you can bring the blood to the surface. Then, layer a thin sheen of Vaseline in the jar, and that helps the blood to bead up, rather than slide down into their fur, after you prick their paw pad.
Top reviews from other countries
Overall it is a easy machine to use , a tiny amount of blood is all you need and to keep my cats glucose levels as stable as possible is a priority.
A human one was cheaper but wish I hadn’t bothered as it just caused myself and my cat so much stress when trying to use it and it didn’t work. I would recommend purchasing the Alphatrek. It’s so easy to use and gives brilliant results every time.
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