Overwhelmed Newbie with glucose meter question

[Christianna]

I recently bought a ReliOn Ultima glucose meter for my cat Noodle's home-testing. I read here on the forum that the FDA permits a + or - 20% error rate. To help me get this clear, if Noodle's BG is 300 on the meter, does it mean that it could actually be as high as 360 or as low as 240? Or do I misunderstand this? If this is true, how can one possible make an accurate judgment as to where their cat's BG actually is and how they're really doing? Even our vet tech said their meter "might run a little off." Can anyone explain this to me and is any particular meter better than others? Thanks.

Christi

 

[Larry and Kitties]

That is correct.
That is the accuracy of the meter. However the repeatability is a lot better. Since we are looking for trends rather than absolute BGs the meter is OK. The AlphaTrac and other pet meters are really no better

 

[BJM]

See my signature link Glucometer Notes for a few more details.