does alphatrak read high? (freestyle+3, 54 +4 57)

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MJ and Gobnait

MJ and Gobnait

Member Since 2011
sorry if this is the wrong place to post this questions but it seemed most logical.

i am about to buy new strips and in doing some research saw that a few have commented that the alpah trak glucosameter tracks high?

given that gobnait is pretty regularly teetering between blue and green at 2.5 units of lantus i should be careful of that right?

recommendations?

am also looking for a timed WET food feeder. no such thing eh?

Gobnait's coat is so much better but her neuropathy isn't improving and today she wanted top play with a curtain string but was about 6 inches short of it..... naturally now i'm worried about her eyesight. her cat sitter gave her dry food this weekend too and shot her but didn't test her.

oi just want to be as careful as i can be while i'm working.

thanks!
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

The Alphatrak does run "high" compared to a human meter. The Tight Regulation Protocol (taken from the sticky) accounts for this difference. In general, the AT will run around 30 points higher than a human meter. Keep in mind if you are comparing, that all meters are allowed a 20% margin of error in both directions, so it is entirely possible that you may get the same number with an AT and a human meter, or there may be more than 30 points difference on any given test.

We definitely recommend mid-cycle spot checks to try to pinpoint how low a cat is going on a given dose, and we advocate adjusting doses based on that number as opposed to a pre-shot number. For a newly diagnosed cat, hitting 80 on an AT means reducing the dose by 0.25u.

Hope that helps!
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

Yes the Alpha Track runs about 30 points higher than human meters, so all the reduction numbers you see would be30 points higher as well.It Looks like Gobnait has had over a week of 130 or less and I think that is covered in this section of the the Protocol for reductons:
Reducing the dose...
If kitty drops below 40 (long term diabetic) or 50 (newly diagnosed diabetic) reduce the dose by 0.25 unit. If kitty has a history of not holding reductions well or if reductions are close together... sneak the dose down by shaving the dose rather than reducing by a full quarter unit. Alternatively, at each newly reduced dose... try to make sure kitty maintains numbers in the normal range for seven days before reducing the dose further.
Click to expand...

I'd put a question in you daily condo subject line about reducing.

A-Track is expensive and so are the strips, that's why most of us use human meters, besides the fact that most of the studies used them. Many people use the Relion meter from Walmart, it is inexpensive and so are the strips. Alternatively you can order online. Many of us go to ADW the Arkray meter and strips are the same as the Relion, which is just repackaged for Walmart. I use the Maxima meter which is still available there. These have the least expensive strips and have proven reliable. Avoid the TrueTest line as some have had accuracy problems w/ them. There are often coupon codes for discounts and you can go there through Mr.Rebates and 8% back as well.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

I started with the AlphaTrak and switched to the ReliOn. There is supposed to be a 20% variance between them. In doing comparisons I never experienced. I switched to the ReliOn because of availability of test strips and cost. Using 10-12 AlphaTrak strips a day proves to be expensive.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

thanks. the alpha trax strips ARE expensive but i really cant even get that many tests in. thankfully she's been pretty steady.

I did just repost with her AMPS and +5. +6 on the way.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

From what I understand, the numbers are higher but it doesn't mean that your cat's blood glucose is higher. The difference is the way animal meters measure the blood. It's like fahrenheit versus celsius. Same darn hot weather, different scale.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

Because the numbers on the AlphaTrack are calibrated differently, the criteria for when a cat earns a dose reduction is different, as well. On the AlphaTrack, if Gobnait's numbers drop below 80, the dose should be reduced. You've not taken dose reductions on 7/12, 7/15, 7/23 and 7/26. I don't even want to try to guess how many times Gobnait's numbers have dropped below 80 at night. You have GOT to start getting more PM tests since you can't reliably test during the day. There is a very good potential that your cat is sitting in low numbers for extended periods of time. This is not good.

An 80 on the AlphaTrack is equivalent to a 50 on a human glucometer; numbers in the 70s are roughly the same as numbers in the 40s.

Please read over the dosing protocol so you know how to manage low numbers and when to take reductions.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

hi there,

I have to ditto Sienne's post, there are some low numbers on your ss that should of gotten reduction because you are using the AT.
Print out some of the info given to you and the protocol if you haven't already.
Maybe it is time to invest in a human meter, as well as having a back up meter, always a good idea.

As for the feeder, there is no wet food feeder that I know of, however, many of us use the Petsafe brand, which has a spot for a small ice pack, plus by adding a little water moisture to each food slot, it helps keep the food fresh. Works very well!

here is a link to the direct website and products, the most common one is the 5 meal slot feeder.

http://www.petsafe.net/Products/Feed-an ... matic.aspx
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

Many of us use small bowls that fit into the petsafe, the compartments are pretty deep and Tess for one doesn't like sticking her head that deep. It makes it easier to clean too. if you go with it you have to be really careful to seat the tray properly or it won't rotate correctly.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

thanks all. petsafe feeder is on the way.

i kept getting reassurance that her numbers weren't too low. i was even scared of the green numbers at first! i didn't realize it made a difference what meter i was using so never mentioned it. it's what the vet gave me, period. I'll measure her tonight, subtract 20, if low, drop by .25 and get some late night reads as well.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

MJ and Gobnait said:
I'll measure her tonight, subtract 20, if low, drop by .25 and get some late night reads as well.
Click to expand...
you'll want to subtract 30 from gobnait's nadir. if that number is 50 or less, a reduction of 0.25u has been earned.

according to dr. rand in the Dosing protocol for cats on glargine or detemir using daily home monitoring of blood glucose concentrations to adjust insulin dose:

"It is very important to note that blood glucose concentrations measured using a whole blood
glucose meter calibrated for human blood may measure 30-40% lower in the low end of the range than
glucose concentrations measured using a serum chemistry analyser or a plasma-equivalent meter calibrated
for feline use. Therefore, if using a meter calibrated for feline use (eg. AlphaTRAK, Abbott
Laboratories, CA, USA), or a serum chemistry analyzer, add approximately 30 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)
to the target glucose concentrations (see Table 3B). For example, a target > 50 mg/dL (2.8
mmol/L) becomes > 80 mg/dL (4.4 mmo/L) when using a meter calibrated for feline use. Instead of
aiming for 50-100mg/dL (2.8-5.6 mmol/L) , aim for 80-130 mg/dL (4.4-7.2 mmol/L [round numbers
4.5-7.0 mmol/L). Meters calibrated for feline use may read higher or lower than the actual value, in
contrast to consistently lower readings for meters validated for human blood."

when using the alphatrak meter, you'll want to aim for a target range of 80 - 130. anything under 80 earns a reduction.
make sense?
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

Thanks Jill - crystal clear and makes sense. kitty has earned a reduction for sure!

How is "normal range" defined below?

* If kitty drops below 40 (long term diabetic) or 50 (newly diagnosed diabetic) reduce the dose by 0.25 unit. If kitty has a history of not holding reductions well or if reductions are close together... sneak the dose down by shaving the dose rather than reducing by a full quarter unit. Alternatively, at each newly reduced dose... try to make sure kitty maintains numbers in the normal range for seven days before reducing the dose further.

i will also get the other meter used by the forum. do rather wish i hadn't just bought the strips but I'll keep it around for backup!

i didn't realize how low i was on the strips. i only have 2 left! more arrive tomorrow...
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

generally speaking, the normal range for kitty's blood glucose is considered to be 50 -120 on a human meter and 80 - 150 on a meter calibrated for feline use.

in terms of the reductions paragraph you quoted, you'd want to see if kitty can stabilize in the 50 - 100 range on a human meter or 80 - 130 range on a feline calibrated meter for a week before attempting a reduction.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

wow. okay. well she's been pretty stable so.... .25 down tonight.

thanks!

have the meter name in my spreadsheet now and signature.

maybe it's good that the cat sitter was letting her have that dry food all weekend too. she really wanted my ice cream last night..... but then she wants everything I eat. I'm surprised how good she's being about being denied. The bag of shrimp in the fridge might be helping.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

you're understanding the concerns we've been expressing. :-D
yes, i think it was probably good that the petsitter let her have dry all weekend.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

and AS IF ON CUE. My AlphaTrak is suddenly flashing LO (for low battery) and I can't find the charger. am headed out to walgrens now for a human one. can't believe it.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

so walgrens had 5 million different test products all of which had strips MORE expensive that my Alpha Trak! I bought a freestyle light and it's matching 77 dollar box of 50 test strips only to find that the test solution was not included!

then i turned on my alpha trak and it said it had 50% battery. and now i only have the 2 test strips.

SO, I gave er a shot of 2.25ish (really between 2.5 and 2 it's pretty hard to control what's in that tiny syringe!) and will test her before i go to bed with the alpha trak (which i prefer tonight anyway since I'm used to it) and again around 2:30 am I guess? or, if i only have the two strips (or the uncalibrated freestyle light..) do i test late tonight and again before i shoot her?

all in one day i learn that her levels are low, that i have the wrong tester, that it's out of juice and buy a new one with no testing fluid.... helluva day.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

wow thats so much cheaper!

but i'm not using the freestyle tonight and only have two strips for the alphatrak an d since she's been consistently low thought that they would be best used tonight to ensure she's not dropping TOO low in the eve or too high before the next shot (rather than at pmps)
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

and in a sudden moment of clarity in my cat-panic addled mind - I decided to test with BOTH testers and see if the freestyle reading makes sense even if i couldn't calibrate it with the test liquid.

89 on alphatrak and 66 on the freestyle. sounds like the difference i should be seeing.

will move over to the freestyle and locate test serum tomorrow.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

sounds good. remember, when using the freestyle you'll want to reduce if gobnait falls below 50.
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

mj, i have a freestyle lite (and love it) and there's no test fluid to calibrate it. i've never done that - are you sure that it's needed? of course they could've changed things but i only got mine in february. i also buy from american diabetes wholesale - and YES, way cheaper than in the stores. here's another trickeroo - go to mrrebates.com and sign up - you'll get an additional 8% back on whatever you buy through that site, including at ADW. sometimes there are coupon codes for free shipping or a percentage off too.

the great thing about today - you've learned A TON! wahoo for education! :-D (gotta put a positive spin on it somehow!) and nothing terrible happened to the little girl while you were learning. so yay for that!
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

I'll get a +3 too. i notice that her previous +3s are low. and my cats are both pretty diurnal so at night she's really just waiting for me to go to be so she can climb in too.

and yeah the instructions on the freestyle do say to calibrate it with some mystery test fluid they haven't supplied.

but i feel safe just seeing that the difference is how people reported and yea i like that cute little freestyle. sometimes smaller is better.

ugh. such a panic for my kitty! the first time she went under 100 I panicked and gave her cake frosting. i joined the forum the next day. :)
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

julie1220 said:
mj, i have a freestyle lite (and love it) and there's no test fluid to calibrate it. i've never done that - are you sure that it's needed?
Click to expand...
here's the owner's manual for the freestyle lite where it talks about testing with control solution: http://www.abbottdiabetescare.com/static/cms_workspace/document/ART10792_Rev-B_web.pdf.

the same freestyle control solution is used with all the freestyle meters: http://www.abbottdiabetescare.com/freestyle-lite-system-frequently-asked-questions.html#9
 
Re: does alphatrak read high?

hm. 48 on one ear and 54 on the other at +3.... i gave her some of her favorite dry food.

the 48 number was tested after a sort of big poke (she pulled back - ouch) n spread onto the neosporin i only JUST bought for her ears. ii wanted to be more certain and thats why i tested the other ear. i wonder though if these things are just that temperamental.
 
Test fluid is used to check your meters accuracy not to calibrate the meter. Freestyle comes calibrated. I have had type 1 D for almost 50 years and seldom use the fluid to check my meter. Also, if you call Abbott and ask for the fluid, they will often send you some. At least they send it to me at no cost but I would not tell them it is for a cat. Again, I have never gotten a new meter and used the control solution. I have only used it after a period of time and I test a lot. It is fine to use the meter as it comes, especially since you have tested it against the Alpha Trak.

I know you do get it about low numbers but i want to reitierate this in case you do not know this. Low blood sugars can cause death. I know a gal who died in her sleep from low BGs. Please be very careful with your kitty as others have warned. It is so dangerous to allow them to get too low. Having been there myself, it feels awful and can effect your kitty dramatically as I have said. The brain needs a certain healthy level of glucose to stay alive and to function normally.
 
ah, here it is:

The FreeStyle® Control Solution
FreeStyle Control Solution is a red liquid that contains a
fixed amount of glucose that is used to:
• Practice testing without having to use your own blood.
• Ensure that your meter and test strips are working
together properly.
A control solution test should be performed when you
question your results and want to confirm that your monitor and test
strips are working properly.
For information on how to obtain Control Solution, call Customer
Care at 1-888-522-5226.
Click to expand...

all you're doing is double-checking for accuracy with the control solution. if you checked it against the AT already, you've got that double-checked. i would trust the numbers.
 
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