Alphatrak 2 vs. Contour Next Reading

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beccers2017

beccers2017

Member Since 2016
Hi everyone,

I just had quick question about the readings I got today. Misty has been having some problems with chronic high sugars, and many symptoms associated with it despite being started on insulin, so I've been trying to closely monitor her. Our vet loaned us the alphatrak 2 meter, however we are close to out of strips so I bought the Bayer Contour Next meter since the strips I can find cheaper. On her pre-shot/meal check, I used both meters and got to fairly different readings and wasn't sure if this is normal and which is the reliable reading?

The readings were-
Alphatrak 2: 321
Contour Next: 261

Thats an eighty point difference which seems kind of large to me.
 
beccers2017 said:
Hi everyone,

I just had quick question about the readings I got today. Misty has been having some problems with chronic high sugars, and many symptoms associated with it despite being started on insulin, so I've been trying to closely monitor her. Our vet loaned us the alphatrak 2 meter, however we are close to out of strips so I bought the Bayer Contour Next meter since the strips I can find cheaper. On her pre-shot/meal check, I used both meters and got to fairly different readings and wasn't sure if this is normal and which is the reliable reading?

The readings were-
Alphatrak 2: 321
Contour Next: 261

Thats an eighty point difference which seems kind of large to me.
Click to expand...
AT is almost always going to be higher--they say to allow a 20% variance... which is still a little off but I have also heard in the higher ranges they tend to be more off than the lower numbers. I use AT--it is expensive :(
I think many people use "Relion" from walmart I think-
 
jayla said:
AT is almost always going to be higher--they say to allow a 20% variance...
Click to expand...
There is no direct linear or percentage conversion to convert one meter reading to the other. Even if there was, there is also the 20% meter variance allowance for all glucometers so even 2 human meters will not give you exactly the same readings on the same drop of blood. Some meters are more accurate at low numbers, some at high numbers. None of the numbers are exact.

The pet meter always reads higher so yes @beccers2017 those readings are a normal difference. The pet meter is more accurate when compared to animal lab values. That said, using a human meter with the reference numbers on this site for human meters works just as well. Cat blood is different from human blood so the algorithms used in the meters are different and that's why the numbers are so different.
 
Where can I find the reference numbers? Sorry, I'm still trying to figure out how things work here on this site.
 
There is no one specific list of reference numbers. There are reference numbers included on several documents here including the Tight Regulation protocol, Start Low Go Slow method, and Treat Hypos. The TR protocol and SLGS method are used with Lantus and Levemir. If you are using a different insulin, the references for dose changes etc. do not apply and you should post for specific assistance if in need of dosing advice.

In the big scheme of things, it's only the low number references you need to be aware of. High is high no matter what meter you are using but when dealing with low numbers, there is a difference that matters. Since the pet meter reads higher, the warning number for going too low is higher than the warning for a human meter.
 
There's really no way to compare the AlphaTrak to a human meter......nobody here has ever been able to make a direct correlation between the two (as in "if you get "X" on the AlphaTrak, that means "Y" on a human meter)

The only "official" number we have is that 68 on the AT is equal to 50 on a human meter

Trying to compare the two will just drive you crazy, so it's important to pick which meter you can afford to use (up to 8 times a day...sometimes even more!) and stick with it

One of the most popular meters here is the Relion Confirm or Micro from WalMart...at about $15 for the meter and $35.88 per 100 strips, it's affordable, takes the tiniest sample and is very reliable
 
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