I just recently learned that they aren't the same when Pumkin fell into 60's and I thought it was a problem. But, since I use a human meter, I learned it was in the normal range. I mentioned to my vet that I am using a human meter and they do recommend I go alpha track. It may be a couple months before I can budget this. He just had an extremely costly surgery that he's recovering well from. I am not really keen on making purchases unless it is absolutely necessary either. I learned that there is no real translation between human and pet meter either. As either meter gets to the lower count, they become closer to being the same. And, if the human meter registers higher numbers, then they are actually probably going to be even higher on the animal meter, than shown on the human meter? So when he was showing in the 400's for instance, it was actually higher? I'd like to narrow it down if I can because I am pretty happy with my meter I am using.
If you like the meter you are using, and especially the cost of the test strips, I'd stick with it. No need to switch to a pet meter. Our dosing methods were written using human meters, cause back then, we and all the vets used nothing but human meters. When I started, the pet meters weren't yet heavily marketed to the vet offices. Just tell the vet you can't afford the pet meter.
Yes, if you got 400 on a human meter then the BG with pet meter would be higher. However, at the high BGs one would not take any different action whether human or pet meter.
Personally, I don't see any huge advantage with using a pet-specific meter. I especially don't see the need if money is an issue. The AlphaTrack strips cost $1.00 each. Compare that to the cost of the strips for the meter you're using.
I saw that cost, too. I really prefer to not have to spend that when I already have a measuring device. If I had to, I would certainly do that. But, I'm pretty inclined to think I am going to stick with my good ol' reliable CareSens and save that cost for when he really may need something.
