Diabetes Help

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Cinnamon Lover

Cinnamon Lover

Member Since 2016
Hi...I'm Deb, my cat Cinnamon was recently diagnosed with diabetes...I've been using the Alpha Trak 2 meter, but the strips are too expensive. So I have a meter for humans, but the numbers it gives me are very low and incorrect, when I test with both I have to add 70% to the number in order to make it equal the Alpha Trak 2 number...Does this sound right to anyone??
I really need help getting her readings accurate to get her well...I've already lost 4 of my 5 sons, and 2 animal children, all in 5 years.....today is Cinnamon's 11th birthday...I very much need to not lose my beautiful girl...
Thank you for the help xoxox
 
Hi Deb, and welcome, it isn't really possible to do a conversion from the human meter readings to the pet meter readings but most people on the board use an inexpensive human glucometer and a lot of the guidance on the site is based around readings obtained from a human meter. Which meter do you have? Can you tell us a bit more about Cinnamon (she looks beautiful), what insulin do you use and how often are you testing? What sort of numbers are you getting? We (most of us at least) track our readings on a google drive spreadsheet and there are people who can help you get it set up if you have any problems. Any questions ask away!
 
Hi Deb, glad you made it to to the Health Forum! I want to say, again, that I'm sorry for all you've been through theses last five years. :bighug:
As for meters, human meters do read lower than pet meters. We know that and dosing advice is made taking that into account. The folks here can help you get Cinnamon well, but need a bit more info. If you can answer the questions Alexi asked that will help us to give you the advice you need.
BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINNAMON!
 
Copied from my reply in the Welcome forum:
Just what human meter do you have? Meter accuracy is only +/- 20% but it seems that your comparison shows that yo are exceeding that.

Some meters are not that accurate for cats because of the way that meter works:
Blood Glucose Meter for Cats

Facts:

Blood has two constituents, the red and white blood cells and the liquid (serum). Blood plasma is blood serum without the clotting factor

The blood glucose value obtained via laboratory analysis is the glucose level in the serum/plasma constituents of blood

The glucose is in both the serum and red-blood cells (RBC) themselves. However, the distribution of glucose is different between humans and cats (and dog too)1

In Humans 58% is in plasma/serum and 42% in RBCs

In cats 93% is in plasma/serum and 7% in RBCs

In dogs 87.5 % in plasma/serum and 12.5% in RBCs.

The point-of-use blood glucose meters (the ones we use at home) all use whole blood.2 However, what specific blood glucose they measure varies with the manufacturer. Some manufacturers only measure the glucose in the serum/plasma. Others lyse (disrupt the cell walls of the RBCs) and thus mix the glucose that was in the RBC into the liquid and thus measure total glucose. The meters then correct/adjust the reading to be equivalent to human blood plasma

Discussion:

Since the glucose distribution is different n humans and cats/dogs the resulting BG valve obtained from the human meters will be different that lab values and animal-calibrated meters. Also, some manufacturer's meters will be much different that lab values for animals depending upon which method (lyse cells or only use plasma/serum) they use to measure glucose.


Animal calibrated meters correct the value to be equivalent to lab values.


What clouds any BGs obtained from hand-held meter is that they are only accurate to +/- 20 %. That includes the animal-calibrated meter. Also, do not confuse accuracy with reproducibility. It is expected that one meter with one lot of tests strips to be relatively repeatable, that is if you use the same drop of blood, you BG value will be much close than +/- 20%


References:

1 Different Species, Different Blood

http://www.vet-advantage.com/dsr_library/get_file.php?file_id=161

2. Glucose Meters: A Review of Technical Challenges to Obtaining Accurate Results

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769957/
 
Alexi said:
Hi Deb, and welcome, it isn't really possible to do a conversion from the human meter readings to the pet meter readings but most people on the board use an inexpensive human glucometer and a lot of the guidance on the site is based around readings obtained from a human meter. Which meter do you have? Can you tell us a bit more about Cinnamon (she looks beautiful), what insulin do you use and how often are you testing? What sort of numbers are you getting? We (most of us at least) track our readings on a google drive spreadsheet and there are people who can help you get it set up if you have any problems. Any questions ask away!
Click to expand...
The meters I use are: arkray glucocard 01(for people), AlphaTrak 2(for cats)... her insulin is the Lantus pen and 2 units, 2x daily... her numbers range from 267-406...I have completely removed the dry food which has always been Friskies, I bought her two cases of Dick Van Patten's natural balance wet food which she will not touch, she's used to canned friskies morning and night, but I've stopped and I'm cooking her tuna steaks, chicken breasts, turkey breasts...she is 11 years old today along with her sister Molly xo
 
Cinnamon Lover said:
The meters I use are: arkray glucocard 01(for people), AlphaTrak 2(for cats)... her insulin is the Lantus pen and 2 units, 2x daily... her numbers range from 267-406...I have completely removed the dry food which has always been Friskies, I bought her two cases of Dick Van Patten's natural balance wet food which she will not touch, she's used to canned friskies morning and night, but I've stopped and I'm cooking her tuna steaks, chicken breasts, turkey breasts...she is 11 years old today along with her sister Molly xo
Click to expand...
Also, the last reading was 336 on AlphaTrak and 197 on Arkray
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Copied from my reply in the Welcome forum:
Just what human meter do you have? Meter accuracy is only +/- 20% but it seems that your comparison shows that yo are exceeding that.

Some meters are not that accurate for cats because of the way that meter works:
Blood Glucose Meter for Cats

Facts:

Blood has two constituents, the red and white blood cells and the liquid (serum). Blood plasma is blood serum without the clotting factor

The blood glucose value obtained via laboratory analysis is the glucose level in the serum/plasma constituents of blood

The glucose is in both the serum and red-blood cells (RBC) themselves. However, the distribution of glucose is different between humans and cats (and dog too)1

In Humans 58% is in plasma/serum and 42% in RBCs

In cats 93% is in plasma/serum and 7% in RBCs

In dogs 87.5 % in plasma/serum and 12.5% in RBCs.

The point-of-use blood glucose meters (the ones we use at home) all use whole blood.2 However, what specific blood glucose they measure varies with the manufacturer. Some manufacturers only measure the glucose in the serum/plasma. Others lyse (disrupt the cell walls of the RBCs) and thus mix the glucose that was in the RBC into the liquid and thus measure total glucose. The meters then correct/adjust the reading to be equivalent to human blood plasma

Discussion:

Since the glucose distribution is different n humans and cats/dogs the resulting BG valve obtained from the human meters will be different that lab values and animal-calibrated meters. Also, some manufacturer's meters will be much different that lab values for animals depending upon which method (lyse cells or only use plasma/serum) they use to measure glucose.


Animal calibrated meters correct the value to be equivalent to lab values.


What clouds any BGs obtained from hand-held meter is that they are only accurate to +/- 20 %. That includes the animal-calibrated meter. Also, do not confuse accuracy with reproducibility. It is expected that one meter with one lot of tests strips to be relatively repeatable, that is if you use the same drop of blood, you BG value will be much close than +/- 20%


References:

1 Different Species, Different Blood

http://www.vet-advantage.com/dsr_library/get_file.php?file_id=161

2. Glucose Meters: A Review of Technical Challenges to Obtaining Accurate Results

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769957/
Click to expand...
The meters I use are: arkray glucocard 01(for people), AlphaTrak 2(for cats)... her insulin is the Lantus pen and 2 units, 2x daily... her numbers range from 267-406...I have completely removed the dry food which has always been Friskies, I bought her two cases of Dick Van Patten's natural balance wet food which she will not touch, she's used to canned friskies morning and night, but I've stopped and I'm cooking her tuna steaks, chicken breasts, turkey breasts...she is 11 years old today along with her sister Molly xo
Also the last reading was 336 on AlphaTrak and 197 on Arkray.
 
The human meter will always read lower than the AlphaTrak, but when it's important (when you're in low numbers) they're very close...the only "official" guide we have is that 50 on a human meter is equal to 68 on the AlphaTrak, so they're really quite close

As the numbers get higher, they'll be further and further apart just due to the variance, but what's important is to remember that "too high" is "too high", no matter which meter you're using.

Example....336 on the AT could be as low as 268 with the variance

On the Glucocard, 197 could be as high as 236 with the variance

268-236 are very close to each other

As long as you understand the "scale", that's all that's important.....Under 50 on the human meter is your "time to act" number....Under 68 on the AT is your "time to act" number

"Time to act" just means that if they drop below that, it's time to get them back up above those numbers by feeding something high carb like the gravy part of a Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers food or by adding a few drops of Karo, honey or syrup to regular low carb food
 
Welcome to FDMB, and happy birthday to Cinnamon and Molly! :)

Your best bet is to pick one meter that you will use regularly and hide the other one away somewhere, or you will make yourself crazy trying to figure out correlations between them! Most of us put away the AlphaTraks and just use human meters, they are cheaper and a lot more convenient.

We recommend feeding canned/wet food that is 10 or less % carbohydrates. Many of the readily available brands are quite acceptable, a lot of us feed Fancy Feast , Friskies, and the like; the pate style foods are generally the lowest in carbs. Here is a link to a very good list of foods:

http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

We have a spreadsheet that we use to track BG tests, insulin amounts, etc. It's really an invaluable tool in your arsenal, so to speak; it helps you to see patterns and trends in your kitty's progress, and it helps us to be able to look at it if you need help or advice. It would be great if you could set it up and start using it. If you need help setting it up just sing out and someone can assist you (I had to have someone set mine up for me). Once it's set up it's really just data entry and pretty self-explanatory. Here's the link for it:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

I am so very sorry to hear of the terrible losses you have suffered in the last five years. I can't even imagine what hell you must have been through. But hopefully we will be here to help you keep your beloved Cinnamon safe! :bighug::bighug::bighug:

Lucy
 
Sharon14 said:
Hi Deb, glad you made it to to the Health Forum! I want to say, again, that I'm sorry for all you've been through theses last five years. :bighug:
As for meters, human meters do read lower than pet meters. We know that and dosing advice is made taking that into account. The folks here can help you get Cinnamon well, but need a bit more info. If you can answer the questions Alexi asked that will help us to give you the advice you need.
BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINNAMON!
Click to expand...
Thank you xoxox
 
Squalliesmom said:
Welcome to FDMB, and happy birthday to Cinnamon and Molly! :)

Your best bet is to pick one meter that you will use regularly and hide the other one away somewhere, or you will make yourself crazy trying to figure out correlations between them! Most of us put away the AlphaTraks and just use human meters, they are cheaper and a lot more convenient.

We recommend feeding canned/wet food that is 10 or less % carbohydrates. Many of the readily available brands are quite acceptable, a lot of us feed Fancy Feast , Friskies, and the like; the pate style foods are generally the lowest in carbs. Here is a link to a very good list of foods:

http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

We have a spreadsheet that we use to track BG tests, insulin amounts, etc. It's really an invaluable tool in your arsenal, so to speak; it helps you to see patterns and trends in your kitty's progress, and it helps us to be able to look at it if you need help or advice. It would be great if you could set it up and start using it. If you need help setting it up just sing out and someone can assist you (I had to have someone set mine up for me). Once it's set up it's really just data entry and pretty self-explanatory. Here's the link for it:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

I am so very sorry to hear of the terrible losses you have suffered in the last five years. I can't even imagine what hell you must have been through. But hopefully we will be here to help you keep your beloved Cinnamon safe! :bighug::bighug::bighug:

Lucy
Click to expand...
Thank you xoxox
 
Chris & China said:
The human meter will always read lower than the AlphaTrak, but when it's important (when you're in low numbers) they're very close...the only "official" guide we have is that 50 on a human meter is equal to 68 on the AlphaTrak, so they're really quite close

As the numbers get higher, they'll be further and further apart just due to the variance, but what's important is to remember that "too high" is "too high", no matter which meter you're using.

Example....336 on the AT could be as low as 268 with the variance

On the Glucocard, 197 could be as high as 236 with the variance

268-236 are very close to each other

As long as you understand the "scale", that's all that's important.....Under 50 on the human meter is your "time to act" number....Under 68 on the AT is your "time to act" number

"Time to act" just means that if they drop below that, it's time to get them back up above those numbers by feeding something high carb like the gravy part of a Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers food or by adding a few drops of Karo, honey or syrup to regular low carb food
Click to expand...
I'm more confused now :(
This morning was AT2= 336, and arkray= 197 (difference is 70%)
Tonight was AT2= 328, and arkray= 209 (difference is 57%)
So are you saying that both meters are giving me incorrect numbers?? I'm confused and scared :(
 
All meters are allowed a 20% variance. It can be confusing, that is why we say to pick a meter and stick with it. If you can set up the spreadsheet that Squalliesmom linked for you, and start keeping track of Cinnamons numbers, we can help you figure out what is going on and how to help her.
ETA If you need help setting the spreadsheet up, just ask and someone will do it for you
 
Last edited:
Squalliesmom said:
Welcome to FDMB, and happy birthday to Cinnamon and Molly! :)

Your best bet is to pick one meter that you will use regularly and hide the other one away somewhere, or you will make yourself crazy trying to figure out correlations between them! Most of us put away the AlphaTraks and just use human meters, they are cheaper and a lot more convenient.

We recommend feeding canned/wet food that is 10 or less % carbohydrates. Many of the readily available brands are quite acceptable, a lot of us feed Fancy Feast , Friskies, and the like; the pate style foods are generally the lowest in carbs. Here is a link to a very good list of foods:

http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

We have a spreadsheet that we use to track BG tests, insulin amounts, etc. It's really an invaluable tool in your arsenal, so to speak; it helps you to see patterns and trends in your kitty's progress, and it helps us to be able to look at it if you need help or advice. It would be great if you could set it up and start using it. If you need help setting it up just sing out and someone can assist you (I had to have someone set mine up for me). Once it's set up it's really just data entry and pretty self-explanatory. Here's the link for it:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

I am so very sorry to hear of the terrible losses you have suffered in the last five years. I can't even imagine what hell you must have been through. But hopefully we will be here to help you keep your beloved Cinnamon safe! :bighug::bighug::bighug:

Lucy
Click to expand...
Thank you Lucy...I downloaded the US template for animal meters and it will not open
 
Sharon14 said:
All meters are allowed a 20% variance. It can be confusing, that is why we say to pick a meter and stick with it. If you can set up the spreadsheet that Squalliesmom linked for you, and start keeping track of Cinnamons numbers, we can help you figure out what is going on and how to help her.
ETA If you need help setting the spreadsheet up, just ask and someone will do it for you
Click to expand...
Thank you xo I downloaded the spreadsheet for U.S. cat meters but it will not open, so yes I'm lost...I've been keeping a log of her numbers since she was diagnosed a few weeks ago...I test before her morning insulin, and before her bedtime insulin.
 
You can't "compare" them like that....You truly will drive yourself insane

If you get a 400 on any meter, if you figure in the 20% variance, that 400 could be as high as 480 (400 + 20%) or as low as 360 (400-20%)....so if you got a 400 on any meter and could (at the exact same time) get results from professional lab equipment, you could expect to see any number between 360-480

The hand held meters are ALL allowed to be 20% off from what you'd get with professional lab equipment

Our protocols here are all designed with human meters in mind though, so the numbers we are most used to are the human ones
 
Cinnamon Lover said:
Thank you xo I downloaded the spreadsheet for U.S. cat meters but it will not open, so yes I'm lost
Click to expand...

Do you have a Google account set up? You have to have a Google account and be signed in

If you'd like some help, I'd be happy to do it for you....just send me a private message. Click on my name and choose "Start Conversation"

But you will need to decide on which meter you're going to use (we can change it later, but it's better to just learn what numbers you're looking for on ONE meter)
 
Cinnamon Lover said:
Tonight was AT2= 328, and arkray= 209 (difference is 57%)
Click to expand...
Accounting for the 20% error those values would be 262 and 250, very close.
As other have said, I would just use one meter and just not that low BG the human meter are OK and not a hypo. For the hight BGs it really does not matter sine the BGs are high and you base dosing on the lowest BG between shots.
 
I use freestyle lite strips in my AT meter. For the first month I switched to the freestyle strips I tested with both strips and they were always within 5 points of each other so know they are accurate. Everytime I get new strips I do a test with an AT strip and the Freestyle lite. Never have a problem with them and it's a huge savings if you get them off ebay. I just paid $50 for 100 strips but I only purchase from within the US. You can order cheaper ones on there but they are usually from India and I don't trust them.
 
Sarah Beers said:
I use freestyle lite strips in my AT meter. For the first month I switched to the freestyle strips I tested with both strips and they were always within 5 points of each other so know they are accurate. Everytime I get new strips I do a test with an AT strip and the Freestyle lite. Never have a problem with them and it's a huge savings if you get them off ebay. I just paid $50 for 100 strips but I only purchase from within the US. You can order cheaper ones on there but they are usually from India and I don't trust them.
Click to expand...


I also use the FS Lite strips with my AT2 meter and did many many side by side comparisons before I was satisfied. Like Sarah my results were usually within about 5%-8% of each other. I also use test solution every time I open a new container of strips.

In Canada I am able to get FS Lite strips at my Shoppers Pharmacy ( on seniors day) for $64/100 Cdn ( about $50 US) and $54/100 Cdn (about $41 US) when they have their bonus $10 off each $50 purchase (usually every 5-6 weeks) so much more cost effective.
 
Cinnamon Lover said:
Hi...I'm Deb, my cat Cinnamon was recently diagnosed with diabetes...I've been using the Alpha Trak 2 meter, but the strips are too expensive. So I have a meter for humans, but the numbers it gives me are very low and incorrect, when I test with both I have to add 70% to the number in order to make it equal the Alpha Trak 2 number...Does this sound right to anyone??
I really need help getting her readings accurate to get her well...I've already lost 4 of my 5 sons, and 2 animal children, all in 5 years.....today is Cinnamon's 11th birthday...I very much need to not lose my beautiful girl...
Thank you for the help xoxox
Click to expand...

Hi, I'm fairly new here myself but I have used two different human meters so far and they are both exclusive to Walmart (you can order them on their website or buy them in store).

ReliOn Confirm: About $10 for the meter, $20 per 50 test strips
RelioOn Prime: $9 for the meter, $20 per 100 test strips

I only switched because I now get 50 extra test strips for the same price I was paying. The readings I get are a little higher than the vet gets on their cat specific meter, however, I just take the meter with me to each visit and we compare readings just to give me peace of mind. Personally, I've found that this reader gives a BG of 20-30 points higher than the vet's reading.

I hope that helps. I'm just trying to keep my costs as low as possible :)
 
So I started using the human meter since most everyone on here does.....but tonight it would not give a reading, this happened before and when I double checked with the cat meter I discovered it was because Cinnamon's blood sugar was normal, which made it too low for the human reader.....so, I figured that must be what's going on again tonight and I re checked with cat meter, which is about as accurate as you can get, and she's at 122 :) :) :)
So no insulin tonight, thank you Lord!!
 
What kind of meter are you using @Cinnamon Lover ? No matter which one you're using, if it's "too low", it should read "LO"

Human's blood glucose goes too low just like cats can and the meters have to be able to read it no matter how low it goes...if it does go too low for that specific meter, it should still read "LO"
 
Chris & China said:
What kind of meter are you using @Cinnamon Lover ? No matter which one you're using, if it's "too low", it should read "LO"

Human's blood glucose goes too low just like cats can and the meters have to be able to read it no matter how low it goes...if it does go too low for that specific meter, it should still read "LO"
Click to expand...
The human meter I have is arkray glucocard 01
It did not say Lo...it wouldn't register at all, that's why I poked her again and used the cat meter AlphaTrak2, and she was at #122
 
Chris & China said:
OK....I have one of those too....if you didn't get anything at all, there's another problem going on because you should either get a number, a word (like "LO" or "HI") or an error code (the letter E and a number)
Click to expand...
I'll try to re set it.....I did my signature, hope I got everything...you are a true blessing from Heaven and I'm so very thankful for all of your help xoxox
 
Chris & China said:
Look great....but are you going to use the Alpha Trak? You told me you were going to use the human meter....or is that just because you had trouble with the human one tonight?
Click to expand...
I think because her blood sugar is completely normal I might use both just a little longer because I'm hoping with all her meds and drastic diet change that she will go into remission :)
What do you think I should do? xo
Oh and I just took it again with the human meter and her # is 87 on that one.
 
@Cinnamon Lover I forgot to mention I have even tested with freestyle lite strips that are just slightly expired and they are still accurate. I've only gone as far as two months expired. I was very hesitant at first about not using the AT strips but since I had about 50 left I decided to test side by side. They are always accurate so that made me feel better about not using them. I still keep some on hand to test with one everytime I get a new bottle of FS strips.
 
Sarah Beers said:
@Cinnamon Lover I forgot to mention I have even tested with freestyle lite strips that are just slightly expired and they are still accurate. I've only gone as far as two months expired. I was very hesitant at first about not using the AT strips but since I had about 50 left I decided to test side by side. They are always accurate so that made me feel better about not using them. I still keep some on hand to test with one everytime I get a new bottle of FS strips.
Click to expand...
Do you mean you use FS strips in the AT meter? Or in human meter?
 
Cinnamon Lover said:
The code on my AT strips is 37
Click to expand...


There are different codes on the strips for AT2. The code on my last bottle of AT2 strips was 08, which is what I left the coding at. If you are planning on trying the FS Lite strips in the AT2 meter it is best if you do a number of same blood drop comparisons. First test with the AT2 meter with AT2 strip, then quickly :) put the FS Lite strip in the AT2 meter and do another test with the same blood drop. You can keep a log of comparisons between the tests to see if you are comfortable using the FS Lite strips. Also if you have any of the test solution you can check the accuracy with the FS Lite strips. The reading should fall between the guidelines on the AT2 strip container...mine is 100-185 US (5.5-10.27 mmol/L)
 
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