As a cat living with feline diabetes , my least favorite thing is the dreaded cat blood glucose test. Most days I am just not thrilled at all and then there are those days when I am just steaming mad, like in the photo below, and I hiss, and throw a fit when my mom tries to prick my ear to get the reading. So when we met Sylvana, the creator of the illumavein at the Global Pet Expo , I was rendered Meow-less that she invented something so ingenious for cats living with diabetes. Now Cat blood glucose testing is easier with illumavein!
Gracey, The Tiniest Tiger unhappy with the old glucose testing method
Pet Sugar Check, LLc was established in 2007, but their experience with feline diabetes came years before when the founder’s feline companion was diagnosed with the disease. Together, they experienced many trials and tribulations just like my mom and me, and that experience led Sylvana to design a product to help in obtaining a blood sample easier for glucose monitoring at home.
Lancets for blood glucose testing
Before the illumavein, my parents would come at me with a lancet, a cottonball and a flashlight. I knew as soon as I saw the cottonball that I was in trouble. Then my dad would try to hold the flashlight so my mom could find the vein in my ear easier. She would try to prick my ear without hurting me, or sticking her finger by placing the cottonball on the other side of my ear. ~shiver~ It is too horrible to think about.
The illumavein features
The illumavein is super helpful because it allows you to find the vein immediately because of the built in light. This results in less punctures to my ear! The light and design also keeps my mom from pricking her finger. Sylvana thought of everything. The rotating adjustable clamp will work for both left and right handed humans. (My mom and I are left pawed.) The slight clamping helps the blood come to the surface and the light shows the vein to make the blood test quicker and easier. Below is a photo of Sylvana’s Bambino showing you what I am talking about.
Sylvana’s Bambino demonstrates the illumavein
Here is a short video demonstration of how to use the illumavein.
I know many of you also are living with feline diabetes and I bet you are at a loss for Meows at how clever Sylvana is to have invented a device like the illumavein for us. I am super excited, so I am going to give an illumavein to one of you. Please leave a comment below this post telling me how you feel about your current glucose testing and what the illumavein will mean to you and your parent that gives you the glucose test.
If you are chosen, I will make you a Triple T Reporter and I will ask you to try the device for 30 days and then report back to us your experience so that our cousins and dogs too, living with diabetes can also get their glucose tested much easier.
My calico of 18 years has had diabetes for many years. Our vet recently has used the ear indicator, but with a needle. This new device you are talking about looks amazing. I will ask my vet about this next time we go in. Thanks
Gracie, I can hardly wait to get one of these for Sassy. She has ears that will just not give blood. Even the vet hasn’t been able to get blood from those little ears. Hopefully, this will work. I would like nothing better than to know what her count is and get away from blind shooting insulin. Thank you so very, very much for posting this. Love Carol & Sassy (and thanks for voting for my brother Sam last week in the Bissell contest). xo
Ours is just the normal device, same that I use on myself. Cali is very good and lets us ,my husband holds her and I get the blood drop. Having to get my own makes it easier for me to get hers. We are lucky in that way, most of the time I can get it the first try. I’m glad that this will make it easier for others that are having trouble.
As a Vet tech,I’m so excited to see this product,It was very sad to get blood from the cats that came in with diabetes, the tests hurt them,and thats not what We want to do, We want to help and love the animals!
At times We have cats come in and They know what We are going to do to Them ,so They are ready for a fight, I think this product will bring joy to All of Us!
Gracey, my kitty at home (luckily) doesn’t have Diabetes. Working at a Vet Clinic tho, I see many of them that do, and I know this would make it much easier for those kitties and their parents! Great find Gracey!