switching from pet to human monitor

[Netty N.]

Hello,
I'm headed out today to get a Reli-on prime meter and supplies to replace my Alpha Trak 2. I need more strips, and I can get the whole Reli-on set up for less than the cost of 50 more Alpha Trak strips - wow.
So is there anything I need to know about switching over? Will the numbers be different?

Thanks!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Human meters tend to read lower than the pet meters.
I just did two tests with my original AlphaTrak and my human Easy Gluco Plus meter. Both comparisons used same drop of blood from two different cats


Dulce OTJ
AT = 72

Easy Gluco Plus = 54
The AT is 133% of the EGP value

The EGP is 0.75 of the AT

Badgar
AT = 377
Easy Gluco Plus = 331

The AT is only 113% of the EGP value

The EGP 0.88 of the AT

I would test a singe drop of blood with both the AT meter and the human meter to check

 

[BJM]

When using a human meter, you want the lowest glucose, or nadir, to stay above 50 mg/dL when following a Tight Regulation protocol. For a Start Low, Go Slow protocol, you want to stay above 90 mg/dL on a human meter.

Based on the most recent entry in the spreadsheet, you could increase the insulin dose slightly and get better controlled numbers. Riding in the high 200s is generally over the renal limit where glucose spills into the urine and the blood concentration may be causing organ damage. There is also an increased risk of ketone formation and possibly diabetic ketoacidosis which can be fatal and can be very expensive to treat.

 

[Netty N.]

Just did my first side by side test, and it was 315 AT, 245 Prime.
I'm not ready to change his dose just yet, because he's switching to all wet food starting tomorrow. Today was just to get a baseline before any changes. I really hope he hasn't sustained any organ damage. His numbers have been in the 300's since Feb. (vet said that was great...) and they were over 500 when he was diagnosed and I don't know how long he'd had the disease before that.

 

[BJM]

Changing the food to lower carb levels could reduce his glucose from 100-200 mg/dL and drop the needed insulin as much as 1-2 units. It will be very important to test in the +5 to +7 hours post-shot to see how low he is going.
Making the food change gradual will allow you to monitor him and keep him safely above the 50 mg/dL on a human meter and 68 mg/dL on the AT 2.
Be prepared for possible lows that could need intervention by having some Karo syrup, high carb gravy foods (ex Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers), and an oral syringe. You may never need them, but having them ready when if you do cn help you stay calm managing the lows.