Evening folks looking for recommendations. I have both the alphatrak and gluconavi and have tested them both side by side, the gluconavi gives wildly different readings every time I get the same number on the alphatrak, say if its 13 on alphatrak, it can be anywhere between 7 and 10 on gluconavi. I appreciate that all machines have a 20% variable, but I'm finding the alphatrak just too expensive to run. Can anyone recommend a good machine that is closer to a pet meter but not as expensive. If. I used the gluconavi exclusively jax would rarely get his shot, as his readings have been below 10 where on alphatrak its over 12?? He's on Caninsulin 0.5u based in UK.
Hi Linda, the Gluco Navii is currently one of the most popular human meters used by UK folks. But there are certainly other options.
Any human meter should be fine. But favourites over the years have included the Accuchek meters and the One Touch meters. I currently use the One Touch Verio and really like it; and I get all my supplies cheaper on Ebay.
Regarding pet meters, the Alphatrak does seem to be the most reliable. There are other cheaper pet meters available in the UK, but, in practice, peoples' experience seems to be that these are not nearly as reliable as the Alphatrak.
Just regarding the numbers that you are seeing on the Gluco Navii and the Alphatrak. Human meters 'typically' read lower than pet meters, and vice versa (though there are exceptions to this). There is no reliable method for converting between human and pet meter numbers, so it is really a matter of choosing one type and sticking with that. (Note: The blood glucose reference information on FDMB refers to numbers from human meters, so for that reason human meters are generally recommended on FDMB.)
As you know, I think, there can be a 15 - 20% variance in hand held glucometer readings compared to what would be seen in a lab result. So, this can also account for some of the variability in the numbers.
The 'no shot' below 11 guideline for those new to feline diabetes (or those with little data) refers to human meter numbers. With pet meters such as the Alphatrak that number
would typically be a bit higher. And the reason for that 'no shot' number is to give some buffer of safety while the caregiver is getting comfortable with hometesting and is gathering blood test data. Once the caregiver has got comfortable with testing, and has some data to show how the insulin is working in their kitty, then it may well become possible to give insulin at slightly lower numbers. (But care does need to be taken with Caninsulin as it can drop the blood glucose quite steeply in some cats.)
The insulin dosage should be based around the nadirs, the lowest numbers of the cycle, and not the preshot numbers. ...How low is your kitty typically dropping at the peak/nadir of the cycle?
What are you feeding your kitty at the moment? Are you feeding low carb wet food?
Eliz
