Glucose urine strips?
- Thread starter Mimis mom
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Juls and Billy
Member Since 2019
Personally, I've never used glucose urine strips. If I understand it all correctly (someone chime in if I don't) blood glucose meter tests are more accurate. Now, lots of members use urine strips for ketones, a popular brand is Ketostix, which are inexpensive and can be picked up at a pharmacy. Me, I use a blood ketone meter because my Billy is impossible to get a urine sample from.
Judy and Freckles
Member Since 2019
I have glucose urine strips. Since I test for ketones, I always test for glucose at the same time. For me, I like knowing if glucose is still spilling into her urine. As I understand it, when glucose is not in the urine, then the cat is below her renal threshold. We haven't had a test when there wasn't glucose in her urine yet.
Good question and i'm interested in what other people think.
For sure blood glucose meters are more accurate for numbers... I think the glucose urine strips are meant to be used for another purpose.
Good question and i'm interested in what other people think.
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
If your cat has ever had ketones or DKA than you want to be testing for ketones everyday. Cats that have had ketones or DKA are more prone to get them again.
If your cat is in high BG numbers, you want to test for ketones every day.
If your cat seems sick, not eating enough, suspected infection/inflammation, not getting insulin (maybe you had a fur shot or had to skip a shot for some reason), you want to test for ketones every day.
There are 2 ways to test for ketones.
1. You need to catch some fresh urine to use the urine ketone test strips. (ketostix are one brand)
That can be tricky for some people.
Ideas for catching a urine sample are here.
Catching and testing urine.
2. To use the ketone blood test meters, you get a sample of blood just like you would for a regular BG test.
These meters test both the BG levels and the ketone level.
Test strips are expensive.
You can always use the ketone blood test meter for 1 test a day, and your regular glucometer for the rest of the BG tests that day.
Ketones show up in the blood before they show up in the urine.
So, blood ketone test meters can actually find the presence of ketones before the urine testing will.
If your cat is in high BG numbers, you want to test for ketones every day.
If your cat seems sick, not eating enough, suspected infection/inflammation, not getting insulin (maybe you had a fur shot or had to skip a shot for some reason), you want to test for ketones every day.
There are 2 ways to test for ketones.
- Urine test strips.
- Ketone blood meters.
1. You need to catch some fresh urine to use the urine ketone test strips. (ketostix are one brand)
That can be tricky for some people.
Ideas for catching a urine sample are here.
Catching and testing urine.
2. To use the ketone blood test meters, you get a sample of blood just like you would for a regular BG test.
These meters test both the BG levels and the ketone level.
Test strips are expensive.
You can always use the ketone blood test meter for 1 test a day, and your regular glucometer for the rest of the BG tests that day.
Ketones show up in the blood before they show up in the urine.
So, blood ketone test meters can actually find the presence of ketones before the urine testing will.
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
Glucose urine test strips are different than ketone urine test strips.
The glucose urine test strips only tell you if the glucose levels in your cat are high enough to be filtered out of the blood by the kidneys and dumped (excreted) in the urine. It's what we call "renal threshold". That "renal threshold" can be anywhere within 180 to 250 mg/dL before there is enough glucose to be seen in the urine. So the glucose urine test strips tell you the glucose is higher than it should be, if they come up with positive readings. But they do not tell you HOW high. It takes hours longer for glucose to be filtered out by the kidneys and dumped in the urine.
If you are already home testing using a glucometer, you will obtain a more accurate level of blood glucose with a BG test. That blood glucose level will also be more timely. In other words, more accurate and happening in real time instead of showing you the glucose is high many hours later like the glucose urine test strips give you.
Does that help?
The glucose urine test strips only tell you if the glucose levels in your cat are high enough to be filtered out of the blood by the kidneys and dumped (excreted) in the urine. It's what we call "renal threshold". That "renal threshold" can be anywhere within 180 to 250 mg/dL before there is enough glucose to be seen in the urine. So the glucose urine test strips tell you the glucose is higher than it should be, if they come up with positive readings. But they do not tell you HOW high. It takes hours longer for glucose to be filtered out by the kidneys and dumped in the urine.
If you are already home testing using a glucometer, you will obtain a more accurate level of blood glucose with a BG test. That blood glucose level will also be more timely. In other words, more accurate and happening in real time instead of showing you the glucose is high many hours later like the glucose urine test strips give you.
Does that help?
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