AlphaTRAK 2 and One Touch Delica

[Roops]

I have a question regarding Alphatrak 2 glucose monitor. My daughter just rec'd new glucose strips in the mail. Yesterday morning she tested Roops blood before administering his insulin. It was 19. something. Yes, I know too high. She did it again later in the day before administering his second shot. It was 26. something.

This morning she gave Roops his insulin shot first, and waited about two hours before testing his blood. This is how the vet's office did it. Shot first before testing. Again it was 19. something, but she tested it again like nano seconds later and it was 26. something. It should have been the same. It shouldn't have been different. At least that much different. She calibrated the glucose monitor before using the new glucose strips. She also changed the value. She also washed her hands first. she didn't want to get any of her blood in with his and get an inaccurate reading. She is now thinking there is something wrong with the AlphaTrak 2.

I have a One Touch Delica? glucose monitor. She asked the vet tech if she could use it but the vet tech said no. She was forced to buy the AlphaTrak. Seems an unnecessary expensive especially when the liquid to test the AlphaTrak is only good for 3 months. I think each bottle of liquid is about $20 a pop. It adds up.

Can you use a Once Touch Delica glucose monitor to test your cats blood sugar. I am out of glucose strips but they are far cheaper (half the cost) than those for AlphaTrak, and you do not have to keep resetting it when you buy more strips. I was thinking if we could use it, we could buy the larger lancets used for kitties.

Is there a conversion chart for kitties if using a human glucose monitor like One Touch Delica.

Many thanks in advance for your insight and suggestions.

 

[CandyH & Catcat]

it's usable BUT --- check to see how large a blood sample you need, to make it work properly
(guessing, it's probably an Ultra2 -- the lancets and lancet pen are the Delicas)

your AlphaTrak requires only a pin-head size sample of blood -- .3 uL
so do the human meters Freedom Lite and ReliOn Confirm/Micro

the newer OneTouch Verio needs a .4

ReliOn Prime needs a .5

I have several older OneTouch meters left over, Ultras of various names -- they all require too much blood for ME, let alone the cat

many, if not most, of the members on here are using human meters very successfully, most of the advice given will refer to numbers generated by human meters

 

[Larry and Kitties]

The One Touch Delica is a Lancet pen with their own lancets. The lancets come only in 30 and 31 gauge.
The older one Touch meters (Ultra's and Mini) require 1.0 uL of blood. I use those (really with the GenUltimate third-party test strips since the real One Touch strips are too expensive) for two of my cats. I use an iHealth meter for my other two cats and that required 0.7 uL.
Human meters get a little lower BG that "real BG/lab measure/measured with a pet meter like the AlphaTrak)

 

[FurBabiesMama]

First of all, 19 and 26 are very close numbers. Keep in mind that no meter is 100% accurate. Don't get hung up on such a small difference. Also, there are things that can factor in, for example, did she test using the same blood drop or a brand new drop? Blood that sets out can test differently than fresh blood.

Always testing before giving a shot is necessary to keep them safe. If they are unexpectedly low at shot time and you blindly proceed with giving a full dose of insulin, it can be dangerous. Testing between shots is what lets you see the impact of the dose you give. The nadir (lowest point in the cycle) with ProZinc usually falls between +4 and +8, so under normal circumstances, if you are only going to be able to do one test during the cycle, I would not do it as early as +2. You could vary the times you do it to start to get an idea of when Roops is usually the lowest... for example, test at +4 one cycle then test at +5 or 6 during the next then at +7 or 8 during the next.

The majority of people here use a human meter, so doing that is perfectly fine. Some have vets that 'require' that they use the AlphaTrak2, so they use it just when they are doing a curve to send to the vet. There are also some people here who use the AlphaTrak2 but use different, cheaper strips. You have options.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

OH, I forgot to add... I think all control solutions expire after about 3 months, but you do not usually have to use the control solutions. Some people use it to test one strip out of a new vial of strips; others, (I fall in this group) use it only if they start getting wacko enough readings that they are questioning whether the strips are good or not (this is so very, very rare).

 

[Roops]

it's usable BUT --- check to see how large a blood sample you need, to make it work properly
(guessing, it's probably an Ultra2 -- the lancets and lancet pen are the Delicas)

your AlphaTrak requires only a pin-head size sample of blood -- .3 uL
so do the human meters Freedom Lite and ReliOn Confirm/Micro

the newer OneTouch Verio needs a .4

ReliOn Prime needs a .5

I have several older OneTouch meters left over, Ultras of various names -- they all require too much blood for ME, let alone the cat

many, if not most, of the members on here are using human meters very successfully, most of the advice given will refer to numbers generated by human meters

Thank you for your insight.
I'm wrong it's a One Touch Verio, or the actual monitor is. My lancets were Delica. I never considered how much blood you'd require for the glucose strips. we are currently taking it from inside his ear. I thought we could use larger lancets that were intended for pets and not people lancets. btw we just took another reading. it's about 3-4 after the last one was done. This time it gave us a reading of 3.6. He didn't have anything to eat since the last reading. We immediately gave him a few dry kibble, and some pate. His hoovering it down. We will take his blood again before his next shot. If it remains low, we will either not give him another shot or lower the dose. I think anything below 10 is too low. We will be trying or testing his blood again this coming week when my daughter is off. I will say this is very confusing. We are also thinking of not allowing him to graze or eat for 2 hours following his shot.

 

[Roops]

The One Touch Delica is a Lancet pen with their own lancets. The lancets come only in 30 and 31 gauge.
The older one Touch meters (Ultra's and Mini) require 1.0 uL of blood. I use those (really with the GenUltimate third-party test strips since the real One Touch strips are too expensive) for two of my cats. I use an iHealth meter for my other two cats and that required 0.7 uL.
Human meters get a little lower BG that "real BG/lab measure/measured with a pet meter like the AlphaTrak)

So Human meters give a slightly low reading than AlphaTrak would. We are Canadians. We measure or read blood glucose differently. Our values are different. Is there a conversion chart for pets if using a human glucose meter. Or are the readings the same as they would be for humans. I think 5 is desirable to 7 for a human. (90 to 126?) Would this be acceptable for kitties. Our vet or the vet tech never told us a good number to aim for. Here is a link to a conversion chart I always used for human blood glucose values. https://www.joslin.org/info/conversion_table_for_blood_glucose_monitoring.html

 

[Roops]

First of all, 19 and 26 are very close numbers. Keep in mind that no meter is 100% accurate. Don't get hung up on such a small difference. Also, there are things that can factor in, for example, did she test using the same blood drop or a brand new drop? Blood that sets out can test differently than fresh blood.

Always testing before giving a shot is necessary to keep them safe. If they are unexpectedly low at shot time and you blindly proceed with giving a full dose of insulin, it can be dangerous. Testing between shots is what lets you see the impact of the dose you give. The nadir (lowest point in the cycle) with ProZinc usually falls between +4 and +8, so under normal circumstances, if you are only going to be able to do one test during the cycle, I would not do it as early as +2. You could vary the times you do it to start to get an idea of when Roops is usually the lowest... for example, test at +4 one cycle then test at +5 or 6 during the next then at +7 or 8 during the next.

The majority of people here use a human meter, so doing that is perfectly fine. Some have vets that 'require' that they use the AlphaTrak2, so they use it just when they are doing a curve to send to the vet. There are also some people here who use the AlphaTrak2 but use different, cheaper strips. You have options.

I think she used the same poke but it was like nano seconds later. The blood could have begun coagulating. Good to know it may have caused the difference.
What is +4 +5 etc. I don't understand.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

What is +4 +5 etc. I don't understand.

That is the number of hours after the insulin shot. You said a test was done 2 hours after the shot - that would be +2.

It would be helpful if you could set up one of the spreadsheets we use here. It is an extremely valuable tool.
How to set it up: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Understanding it: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

 

[CandyH & Catcat]

the important thing: when we talk about +4 (or whatever) we are talking about how long it's been since the last injection/shot
(not since the last test, not since the last time you fed)

the not-so-important thing: most glucometers can be set to mmol/L (which everyone in the world BUT the USA uses) or mg/dL which we unenlightened colonials use; glad you have that handy conversion chart --

it's true about how quickly the blood can coagulate -- when I get a "not enough blood" result, I can't use that same drop (even if it bleeds more) to change to another meter strip and retest -- I have to do a re-poke (again!), which upsets Catcat -- and the meter I'm using takes the least amount of blood

lancet size -- it's not really pet size vs human size, it's really older meters that need more blood per test vs newer meters that need far less -- some humans need the 26 or 28 gauge lancets, some only need the tiny pinprick that a 31 or even 33 gauge lancet will produce -- same with cats -- some bleed readily with the smallest pricking, some hold onto blood as if it's gold, and need almost a poke rather than a gentler touch, or need multiple pinpricks to make blood well up

 

[Idjit's mom]

I will say this is very confusing. We are also thinking of not allowing him to graze or eat for 2 hours following his shot.

It is confusing at first, many of us felt the same until we gained better understanding of feline diabetic treatment, myself definitely included.

Re: not letting Roops eat until 2 hours after injection isn't necessary. We just recommend that you withhold food for two hours before the morning and evening test, so those particular readings aren't food influenced. If Roops isn't regulated yet, he's going to be hungry because unregulated kitties just can't utilize the food effectively. So, you can let him have food.

Getting the spreadsheet set up is going to help you see how the insulin is working for Roops, the +4 is 4 hours after an injection. Since our members are from all over the world, clock time just doesn't apply. It's easier to see what the readings are so many hours after each injection, and advising members can review the spreadsheet information before offering more appropriate advice.

 

[CandyH & Catcat]

not a ProZinc user, not experienced with it, so will defer to those who are -- asking on the ProZinc forum is a great idea especially for dosing advice or opinions

"normal nondiabetic range" for cats on an AT2 meter is roughly 3.8 to 8.3; on a human meter it's 2.8 to 6.7
(no there is NOT a handydandy conversion between them)

now those are rough estimates, generalized, == but if you score lower than 3.8 on AT2 or lower than 2.8 on human meter -- it's the danger zone warning
getting at all close to those, be cautious, observe, test, ask on the forums

most of our recently-diagnosed cats will run higher than those ranges, but that's the goal we are eventually aiming at, see if we can help them to stay consistently close to that --

 

[Robert Vittetoe]

I’m very new and not knowledgeable enough to give advice. I’ve only been testing since Sunday with a human meter ReliOn Prime and my vet wanted me to use the Alpha Trak 2. I ordered one and it arrived yesterday. I’ve only done 2 test with it so far. I’ve noticed it uses less blood. I have a hard to handle cat (but he is learning quickly). We had to hold the ReliOn strip in place a short time to get the blood to fill the slot on the strip. So far the Alpha Trak just seems easier with just a quick touch of the strip to the blood. As far as converting from Human meter to Alpha Trak I found this thread very interesting. Based on some of my conversions it seems pretty close. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...ert-between-human-and-pet-glucometers.125256/

 

[CandyH & Catcat]

just a caveat == read the ENTIRE thread -- the first postings were in 2014 -- yes to me that seems like yesterday, but 5 years makes a difference, sometimes a huge difference, in technology

personally I like to stick with one meter -- and look at the tendencies of the tests, what sort of curve they indicate, to plan what to do next

remember, we are only taking "snapshots" of what the glucose in the blood is doing at that particular instant -- it's dynamic, it's ever changing, it's influenced by so many factors, many of which we can't control

some vets can't see ANYTHING but the AlphaTrak2 that they are familiar with; if they are intransigent, it's a kindness to supply them with results using the same meter they like -- IF you have the spare change to do so

most vets are not that rigid, they can see that results on human meters (which have been around a lot longer, the pet specific meters are newer), can show tendencies, can be counted on to be as accurate to themselves, as the AlphaTraks are to themselves -- after all, human meters are what vets used, before the AlphaTrak came on the scene, and it, itself, has been "upgraded and modified"

if nothing else, the human meters and the strips that work in them, are very much cheaper -- leading to more testing if you find pinches in your pocketbook, leading to more accurate knowledge of what's going on in your cat .. surely a vet can appreciate that

 

[Roops]

That is the number of hours after the insulin shot. You said a test was done 2 hours after the shot - that would be +2.

It would be helpful if you could set up one of the spreadsheets we use here. It is an extremely valuable tool.
How to set it up: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Understanding it: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

Thank you for clearing this up for me. Right now my daughter is doing the testing and writing it down in a book. I will eventually transfer the data over to a spreadsheet. How often is it recommended to test their blood. Since she works it would not be convenient to do it daily.

 

[Roops]

It is confusing at first, many of us felt the same until we gained better understanding of feline diabetic treatment, myself definitely included.

Re: not letting Roops eat until 2 hours after injection isn't necessary. We just recommend that you withhold food for two hours before the morning and evening test, so those particular readings aren't food influenced. If Roops isn't regulated yet, he's going to be hungry because unregulated kitties just can't utilize the food effectively. So, you can let him have food.

Getting the spreadsheet set up is going to help you see how the insulin is working for Roops, the +4 is 4 hours after an injection. Since our members are from all over the world, clock time just doesn't apply. It's easier to see what the readings are so many hours after each injection, and advising members can review the spreadsheet information before offering more appropriate advice.

Most current blood glucose test done moments ago. Would be approximately 10+ hours after injection. He was a 10.9 up from 3.6 which was done 5+ after the insulin injection. We let him eat after the 10+ test, and again after the 5+ test. We are beginning to wonder if he is on too high of a dose. Uncertain if we should be giving him 5 units of Prozinc tonight or not. Typically give it 12 hours apart.

 

[Roops]

just a caveat == read the ENTIRE thread -- the first postings were in 2014 -- yes to me that seems like yesterday, but 5 years makes a difference, sometimes a huge difference, in technology

personally I like to stick with one meter -- and look at the tendencies of the tests, what sort of curve they indicate, to plan what to do next

remember, we are only taking "snapshots" of what the glucose in the blood is doing at that particular instant -- it's dynamic, it's ever changing, it's influenced by so many factors, many of which we can't control

some vets can't see ANYTHING but the AlphaTrak2 that they are familiar with; if they are intransigent, it's a kindness to supply them with results using the same meter they like -- IF you have the spare change to do so

most vets are not that rigid, they can see that results on human meters (which have been around a lot longer, the pet specific meters are newer), can show tendencies, can be counted on to be as accurate to themselves, as the AlphaTraks are to themselves -- after all, human meters are what vets used, before the AlphaTrak came on the scene, and it, itself, has been "upgraded and modified"

if nothing else, the human meters and the strips that work in them, are very much cheaper -- leading to more testing if you find pinches in your pocketbook, leading to more accurate knowledge of what's going on in your cat .. surely a vet can appreciate that

At a glance I can see how little the AlphaTrak2 takes for a blood sample. I never considered or thought of that. A human monitor does require a larger droplet. Personally I've ruined a good many glucose sticks when I did not have enough of a sample.

I will see if any other strips might be available to us that would work in the AlphaTrak 2.

 

[Idjit's mom]

Most current blood glucose test done moments ago. Would be approximately 10+ hours after injection. He was a 10.9 up from 3.6 which was done 5+ after the insulin injection. We let him eat after the 10+ test, and again after the 5+ test. We are beginning to wonder if he is on too high of a dose. Uncertain if we should be giving him 5 units of Prozinc tonight or not. Typically give it 12 hours apart.

You might be right and the dose might be too high. Get the spreadsheet up, plug in the data and post in the Prozinc forum. Rachel and Djamila are two of the experienced Prozinc members and they can advise you, but they will need that data, as much data as possible about the insulin dosage so far and all the testing results you have. At least visit that forum, read the yellow tagged stickies at the top of the forum and create a thread asking if the dose is too high, or what they recommend you do going forward to help Roops.

In this thread you are mainly looking for information about meters, and it's best to take dosing concerns and questions to the insulin support group forum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
and get the best advice about that subject.

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

which everyone in the world BUT the USA uses)

Not quite the case. There are a few countries still using the old scale as well as the US including Mexico because they get their glucometers from the US.

There is no way to covert pet meter to human meter numbers. Pet meters generally read higher with the difference being greater the higher the BG. Cat blood and human blood carry glucose differently and that is why there is a difference. There is also up to a 20% meter variance allowance that further complicates trying to convert one set of readings to another.

A human meter is a perfectly good tool for use with our kitties. The trick is to pick a meter and stick with it. Normal BG with a human meter is 50 to 120 while with an AT2 pet meter it is 68 to 150 (and IDEXX labs say up to 175).

Pet meters are extremely expensive to use if you test often and that alone leads a lot of folks to switch to a human meter.