Difference between "human" meters and animal ones

[janspack]

Does anyone know what adjustment should be made if you are doing a BG using a human meter as opposed to an animal adjusted one?

Just interested as I thought it might be sensible to buy in a cheap one to have on standby in case my Alphatrak ever went wrong or I ran out of strips etc. I don't think I could afford to buy another AlphaTrak if the worst happened.

[We Hope]

Re: Difference between "human" meters and animal ones

Jan,

Just as we've said about it depending on the dog enough to drive you into orbit, it depends upon the meter in question.

Financial reasons are why plenty members here have two meters--an AlphaTrak and a human one--the human meter strips are cheaper.

The way to compare how your meter stacks up against a professional bg test is to take it with you to the next bloodwork visit. Ask your vet to use a drop of the sample drawn for the test and place it on the meter strip. This means that the expensive test equipment and your meter are both working on testing the same sample of blood. What you get from the professional test results and what your human meter says is the difference between the two.

Here's an abstract from ACVIM 2008 about some comparisons done on various home bg meters:

http://k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=957

A recent study of six blood glucose meters reflects favorably on the OneTouch Ultra.

ACVIM 2008 Abstract

Evaluation of Six Portable Blood Glucose Meters in Dogs.
T. Cohen, R. Nelson, P. Kass, E. Feldman
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis


The purpose of this study was to evaluate six portable blood glucose meters (PBGMs) - AlphaTrak, OneTouch, Elite XL, AccuChek, Precision, Contour - for use in dogs. One hundred fifty-eight venous blood samples were asayed for glucose using all PBGMs in randomized order and by a reference hexokinase method. Results from the PBGMs and reference hexokinase method (HM) were compared.


HM blood glucose concentrations ranged from 41 to 639 mg/dl. There was excellent correlation between PBGMs and HM results (table). Results were consistently low for 4 PBGMs compared with HM results. High and low results were common with the AlphaTrak. The difference in results between PBGMs and HM increased as blood glucose concentrations increased. Difference in results between PBGM and HM were significantly (p<0.0001) less for the AlphaTrak and OneTouch and significantly (p<0.01) higher for the Contour compared with other PBGMs. Problems with correct identification of hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dl), normoglycemia (70-120 mg/dl), and hyperglycemia (>200 mg/dl) varied between PBGMs (table).


Percent Incorrect from Reference Range
AlphaTrak -- 18
OneTouch -- 21
EliteXL -- 45
AccuChek -- 45
Precision -- 49
Contour -- 73


Results of this study support use of the AlphaTrak and OneTouch glucose meters based on significantly closer results with HM.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Difference between &quot;human&quot; meters and animal ones

I had an AlphaTrak the last couple of years of Chris' diabetes but rarely used it. I used the OneTouch Ultra 90% of the time and sometimes used the AlphaTrak to check a reading if I thought the OneTouch reading was odd.

Expense being the biggest reason.

I had done enough comparisons of lab samples and OneTouch vs. AlphaTrak to know that my meter was a pretty consistent 30-40 points lower than a lab value.

At one point I did a double comparison with a lab value. Tested Chris in the vet's waiting room. Had her draw blood and test it in her Istate analyzer, and then checked Chris again in the lobby - in case vet stress affected his BG while being handled. So I was checking his lip with our normal routine and she was running venous blood through her analyzer.

But that was just one of half a dozen comparisons we did - pretty much any time they drew blood I tried to test him on my meter.

Natalie

[ravenecw]

Re: Difference between &quot;human&quot; meters and animal ones

I had an AlphaTrak the last couple of years of Chris' diabetes but rarely used it. I used the OneTouch Ultra 90% of the time and sometimes used the AlphaTrak to check a reading if I thought the OneTouch reading was odd.

Expense being the biggest reason.

I had done enough comparisons of lab samples and OneTouch vs. AlphaTrak to know that my meter was a pretty consistent 30-40 points lower than a lab value.

At one point I did a double comparison with a lab value. Tested Chris in the vet's waiting room. Had her draw blood and test it in her Istate analyzer, and then checked Chris again in the lobby - in case vet stress affected his BG while being handled. So I was checking his lip with our normal routine and she was running venous blood through her analyzer.

But that was just one of half a dozen comparisons we did - pretty much any time they drew blood I tried to test him on my meter.

Natalie

Never thought of taking my meter every time I went to the vet but from now I will- if they are drawing blood anyway it doesn't hurt to compare.

[eyelostit]

Re: Difference between &quot;human&quot; meters and animal ones

I use the Walmart Relion meter alot, when I get an unusual high or low I will double check it with the pet meter. Over the years and learning how Niki reacts to her food and insulin I can more or less feel comfortable with the Relion meter, when we started out testing I used the pet meter and after that compared that to the human meters. I actually was meter crazy at one time.

[janspack]

Re: Difference between &quot;human&quot; meters and animal ones

Thanks everyone,

I've ordered an AccuChek because I found one on a site for £5.99!! About $8 I think.

My vets use an Alphatrak too usually although I know they do have an inhouse testing facility. They've never done Dazzle's BG on that though.

I guess the best thing to do is just do a reading on both meters at the same time for a few days so that I can see what the difference is and if that difference is the same (if you see what I mean) all the time.

The cost of the strips is something I've been worrying about and it has made me test perhaps less than I would want to so I may well use the Accuchek most of the time and the Alphatrak if I want to be absolutely certain of results.

[eyelostit]

Re: Difference between &quot;human&quot; meters and animal ones

I guess the best thing to do is just do a reading on both meters at the same time for a few days so that I can see what the difference is and if that difference is the same (if you see what I mean) all the time.

The cost of the strips is something I've been worrying about and it has made me test perhaps less than I would want to so I may well use the Accuchek most of the time and the Alphatrak if I want to be absolutely certain of results.

I felt the same way as far as costs with the pet strips, once you are comfortable with the human meter you can more or less judge from that, from doing the curves and urine testing in the past you can tell how your dog is doing, then when you sense something is wrong thats when I use the pet meter. At times Niki gets 4 readings a day, that'd be $4.00 for the day, doing an AM and PM fast for a month is 60 test strips, $ 60.00, so we decided to use the human meter and use the pet ones when I felt it was needed.