Seattlebrian
Active Member
I've read that the Alphatrak that vets use should read higher than the human meters. But, my Wavesense Presto got 211 and his Alphatrak got 209. Does this mean my meter is giving a "true" reading?
Meter Question
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LynnLee + Mousie
Very Active Member
sounds true to me 
personally, and on the advice of my vet, any meter is fine as long as you use the same one consistently. thru consistency you learn the numbers and the routine and trends and how your cat reacts to each dose, etc
personally, and on the advice of my vet, any meter is fine as long as you use the same one consistently. thru consistency you learn the numbers and the routine and trends and how your cat reacts to each dose, etc
Ruth & Beethoven (GA)
Member
Depends on what you mean by a “true reading.” Were they done at the same time by using the same drop of blood? Human glucometers are required to be accurate to within +/-20% of a lab test reading of human blood, and AlphaTrak meters are presumed to meet the same standard for feline blood. When using a human meter for feline blood, this could be off a bit more from the lab test reading.
In a nutshell, because cat blood cells are smaller than human ones, the rate at which the blood is drawn up by the test strip is different, affecting the numerical reading. I’m probably not describing that very well, but it’s how I think of it. This means that, as a general rule, human meters will give a lower reading than the AlphaTrak for feline blood.
We briefly tested with two meters (AlphaTrak and Contour) just to see how they compared. The AlphaTrak usually, but not always, gave a higher reading. Even using two identical meters can give different readings though. (Remember the +/- 20% range.)
In a nutshell, because cat blood cells are smaller than human ones, the rate at which the blood is drawn up by the test strip is different, affecting the numerical reading. I’m probably not describing that very well, but it’s how I think of it. This means that, as a general rule, human meters will give a lower reading than the AlphaTrak for feline blood.
We briefly tested with two meters (AlphaTrak and Contour) just to see how they compared. The AlphaTrak usually, but not always, gave a higher reading. Even using two identical meters can give different readings though. (Remember the +/- 20% range.)
Seattlebrian
Active Member
yes, same ear prick. He took a sample, then I took a sample. I can certainly say from seeing him struggle to get the blood in the side strip, I'm glad mine loads from the end.
Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin
Very Active Member
Having using 2 different brands of human meters over 5 + years, both of which sip from the end, I have to say I'm appalled that a meter for pets would sip from the side of the strip! How awkward and what a way to make people not want to test their pet. Some human meters used to work from the side, don't know of any that do now, so obviously it's uncomfortable.
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