Difference between human and pet meter

[Julie mueller]

My vet just called me to get my kitty's BG numbers for yesterday and today because we are still trying to decide if we are going to start insulin or not at this point .
She asked me which meter I am testing with and I told her a human one and she said she would like me to get a pet meter and do a curve chart next week . I'm curious what the difference is in the meters ?

My little man is currently on the borderline of needing insulin ... the last two days his levels have been from 202 down to 136.

Thanks in advance!

 

[FurBabiesMama]

With a human meter you get a lower reading than you would with a pet meter. So, you have to keep in mind that your numbers are really a bit lower than Smokey's actual glucose levels.

 

[Jasper Blue and Jay]

Yesterday in the vet's office my vet's alphatrack read 123 and my Relion Premier Voice read 110.

Do with that information what you will lol.

It's only like $15 at walmart and the strips are the same low price as the prime meter, and this one talks to you! lol and gives you averages for the day, week, two weeks, month, 3 months too I think. So you can track progress to see if the average readings are trending higher lower or staying about the same. Also it tells you the temperature but I keep forgetting to read up on why that's relevant! lol

(that variation is much smaller than when I've tested with the same meter and the same drop of blood in back to back comparison tests, and its much closer than when I compared this relion meter to a relion premier compact meter. Again, do with that information what you will lol)

 

[Julie mueller]

Yesterday in the vet's office my vet's alphatrack read 123 and my Relion Premier Voice read 110.

Do with that information what you will lol.

It's only like $15 at walmart and the strips are the same low price as the prime meter, and this one talks to you! lol and gives you averages for the day, week, two weeks, month, 3 months too I think. So you can track progress to see if the average readings are trending higher lower or staying about the same. Also it tells you the temperature but I keep forgetting to read up on why that's relevant! lol

(that variation is much smaller than when I've tested with the same meter and the same drop of blood in back to back comparison tests, and its much closer than when I compared this relion meter to a relion premier compact meter. Again, do with that information what you will lol)

So my vet said to get a pet meter . Should I get one or just add like 15 to his readings?

 

[Athenaglaukopis]

if you get a human meter, use the human meter chart.
as you can see in my signature im transitioning from the pet meter to the human meter because the cost is outrageous in the pet meter.
you can compare same day reading in both meters to see some of the different readings I get in one and the other one, don't be fooled. they do read differently.
if I were you, I would use just the human meter.

 

[AmandaE]

Hey Julie!

I know it can be a struggle to go against the advice of your vet, but it is my opinion that it really doesn't matter which one you use, as long as you're seeing a downward trend in Blood glucose readings. I can tell you that my vet supported the use of a human glucosometer, he is also a trained professional, so if you were leaning toward a human meter maybe that will help you make the decision.

For me, the choice to use a human meter was primarily made from a price standpoint. Pet test strips cost almost double what human test strips cost. I also considered the fact that I was planning to take a lot of Mowgli's diabetic care into my own hands (partially to avoid unnecessary vet costs). To achieve this I planned to use a lot of the reference material on this forum which typically refers to human meter readings (there is definitely support materials for both though).

In the end it really doesn't matter which type you use, as long as you're testing, you will be getting a good handle on Smokey's BG levels and giving yourself a great understanding of how he is responding to treatment. If cost is something that you need to take into consideration I think the human meter is the way to go.

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

So my vet said to get a pet meter . Should I get one or just add like 15 to his readings?

Julie, the 15 in that statement is $15 - that's the cost of the Walmart Premier human meter.

There's no way to correlate readings between the 2 meters. A human meter usually reads lower altho' the Premier Voice tends to match the pet meters closer than the other human meters. They read on different 'scales' just like a thermometer. Freezing is Zero Celsius while freezing is 32 degrees Fahrenheit - same temp, just different reading scales.

 

[Jasper Blue and Jay]

So my vet said to get a pet meter . Should I get one or just add like 15 to his readings?

The strips are very expensive for the pet meters, so I'm sure your vet would understand if you used a human meter.
My vet was surprised when she saw me test him in front of her and said it was a much better meter than she was expecting lol.

Since most people here use human meters, they have factored the difference in to the charts they use here, for example the reading where you begin to treat for a possible hypoglycemia is different with the pet vs. human meter, which is yes about 18 points, but there is no direct translation between the two meters since all the meters have a margin of error anyway.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

They read on different 'scales' just like a thermometer. Freezing is Zero Celsius while freezing is 32 degrees Fahrenheit - same temp, just different reading scales.

I do not think that that is good example. The distribution of glucose between the liquid part of the blood and glucose tied up in the actual red blood cells are different between human blood, cat blood (and different that other animals). The glucose value that you get from laboratory results is that from the liquid portion only. The hand held BG meters measure a combination (but not all) of the glucose in the liquid and in the red blood cells. In the AlphaTrak meter a different code is input depending upon the animal species being measured.
https://www.wellion.eu/en/animals-diabetes/why_a_special_blood_glucose_meter/blood_different/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769960/
(Factors Affecting Blood Glucose Monitoring: Sources of Errors in Measurement)