Glucometer discrepancy at vet

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Sherry & Tipper

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I had Tipper at the vet this morning for a blood check and asked them to also check using my glucometer (a RiteAid True2Go). Their equipment read a BG of 490 and vs. 284 using my glucometer.

Is this cause for concern in terms of whether or not I can trust my home test results?

Since we discovered she's a sugar cat again on 7/6 when bloodwork showed a BG of 574 we've taken her off dry food entirely and she is mostly eating Wellness canned with some added plain canned pumpkin to help with constipation. The first test with the True2Go meter was the next day, 7/7, and it showed a BG of 68. Thought we were in great shape. Since then I've tested her once or twice most days and she's usually between 175 and 250 and I've been wondering if the 68 was a fluke.

Because she has so many readings over 200, we're starting back on insulin (ProZinc) as of today ... and I really need a glucometer I can trust.

This meter was free and there aren't that many test strips left, so I'm not averse to getting a different type of meter if anyone can recommend something easy to use (this one is a little hard to handle because it's extremely small) and, most of all, reliable.

Sherry
 
Am not familiar with RiteAid True2Go, but hope someone else will stop by to give you input on this, since that was a large discrepancy.
 
from my experience here over the years, alot of people have found that most of the meters with True in their name are questionable as far as accuracy. a few though have had no problems with them soooooo

another consideration i believe is how the blood sample was obtained at the vets and how they got their reading. in other words, did they also use an ear prick and test from the same sample? or did you do an ear prick and they sucked some from a vein? that i believe would make for some difference in the readings. oh, and theirs isn't a fructosamine test result is it?
 
The vet did not do an ear prick. They definitely got the blood from her neck because she was all wet with alcohol there. Also, it was definitely not a fructosamine test, just regular blood glucose. Not sure what equipment they used but it took a good 5 to 10 minutes for them to come back in with the results.

Good to know about meters with "true" in the name. I will keep that in mind as I shop for a different one.

Sherry
 
Hi Sherry, and, of course, you too, who knows how sweet, Tipper,

I'm with Ann. This is a huge discrepancy. And, yes, I have done side-by-side meter tests with vets. And, they started believing in home testing when the meters were 7 points apart. Basically, you're looking for 10-20% variation in a vampire scheme of things...

I'm not familiar with the RiteAid True2Go. Is it possible that the meter isn't properly calibrated or whatevered? I'm only asking because the very first time I tested Giz, I tested myself first and was 21. That's probably like death. And, I actually posted my demise here... Yep... But, because I figured I was already dead, actually started home testing the little darling. It takes what it takes. It is what it is. We do what we can.

So. Did you test yourself first? You know, before we give you any number of other meter choices?

You can tell me anything, Sherry. I actually posted my demise here. I can take it!

Love and love conquers all kinds of hugs,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, who taught me volumes about volumes of meters, eventually...

PS: Please do not be afraid the FDMB webmaster still lets me post here... You're smiling, right?
 
We attempted a side-by-side comparison at our vet recently, and were witnesses to the process. They took blood from a vein in her leg, and tested their meter. And then a few minutes later tested on my meter. The vet mentioned something about the results on my meter perhaps not being valid because they waited too long and the blood starts to clot (or something -- I'm no vet). Of course, he also tried to convince me to use an alphatrax like him....

We've used a Freestyle Lite and a Walmart Relion. I like the freestyle better because if I don't get enough blood at first it gives me a whole 60 seconds to attempt to add more; helpful for a newbie like me. But the strips are costlier so we hawk ebay.
 
Dearest Ann,

Ann & Scatcats said:
I've also tested myself, and my elderly mother and civvie Gustav :-D
Click to expand...
I somehow knew you would test yourself first. And, that, you wouldn't be dead. Okay, and Gustav... But, you're elderly mother?!?! Crap, I chose a young nephew... Sigh...

You win. You're a vampire goddess. And, now, we've probably scared the crap out Sherry... But, who I'm hoping is smiling... It's always good to smile whilst dancing, right?

Love and hugs to a rock goddess with a keen photographer's eye,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, who taught everyone -- but her Grandma -- to bleed on her behalf...

PS: ;o)
 
I was given the Bayer Ascencia Contour I have, by the animal hospital. It takes very little blood so is kinder in that way. Our large animal hospital don't use the alphatrack at all. When I ask for an instant whole blood reading at the vets, they use the vein blood and in something called Hemocue (http://www.hemocue.net/index.php?lang=3), a Swedish produced brand. The nurses when he has been admitted however have the same glucometres as the Ascencia for the blood glucose tests every 3rd hour they then do. In his paw. We can't ear test due to an ear injury he has, so we paw test. When we do the large blood test (blood work), they measure the plasma glucose, which is a totally different thing than the whole blood glucose and that takes a day to get an answer to.
 
I've tried a few diff kinds of meters, but not the one you have.
As for using the vet's kind of meter, it's expensive and inconvenient to get strips if you run out.
I rather be able to run out to any pharmacy and pick up some test strips than wait for the vet office to be open.
I have a few meters, but my main one is Bayer Contour, then OneTouchUltra. I also have a precision which is ok but it's more the back up for my backup. I also have a Relion meter which is very good and a common choice of many in the US because the strips are most affordable compared to other brands, and the results are quite reliable.

I would rather have a meter that is consistent with lower numbers because I won't be fooled into thinking it's safe to shoot with higher numbers as many get from the meter you can buy from the vet.
 
Definitely not overlapping ranges; I checked

80% - test - 120%
392 - 490 - 588 - vet reading
227.2 - 284 - 340.8 - home glucometer reading

No overlap between highest estimate of home glucometer vs lowest of vets.
 
LOL! I did poke myself last week (it only seemed fair since I was poking Tipper's poor ears so often) but wouldn't you know, I got an "insufficient sample" error. And my finger hurt so bad I didn't repeat the test. However, y'all have shamed me to the point that I poked my finger again a few minutes ago. Tipper's +3 BG is 170 and my own BG came in at 97. Thankfully, neither of us is dead!

I have no way to know if the blood sat out at the vet's for a few minutes before they tested it. Honestly, it seemed to freak them out a little that I wanted them to check the sample with my meter as well. And the vet was definitely skeptical about the accuracy of tests performed with this equipment .. spent a moderate amount of time talking about the discrepancy. We both want accurate readings, and I want them not just because it's better for Tipper, but so I don't have to pay an arm and a leg to get these tests done at the clinic or argue with the vet about adjusting the dose based on tests at home.

As to meters, we used an Ascencia Contour last time around and really liked it. I bought this "True" one late in the day after the initial vet visit, went to two pharmacies and they had the Contour and the one where you can add blood for up to 60 seconds, but were out of test strips for those. They had strips for this little model ... and it was free after the rebate, but I'm thinking it needs to become the emergency backup meter very soon.
 
I tested my Relion twice at the vets.

The first time they took it back with them and there was a 7 point difference.

The second time they brought me a sample of blood when they were testing (she did try to hurry and run it to me) and there was a 30 point difference, theirs being higher.

However, by that time, Max's readings had been in the normal range and I hadn't been giving him insulin for a couple weeks. The fructosamine test came back within normal also, so he's been OTJ since then. So, I never got a chance to check it against the vet's again. If I remember I plan to have them do a side by side comparison next time I go in.
 
My dad uses a RiteAid True something and I have found it to be pretty darn accurate - actually better than his old One Touch Ultra...which is supposed to be a great meter.

I recently drew blood from my cat and before I sent it to the lab, I tested it against my dad's two meters (Rite Aid True and OTU).

I tested the whole blood and the serum from a spun down sample so that I could compare it to Antech...which uses serum.

The OTU was way off and the RiteAid one was very accurate.

Keep in mind that you need to compare apples to apples in terms of measuring whole blood or serum. A send-out test will always be with serum which will be higher. It as been said that it will be 10-15% higher but the example above had the serum test 50% higher.

Sorry...no time right now to post numbers or more detail.
 
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