How do I read Bayer Active 1st meter?

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acsmith1972

acsmith1972

Member Since 2016
I've been using it for like 6 months now. Fluffer is at 3 units twice a day and lately he's really sluggish. He's having trouble with the back legs and stumbling around. I keep checking and it says he's between 200-350 every time I check. He walks like his balance is way off and keeps falling. He doesn't have ketones. I got the full workup last week. He eats, wet food, but not as much. He's not even particularly into treats. Yesterday I couldn't get his ear to bleed after like five tries. No idea why. Am I reading it wrong? Is 200 for humans way lower for cats? Is there a formula?
 
Unfortunately, there is no formula or conversion for human glucometers to pet glucometers. They are each allowed about a 20% variation in readings, so at higher numbers the two (human vs pet meter) will vary more and at lower numbers vary less. Normal BG range on human meter is 50 - 120 and on pet meter 68 - 150. Hope this helps.
 
Don't try to 'translate' a human meter to pet meter numbers. Using a human meter, your cat's 'normal' range will be from 50-120. A pet meter's 'normal' range will be 80-150. It's the same number, just reading on a different scale just like 32 degrees Fahrenheit is the same temperature as 0 degrees Celsius.

acsmith1972 said:
So if it says 200 it could actually be 140 in cat measurements?
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A meter's number itself can vary by 20% +/-, not any translations. This is true for both human and pet meters. If your human meter says 200, it's maximum variance allowed would be 180 to 220.

HOpe this helps!
 
When I looked online it said normal levels for cats are 120-300. We went from 2 units to 3 units at the advice of the vet. We're going to try dialing it back to 2 1/2 and see if that helps.
 
Anyone know why a cat with levels between 200-300 would be lethargic and stumbling around suddenly? We had a week where he was 100% better now this. I screwed up the times a few times by an hour or two, overslept, could that do it?
 
I turfed my Bayer meter. I would get numbers that were way off in a 30 second period and it took so much blood. Was his balance off like that at the vet? The problems you describe can't be from a malfunctioning meter and sound serious. Get a new meter just to be on the safe side. The Bayers they give away in Canada are trash.
Could low blood pressure have anything to do with not getting blood???
 
Noah & me said:
I turfed my Bayer meter. I would get numbers that were way off in a 30 second period and it took so much blood. Was his balance off like that at the vet? The problems you describe can't be from a malfunctioning meter and sound serious. Get a new meter just to be on the safe side. The Bayers they give away in Canada are trash.
Could low blood pressure have anything to do with not getting blood???
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Yeah, I think I'm going to get one of the pet ones. I know the strips cost more, but it's really not that cost prohibitive the amount of times I test him. I only really test him if I can tell he's not feeling good. When he's good I don't do it more than maybe once a week. He hates the pokes.
 
acsmith1972 said:
Anyone know why a cat with levels between 200-300 would be lethargic and stumbling around suddenly?
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Sometimes things happen quickly that have nothing to do with diabetes. It's not what you want to hear but I think a vet should have a look. Tomorrow is Friday, you don't want to get stuck in emergency clinic on the weekend. Wishing you luck.
 
Noah & me said:
Sometimes things happen quickly that have nothing to do with diabetes. It's not what you want to hear but I think a vet should have a look. Tomorrow is Friday, you don't want to get stuck in emergency clinic on the weekend. Wishing you luck.
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Yeah, my vet is pretty good and lets me run a tab that I can work off, the problem is my wife just went to Peru for 9 days today and I work all day Friday and Saturday. So even if I dropped him off in the morning I probably wouldn't be able to pick him up at the end of the day. I might have to try and hope work lets me leave for an hour. Last vet visit the vet ran a full blood workup. There was nothing wrong with him other than the Diabetes. No Ketones in his urine. He did say it could be something like Cancer, but that wasn't showing up in the blood work and would require X-rays to find if it is.
 
Not just x-rays, at minimum a needle biopsy but don't get freaked. It takes 10 minutes and a mild sedative. I'm just worried, like you, that this just started happening. There's no way he could have swallowed something or gotten into antifreeze etc.? Has any of your food been recalled or smells/looks bad? Your vet shouldn't scare the crap out of you until a test is done.
 
No, they eat lots of weird stuff but nothing toxic in thirteen years and he's not allowed in the garage because of the antifreeze. I'm gonna call the vet in a little while.
 
He does have an ongoing ear infection he's had for like two years now. The topical stuff doesn't seem to be working for that. Maybe that's the issue.
 
acsmith1972 said:
He does have an ongoing ear infection he's had for like two years now. The topical stuff doesn't seem to be working for that. Maybe that's the issue.
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Ears = balance=stumbling? Maybe being off balance makes him queasy and then he doesn't want to eat. We all know how serious ear infections can be in human babies. Let's hope it's that and insist on something better than topical. Two years is too long. Okay, I'm not a vet but that has to be better than just guessing it's cancer.
 
The vet guessed it wasn't Cancer. He just said there was a possibility of that if nothing changed. The blood work and urine said he was fine. I'm going to try my home remedy also and call the vet. I used to clean his ears with a 1:1 apple cider vinegar to warm water mix. It usually cleared up his ear for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The problem with that ear is he made it a cauliflower ear a few years ago scratching it. Now it gets infected all the time.
 
In general does he have leg weakness? Is he walking up on his toes, or flat footed out on his hocks? I'm wondering if neuropathy is happening.
 
I didn't look that closely. I want to say the latter. When he gets off the couch he stumbles to the right and sometimes falls. Then when he walks it's like an invisible force is pushing him to the right. Then he seems to get his focus back and can walk fine. He still hops up on the couch with no problem, but he sits there thinking about it before he jumps. Last week he was completely fine and even chasing my other feline family member Luna. She's an amazing cat. The run of her litter, ten years old, thinks she's a kitten, can still jump 6 feet up, she takes showers, talks all day, and even knows how to sit, shake, and do high five. She also weighs like 8 pounds. If Fluffer lived like her he'd never be in this spot but food is his favorite activity.
 
acsmith1972 said:
I didn't look that closely. I want to say the latter. When he gets off the couch he stumbles to the right and sometimes falls. Then when he walks it's like an invisible force is pushing him to the right. Then he seems to get his focus back and can walk fine. He still hops up on the couch with no problem, but he sits there thinking about it before he jumps. Last week he was completely fine and even chasing my other feline family member Luna. She's an amazing cat. The run of her litter, ten years old, thinks she's a kitten, can still jump 6 feet up, she takes showers, talks all day, and even knows how to sit, shake, and do high five. She also weighs like 8 pounds. If Fluffer lived like her he'd never be in this spot but food is his favorite activity.
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are you giving Zobaline or any other b12 supplements? If it's neuropathy that will help.
 
Nope. But he does have Wellness Core crunchy food which seems to be loaded with good ingredients. As for wet food, he loves the new Fancy Feast pouches. I call them lickies.
 
acsmith1972 said:
Nope. But he does have Wellness Core crunchy food which seems to be loaded with good ingredients. As for wet food, he loves the new Fancy Feast pouches. I call them lickies.
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are you talking about the fancy feast delectables or the broths? The delectables are carbs... not ok for a diabetic. THe Wellness Core isn't a bad food, but it is slightly higher in carb than we recommend for diabetics at 11-12% carb. Ideally they should be fed foods under 10%. If your cat will eat wet food, most of us feed fancy feast classic (NO gravy) or friskies pate. There are a few diabetic friendly dry food choices that can be fed such as young again zero (1% carb) and Dr. Elsely's Clean Protien (4-5% carb).
 
The broths. I also found a similar one called Bisque's. Different brand, Hartz I think. Normally I stay away from Hartz products but I got it by accident and Fluffer loved it. I also have Science Diet wet food but both cats hate it. When I get Friskies or 9 Lives I just get the pate. Fluffer is a very picky eater. He likes the Wellness Core, but his favorite is the crap food. I haven't bought any of that in months. He loves Friskies dry food which is how we got here. He didn't like Blue Buffalo but I want to try that again. That and Instinct. I can't afford the foods that are much more than that. I saw one that was $90 for 8 pounds. That's too expensive.
 
acsmith1972 said:
The broths. I also found a similar one called Bisque's. Different brand, Hartz I think. Normally I stay away from Hartz products but I got it by accident and Fluffer loved it. I also have Science Diet wet food but both cats hate it. When I get Friskies or 9 Lives I just get the pate. Fluffer is a very picky eater. He likes the Wellness Core, but his favorite is the crap food. I haven't bought any of that in months. He loves Friskies dry food which is how we got here. He didn't like Blue Buffalo but I want to try that again. That and Instinct. I can't afford the foods that are much more than that. I saw one that was $90 for 8 pounds. That's too expensive.
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the bisque is going to be carb heavy, but the broths are good. :) Young again zero is the most diabetic friendly cat food at just 1% carb, and although it's expensive at 49 for an 8 lb bag, it lasts a long time. It's nutrient and calorie dense so they eat a lot less of it. one bag would last a single cat a couple of months. they will send you a free sample if you are interested in trying it. http://www.youngagainpetfood.com/zero-formula.html
 
Do you think all this stuff could be from the Mirtazapine the vet gave me for him? I've read some people have had bad results, but my vet is a great guy, going so far as letting me run a tab, which is rare. He never says no to treating pets. Granted, if it's elective surgery or something I doubt he'd be that cavalier about it, but he's done curves and full blood panels when I had no funds for it, so I trust the guy. The place has great reviews and we've been going there for about 8 years now. Fluffer stopped eating a while back and I had to force feed him and I hated doing it. Nothing was jump-starting his appetite. Then the vet gave me that and for 3 days he was talking and eating and being goofy chasing Luna around. After it wore off I didn't do it again for like a month or so till he had some bad days. But tonight I came home from work and he'd thrown up, fell over trying to eat his wellness core, he got up eventually, I usually pick him up, but I didn't want to upset his tummy so I just sat with him till he got up. I gave him another dose of the stuff and after he was drooling. I'm going to bring him to the vet Monday morning, but he's looking really bad. I gave him a bath this morning. Sometimes that helps. I still think it's the ear infection. Last time the vet gave him a shot for that and for a day he was really sick, but then he got really better. I just wish he could talk and tell me what's up.
 
Fluffer is back from the vet. I had a little scary morning. I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up I saw him in his bed and called to him. He didn't move. I called several times and clapped my hands. I thought he drifted away in the night :( I ran over and his eyes were open so I nudged him and picked him up. He flopped over. I got him his wet food, he had like a lick of it. While I was up getting the phone to call the vet he managed to get to the water dish for a drink. I have one of those Drinkwell fountains. Two, actually, I have a smaller one in my bedroom for when they come upstairs. I used to have a litter box up here, but two is plenty and the bedroom was getting stinky and messy. Anyway, the vet asked for me to bring him in to check everything, so I dropped him off at 9:00 and picked him up at 4:30. The vet said it's his ear. Apparently he has a staph infection that's really managed to get into his inner ear. Poor kitty. So he got an antibiotic shot, a vitamin B shot, and medicine for his ears, drops that I have to do twice a day. Better drops than the yellow stuff we were using before. Panax I think the other stuff was. His glucose was high, as usual, but it's the vet's opinion (and mine) that the inner ear issue is making him miserable and that's why he isn't eating. He keeps falling down. Or he was anyway. The vet managed to stabilize him. And they subcutaneously hydrated him while he was there. So for right now he's not bad. Not great, but a lot better than at 8 am. He gets a shot and more ear drops in about an hour.
 
acsmith1972 said:
Fluffer is back from the vet. I had a little scary morning. I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up I saw him in his bed and called to him. He didn't move. I called several times and clapped my hands. I thought he drifted away in the night :( I ran over and his eyes were open so I nudged him and picked him up. He flopped over. I got him his wet food, he had like a lick of it. While I was up getting the phone to call the vet he managed to get to the water dish for a drink. I have one of those Drinkwell fountains. Two, actually, I have a smaller one in my bedroom for when they come upstairs. I used to have a litter box up here, but two is plenty and the bedroom was getting stinky and messy. Anyway, the vet asked for me to bring him in to check everything, so I dropped him off at 9:00 and picked him up at 4:30. The vet said it's his ear. Apparently he has a staph infection that's really managed to get into his inner ear. Poor kitty. So he got an antibiotic shot, a vitamin B shot, and medicine for his ears, drops that I have to do twice a day. Better drops than the yellow stuff we were using before. Panax I think the other stuff was. His glucose was high, as usual, but it's the vet's opinion (and mine) that the inner ear issue is making him miserable and that's why he isn't eating. He keeps falling down. Or he was anyway. The vet managed to stabilize him. And they subcutaneously hydrated him while he was there. So for right now he's not bad. Not great, but a lot better than at 8 am. He gets a shot and more ear drops in about an hour.
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Wow that's scary! Hope he feels better soon!
 
JanetNJ said:
Wow that's scary! Hope he feels better soon!
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Me, too. I think a lot of this depends on his ear getting better. I wouldn't want to eat, either, and, of course without eating he can't get his usual dosage of insulin, or at all if he doesn't eat anything, then I have to force feed him or give him the medicine that makes him eat. But he ate tonight and I'm about to go put drops in his ear and give him his shot =)
 
acsmith1972 said:
Me, too. I think a lot of this depends on his ear getting better. I wouldn't want to eat, either, and, of course without eating he can't get his usual dosage of insulin, or at all if he doesn't eat anything, then I have to force feed him or give him the medicine that makes him eat. But he ate tonight and I'm about to go put drops in his ear and give him his shot =)
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Oh I'm glad he ate on his own tonight! Antibiotics usually kick in pretty good after 24 hours
 
The ear medicine they gave him seems to be off label and I can't tell if it's working. He actually weird on it. A few times he's fallen going down the stairs to the point I'm considering putting up the pet gate. My other cat will be pissed if I do that, though.
 
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