Glucose Meter

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judy

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Hi
Is there such a thing as a glucose meter for pets??? Our vet said not to us a human one but to use a pet one??? I still have not tested my Annie yet, I am getting so confused.
Thank you
Judy and Annie and gang
 
Some vets want to sell you the alphaTrak - a pet meter. The vast majority of us use human glucometers. They work just as well, are a lot less expensive and the strips are available at any drug store. In an emergency situation, you want to be able to run out and get strips. If the strips are only available at the vet, and it's Sunday afternoon.....
 
My vet recently tested my friend's One Touch against her lab test, and it was within 0.5 (Cdn) points of the lab reading (that's about 9 points, American). That's well within accurate range.

Many vets also use "human" monitors when checking any of their patient's BGs. The monitor really can't tell what species' blood it is checking, it just measures the glucose.
 
judy said:
Hi
Is there such a thing as a glucose meter for pets???
Click to expand...

Yes. AlphaTrack is the most well known pet blood glucose meter. There's at least one other brand (iPet?) out there.

judy said:
Our vet said not to us a human one but to use a pet one??? I still have not tested my Annie yet, I am getting so confused.
Thank you
Judy and Annie and gang
Click to expand...

You do not need to use a pet meter. The main problem with pet meters is that the test strips are not sold in any store. Your vet may sell some but usually at a marked up cost.

A Human blood glucose meter works just fine for diabetic cats :smile: They're less expensive than a pet meter and you can buy test strips at any pharmacy, unless your meter and supplies are sold only at a specific pharmacy. Nearly everyone here on FDMB uses a Human blood glucose meter. Some do use a pet meter for their own reasons.

If you want, you can compare a Human meter to a pet meter at the vet's office. Get a drop of blood from your cat and test the same drop on both meters. The blood glucose numbers should come out pretty close, allowing for a 20% difference which is normal.

There are many published veterinary studies that show that Human blood glucose meters work well for diabetic pets.
 
There are three animal meters that I know about, the AlphaTrac, GlucoPet and the iPet. By design they are more accurate than human meters when used on animals. However, the added accuracy is not at all necessary and the human ones work fine. The accuracy on any meter is only about +/- 20%.
 
I just wanted to say thank you everyone for all the suggestions. This message board is awesome, so many wonderful people helping other people with their sick cats. My husband and I will be going to walmart today to checkout there glucose meters. Then we will need to learn how to use it, that will really freak me out. Wish us luck...............
 
While it seems really scary before trying, it really isn't. Trust me. I was the ultimate reluctant tester. People here told me that I needed to test Squeak and I totally freaked out, even left the board in a public 'huff' :o I thought for sure that Squeak would hate me and that I wouldn't be able to do it. Well, we made it through and pretty soon he'd purr when I did it because I would brush him first which he loves. HOnestly, if I could do one thing different I would go back and tell myself to SUCK IT UP :) because things were so scary in my head but not in reality.

We can help once you get the supplies because it does take a bit to get the hang of testing, and each person has a slightly different routine.

Jen
 
Here are some other items to get with your meter:


Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 25-26 gauge is good. Any brand will work.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And pick up some lo carb treats because you will give him a treat after every poke, successful or not: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

I'd suggest you try the meter out on yourself or your husband :mrgreen: first, so you can see it isn't terribly painful, and so that you know how to use it before trying it on your kitty.
 
a footnote to Sue's post...

There are a few cats who will always hate hometesting
Many cats have no issue with hometesting
Some cats love it and remind their humans when it is time

The ear has very few nerve endings, so do not compare the feel of the poke on your fingertip to what they will feel...it doesn't hurt them.

Some people have to restrain their cats. Me, on the otherhand, would not have been successful that way. So Squeak sits between my legs while I brush him and warm his ear and poke him.

Some people do not find lancet devices work. Others, like me, are fearful of freehanding and love their softclix pen.

Jen
 
Sue and Oliver said:
Here are some other items to get with your meter:


Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 25-26 gauge is good. Any brand will work.
Click to expand...

Many meter kits include a lancet device and 10 lancets. You just need to buy an extra box of matching lancets.

If the meter kit you pick up doesn't inclue a lancet device and lancets, then get one and lancets to go with it. They're usually alongside the meters and other diabetic supplies. The generic CVS lancet device is impossible to use :-Q so don't buy it. The AccuChek MultiClix is available at most pharmacies and is good to use. It uses drums that are pre-loaded with lancets. The AccuChek SoftClix is another good one to use.
 
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