Question re: glucometers/test numbers

[Squalliesmom]

Hi, all. Squallie went to the vet this morning (before his a.m. shot) and his BG, by her glucometer, was 425! I tested him, using his ear, when we got home, to see if my results were anywhere even close to that, and my test said his BG was 324. Is this much variation between methods/monitors usual? I'm feeling a little disheartened because I thought we were getting his diabetes under control but now it looks like we've made no progress at all. His vet raised his dose to 7 units BID, and that scares me when my numbers are so much lower than hers! I mean, I've gotten results as low as the upper 200's recently. Are hers more accurate?

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

Lucy, those numbers aren't all that different and are within normal meter variance. Here is the math: all meters can legally have a variance of 20%. So if the vet's number is 10% high, the number is 382. And your number could be 10% low or high, so you can view the real number anywhere from 292-356. Other variables are that human meters run lower than animal specific meters, vet stress can raise the numbers at the vet, and that bg changes all the time.

That makes both readings much same. They are both high. Squallie's diabetes is not yet controlled. That is the important information you need to take away from this. BG readings give you information about how the insulin is working. Trends. Testing also allows you to know if it's save to give insulin.

Does this help explain?

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

I don't know anything about Vetsulin, so I don't know what a normal dose is. Did you start at 5 units?

 

[Squalliesmom]

Lucy, those numbers aren't all that different and are within normal meter variance. Here is the math: all meters can legally have a variance of 20%. So if the vet's number is 10% high, the number is 382. And your number could be 10% low or high, so you can view the real number anywhere from 292-356. Other variables are that human meters run lower than animal specific meters, vet stress can raise the numbers at the vet, and that bg changes all the time.

That makes both readings much same. They are both high. Squallie's diabetes is not yet controlled. That is the important information you need to take away from this. BG readings give you information about how the insulin is working. Trends. Testing also allows you to know if it's save to give insulin.

Does this help explain?

Lucy, those numbers aren't all that different and are within normal meter variance. Here is the math: all meters can legally have a variance of 20%. So if the vet's number is 10% high, the number is 382. And your number could be 10% low or high, so you can view the real number anywhere from 292-356. Other variables are that human meters run lower than animal specific meters, vet stress can raise the numbers at the vet, and that bg changes all the time.

That makes both readings much same. They are both high. Squallie's diabetes is not yet controlled. That is the important information you need to take away from this. BG readings give you information about how the insulin is working. Trends. Testing also allows you to know if it's save to give insulin.

Does this help explain?

 

[Squalliesmom]

Lucy, those numbers aren't all that different and are within normal meter variance. Here is the math: all meters can legally have a variance of 20%. So if the vet's number is 10% high, the number is 382. And your number could be 10% low or high, so you can view the real number anywhere from 292-356. Other variables are that human meters run lower than animal specific meters, vet stress can raise the numbers at the vet, and that bg changes all the time.

That makes both readings much same. They are both high. Squallie's diabetes is not yet controlled. That is the important information you need to take away from this. BG readings give you information about how the insulin is working. Trends. Testing also allows you to know if it's save to give insulin.

Does this help explain?

Yes, it does help a bit. But how do I know when it's safe to give his full dose or if I should lower it, and by how much? I really thought I was getting a handle on this but now I feel completely in the dark again :-(

 

[Squalliesmom]

I don't know anything about Vetsulin, so I don't know what a normal dose is. Did you start at 5 units?

My vet started him at 4 units and over the past couple of weeks has raised it gradually to 7. Apparently Vetsulin and Caninsulin are the same thing, at least that's my impression from what everyone has said.

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

It would help to see how low he is going so you might start by getting a few more tests midway through his cycle. Maybe you could do a curve (testing every 2-3 hours) when you will be around all day. The more data you gather, the better.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

You really want to see some tests in the +3-+7 time with Vetsulin because that is when it will be working the most. Increasing dose of Vetsulin based off of only a preshot number can be dangerous because it will be when there is no insulin on board and will likely be the highest number in the cycle. You could end up with low numbers at the peek of the insulin causing higher numbers at preshot times causing increases in dose, causing all of that to get worse. That kind of cycle almost killed my Cecil before I started talking to the shelter manager and figured out what was happening to him. He got too low and they ended up taking him to the vet earlier in the day because he was just laying in his kennel, that's when the lower numbers were spotted and I could tell what was happening and suggested more testing, getting him onto a different insulin, and into foster.

Vetsulin and Caninsulin are the same. The manufacture changed the marketing name in the US to Vetsulin when they brought it back to the market after it was pulled for a while. They still market it as Caninsulin in other countries.

As for the difference in numbers. The higher the number, the bigger variance you will see. As you get down into the better numbers, they will get closer. Even though 425 and 324 seem like a long ways apart, it doesn't really matter because they are both high your dose adjustment should be the same.

 

[BJM]

To check if numbers are roughly the same, calculate each of these
1) (low number * 1.2)
2) (high number * 0.8)
If the first result is greater than the 2nd result, the numbers may be considered the same
If the second result is greater than the 1st result, the numbers are not likely the same

 

[Squalliesmom]

To check if numbers are roughly the same, calculate each of these
1) (low number * 1.2)
2) (high number * 0.8)
If the first result is greater than the 2nd result, the numbers may be considered the same
If the second result is greater than the 1st result, the numbers are not likely the same

Thank you! The numbers make more sense to me that way.

 

[Squalliesmom]

You really want to see some tests in the +3-+7 time with Vetsulin because that is when it will be working the most. Increasing dose of Vetsulin based off of only a preshot number can be dangerous because it will be when there is no insulin on board and will likely be the highest number in the cycle. You could end up with low numbers at the peek of the insulin causing higher numbers at preshot times causing increases in dose, causing all of that to get worse. That kind of cycle almost killed my Cecil before I started talking to the shelter manager and figured out what was happening to him. He got too low and they ended up taking him to the vet earlier in the day because he was just laying in his kennel, that's when the lower numbers were spotted and I could tell what was happening and suggested more testing, getting him onto a different insulin, and into foster.

Vetsulin and Caninsulin are the same. The manufacture changed the marketing name in the US to Vetsulin when they brought it back to the market after it was pulled for a while. They still market it as Caninsulin in other countries.

As for the difference in numbers. The higher the number, the bigger variance you will see. As you get down into the better numbers, they will get closer. Even though 425 and 324 seem like a long ways apart, it doesn't really matter because they are both high your dose adjustment should be the same.

Thank you! My vet has tested him several times now in the +5 to +7 range, and his numbers have been in the mid-300s fairly consistently. I have been testing him at home mostly pre-shot, I will try to start testing him more frequently.

 

[Squalliesmom]

It would help to see how low he is going so you might start by getting a few more tests midway through his cycle. Maybe you could do a curve (testing every 2-3 hours) when you will be around all day. The more data you gather, the better.

Thank you, I will try this!