5/12 Jinx AMPS 396, +5 388, +7 308, PMPS 412 (AT)

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Re: 5/12 Jinx AMPS 396

Hi Joe

I'm glad to see a little downward movement for Jinx yesterday. Hopefully when his shed fills a little more, we'll see some nicer numbers.

Thank you for the profile....it has a lot of good info but one thing I saw that is very important for us to know and remember is that you are using an Alpha Trak meter. So that it always catches our eyes and helps
us remember when we are looking at his numbers, could you please add it in bold letters in your signature block? You might also notice that Ann (Maggie) adds AT at the end of her subject line so everyone realizes there could be a difference in numbers.

Why is this important? Because the AT "can" differ by approximately 30 mg/dl from human glucometers; it doesn't always. I have attached the Roomp/Rand protocol and if you scroll down to Table 3b, you'll see references to using the AT: Roomp Rand TR Protocol

Some of our members have kept track of the AT numbers vs human glucometers and have found different variances. I've included the link to a recent post just so you are aware of some of their findings: Alpha Trak Comparisons

We want to err on the side of caution so that if we see he is at 70 on an AT, we need to deal with it a little differently than a human glucometer UNLESS you are able to get comparison numbers that show the AT is pretty close to a human glucometer at low numbers.

Thanks Joe. Have a great day!
 
Re: 5/12 Jinx AMPS 396

A pink start is better than red anyday. :-D keep on coming down Jinx! cat_pet_icon cat_pet_icon
 
Re: 5/12 Jinx AMPS 396, +5 388

Marjorie, thank-you for the info on the variations between the AlphaTRAK meter and the human glucometers.

So, just to make sure I understand correctly... The FDA considers 20% variations between glucometers to be acceptable which is what accounts for the disparity in numbers between the different glucometers. We don't know which glucometer is the most accurate but due to the typically higher numbers with the AT when BG levels are low, it's best to err on the side of caution. In other words, if I have a BG reading of 70 with my AT meter, it's best to assume it could actually be ~40. Is that about right?

This has really peaked my interest so I plan on picking up a human glucometer to do some comparisons. I have an AlphaTRAK 2 meter so I'll also look into differences between that and its predecessor. I know one of the differences is that is requires less blood but right now I don't know much beyond that.

It seems like a lot of the members here use Relion meters. But, it doesn't seem like there's a consensus on what the "gold standard" meter is, right? If not, I'll plan on picking up a Relion. Unless advised otherwise. Thanks again for the info.
 
Re: 5/12 Jinx AMPS 396, +5 388, +7 308 (AT)

Joe,it's not a 20% variance between different meters. It is that the meters only need to be accurate to within +/- 20% of what the reading should be. So the same drop of blood could give different readings. The higher the BG the greater the difference can be.

The Relion is popular here because the strips are inexpensive, easy to come by retail (Walmart) and it has a very good Consumer Reports rating. One Touch is also good , but the strips are expensive unless you can get them on eBay. If you get the Relion, it is made by Arkray and you can order the strips online from ADW for even less than at Walmart. When our cats start going low we need to test more than humans do and most of us have no insurance to pay for them, less expensive strips allow us to test more often. I certainly couldn't be testing as much as i do if i were paying $! per strip!
 
Re: 5/12 Jinx AMPS 396, +5 388, +7 308 (AT)

actually- the difference is that the Alpha Trak measures glucose as a blood serum concentration
while the human meters measure glucose as a whole blood concentration...
so we figure the AT numbers read about 30 points higher than the others...
So when I see a cat at 130 AT- i automatically think of that as being 100 on the meters most of us use.

and Jinx...come down!!

celi

edited to add: we LOVE our Relion Micro...it's the least expensive and we think it's very accurate :-D
 
Re: 5/12 Jinx AMPS 396, +5 388, +7 308 (AT)

Thank you, Joe, for adding the AT info in your signature block and the subject line :-D

If you got a 70 on the AT, we would want to be cautious and consider that it "could" be a 40 unless you have a human glucometer that is telling you otherwise. Not that one is more accurate than the other but it would just give us a better frame of reference for how different they are reading. That's why it's also good to build some data like Amy/Ruby and Ann/Maggie have done. It is possible that a 70 on your AT could be a 50 or anywhere in between. I know that's not a good answer but without having a reference, it's hard to say and I prefer to be cautious. I know if Maggie gets below 70, Ann gives her a dose reduction.
 
Jinx! Time to come down!

Joe...let's see how he does tonight and tomorrow. If we don't see any movement, we'll need to dosecrease again tomorrow night so keep your fingers crossed!

And remember...even when he's high, it's good to get that +2 just to see what he might be doing. You never know! :-D
 
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