Glucometers

[Sylvia Sheaffer]

What is the most accurate blood glucose meter? Is a human meter as accurate as a pet glucometer? And, I don't want to use the device for the lancets. Too much noise for George. George was diagnosed on Sept. 6th of this year. His BG was over 600. Since day one, he has been on 3 units of Lantus, twice a day, given at 7:30 am and 7:30 pm. I feed him immediately before the shots. I leave Fromm dry food plus Fancy Feast dry and Rachel Ray Longevity dry food out overnight. George doesn't seem to like much dry food at all. He will nibble at it. He seems to be very well regulated, but cats can hide the way they feel, as we all know. I previously had 3 cats with cancer. One with Carcinoma of the Trachea, one with Apocrine AND Mammary cancer, and one with Large Cell Lymphoma. Treatment was VERY HARD on all three of them. Don't know if I'd ever put another animal through that. Like I said, George seems to be very well regulated, but 3U seems to be a high amount of insulin twice daily. I know I need a glucometer of some kind. Let me know your thoughts on the most accurate meter.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

A human meter is accurate. The human meters are calibrated a bit differently than an animal meter and, as a result, the numbers are a little bit lower. The majority of people here use a human meter if for the main reason that the strips for a pet meter are outrageously expensive -- easily double the cost of strips for a human meter. In addition, if you run out of strips, you can't get strips for a pet meter at a brick and mortar store. Many people here use the Relion brand meter from Walmart as the strips are some of the least expensive around.

The all of the dry food you are giving your cat is very high is carbohydrates. It is likely the reason you are seeing such high test numbers. 3u is a very high starting dose of insulin. I do hope you are home testing and if not, please get a meter and start. I'd encourage you to read over Lisa Pierson, DVM's website on feline nutrition. There are many reasons to not feed a cat dry food -- it's not species appropriate -- aside from the fact that the carbohydrates in the foods you're using are off the chart and will keep blood glucose high. There is a food chart on the site that will give you a great number of options for low carb food (below 10%).

If you transition your cat from dry food to canned, please do not do so until you are home testing. Given the carb count of what you're feeding and your insulin dose, numbers could plummet. Frankly, it may be safer if you started at a lower dose of insulin if you eliminate the dry food.

 

[Sylvia Sheaffer]

Welcome to FDMB!

A human meter is accurate. The human meters are calibrated a bit differently than an animal meter and, as a result, the numbers are a little bit lower. The majority of people here use a human meter if for the main reason that the strips for a pet meter are outrageously expensive -- easily double the cost of strips for a human meter. In addition, if you run out of strips, you can't get strips for a pet meter at a brick and mortar store. Many people here use the Relion brand meter from Walmart as the strips are some of the least expensive around.

The all of the dry food you are giving your cat is very high is carbohydrates. It is likely the reason you are seeing such high test numbers. 3u is a very high starting dose of insulin. I do hope you are home testing and if not, please get a meter and start. I'd encourage you to read over Lisa Pierson, DVM's website on feline nutrition. There are many reasons to not feed a cat dry food -- it's not species appropriate -- aside from the fact that the carbohydrates in the foods you're using are off the chart and will keep blood glucose high. There is a food chart on the site that will give you a great number of options for low carb food (below 10%).

If you transition your cat from dry food to canned, please do not do so until you are home testing. Given the carb count of what you're feeding and your insulin dose, numbers could plummet. Frankly, it may be safer if you started at a lower dose of insulin if you eliminate the dry food.

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

When Simba got diabetes in 2006, I was given a Bayer Contour for free by our Animal Hospital. And have stuck to it, since it has been very dependable. They have developed 2 newer models, Bayer Contour XT, and Bayer Contour Next.
Here is a rewiev video on Bayer Contour XT

The other one I got is the Abbot Precision/Xceed which measure both the blood glucose and the blood B-ketones. I use it only for measuring the blood B-ketones and I also was given it for free directly sent to me when I contacted Abbot Sweden direct asking about it in 2008.


There are so many other brands and others will tell you what other brands there are and how to measure.

 

[Sylvia Sheaffer]

So sorry, I didn't mention that George eats soft food in morning and evening. He loves soft food. I give him Fancy Feast classic pate. Just keep the hard food out because I know he doesn't eat much of it at all. I give him a midday snack of dehydrated chicken, which he loves.

 

[Sylvie]

i’m one of the stubborn ones around here, finally got somewhat talked into using a human meter recently and i chose the contour next after some research since it is suppose to be the most accurate.. been a few days of comparing numbers and its been much more accurate than freestyle lite human meter i tried out in the past that made me decide i hated human meters. overall this meter has been consistent but, it does read much lower than a pet meter however with higher BG numbers that matters little. it does read much closer to a pet meter reading when BG is under 100 which is most important to me if i am going to permanently switch to it. i would recommend this human meter if you want the most accurate human meter, although strips are not as cheap as some other human meters...

 

[Sylvia Sheaffer]

i’m one of the stubborn ones around here, finally got somewhat talked into using a human meter recently and i chose the contour next after some research since it is suppose to be the most accurate.. been a few days of comparing numbers and its been much more accurate than freestyle lite human meter i tried out in the past that made me decide i hated human meters. overall this meter has been consistent but, it does read much lower than a pet meter however with higher BG numbers that matters little. it does read much closer to a pet meter reading when BG is under 100 which is most important to me if i am going to permanently switch to it. i would recommend this human meter if you want the most accurate human meter, although strips are not as cheap as some other human meters...

Hi. I just bought the Contour Next today. I have never used any type of meter. Kind of scared. George's ears are black. Not sure how to do that? Guess a flashlight? I also got 70 Contour Next test strips for $25.00 at Walmart. Can you use the lancet without the lansing device? I think the noise will scare George. Thanks for your help. How is your kitty doing? Years ago, I had another diabetic cat, Cocoa. At that time, I gave insulin only once a day. I can definitely see the difference in giving it twice a day.

 

[Panic]

Hi. I just bought the Contour Next today. I have never used any type of meter. Kind of scared. George's ears are black. Not sure how to do that? Guess a flashlight? I also got 70 Contour Next test strips for $25.00 at Walmart. Can you use the lancet without the lansing device? I think the noise will scare George. Thanks for your help. How is your kitty doing? Years ago, I had another diabetic cat, Cocoa. At that time, I gave insulin only once a day. I can definitely see the difference in giving it twice a day.

My kitty's ears are black, I can actually see the outline on one of her ears. Yes you can use a flashlight but for me as long as I'm just inside the edge of the ear there's no need to worry about where the vein is, just go as close to the edge as possible. You do not need to use the lancing device, I think most people here prefer to freehand the lancet. You can also desensitize George by clicking it near his ear without actually using it, but you don't have to use it at all if you're comfortable freehanding.

 

[Sylvia Sheaffer]

My kitty's ears are black, I can actually see the outline on one of her ears. Yes you can use a flashlight but for me as long as I'm just inside the edge of the ear there's no need to worry about where the vein is, just go as close to the edge as possible. You do not need to use the lancing device, I think most people here prefer to freehand the lancet. You can also desensitize George by clicking it near his ear without actually using it, but you don't have to use it at all if you're comfortable freehanding.

Thank you so much for all your help. Still scared to try this monitor. How often do you check his BG? Don't their ears get sore?

 

[Panic]

Thank you so much for all your help. Still scared to try this monitor. How often do you check his BG? Don't their ears get sore?

Of course <3 Don't stress, it took me two months of just having the meter sitting in the grocery bag in my closet before I got up the nerve to open it but it will make things a lot easier once you start.

Checking depends on the day for us really, some people check as often as 6+ times between shots but I usually check about 2-3 times during each cycle not including preshot tests. If kitty is running low obviously you check more frequently to keep them from dropping.

Ears can get sore if they're not taken care of, you want to use a dab of Neosporin after poking to promote healing, holding the ear for several seconds afterwards prevents bruising. Try to alternate the area (alternate ears if both bleed easily enough, usually kitties will have one ear that bleeds very easily and the other is difficult), you can go all along the upper end of the ear on both sides.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Still scared to try this monitor.

You can get some practice with it by testing yourself (and any other willing victims....errr, I mean "volunteers"....LOL)

Just remember...our fingertips (where humans usually test) have a LOT more nerve endings than the edges of our cats ears. Don't assume that what you feel is what your cat will feel. The Lord knew what He was doing when He built the cat. If you've ever seen an un-neutered tomcat you know that the edges of their ears are usually pretty torn up from fighting over females. There aren't many pain receptors in the edges of the ears.

 

[Si am cat mom]

You can also test on paw pads ( rear's seem easier) and rotate back to the ears after they've gotten a break. When I've checked both for accuracy, there was a difference of (8) in the BG using the same meter about 5 minutes apart.