Glucose monitors

[Gabby's mom]

Hello everyone i am new to this group and thanks for having me. My 10 yr old cocker just got diagnosed with diabetes about 3 weeks ago and her sugar was 354 put on 2u of N 2x daily and rechecked her sugar was 80 so now on 1 unit 2x daily and last bs was 150. She has lost more weight then i like she has lost 3 lbs since then now at 24lbs so have increased her food and will have another glucose test done this coming week but would like to be able to monitor blood sugars at home but i am so CONFUSED as to what monitor to buy. I hear so many opinions and of course my vet says don't bother spending a lot of money on one none are accurate. The canine one is so expensive any suggestions on a human monitor. I saw on a video that you can figure out the difference in the canine one and the human meters but didn't show how you can do it. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[CraigM]

Re: Glucose monitors

This will be a short welcome message because I'm working on my iPhone. I cannot type very well on the phone!

Most any human meter will read dog blood a little low. But you will get a good idea what to do. I would probably go with an inexpensive meter to learn how to test, and then switch to a more expensive meter if you desire at a later date. Many on the forum like the one touch ultra. Others like the Walmart ReliOn meters such as the Confirm or Prime. But as I said, any meter will get you started.

Craig

[Gabby's mom]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hello Craig,

I used my moms Bayer Contour just to see what the results would be and it was 460 so if meters run low then her glucose may be way higher and i should be worried.



Sonja

[jesse girl]

Re: Glucose monitors

you cant be sure either way on higher readings. i had a true trak meter that i compared to a lab analyzer at the vet ( as exact as you can get ) and it actually read as much as 150 points higher in that higher range at 400 and higher as the numbers went higher the spread was higher . i think my meter tested about 500 and actual reading was 350 to the analyzer

so you cant make an assumption either way unless you compare your meter preferably a lab analyzer because all handhelds can be off especially at those higher levels

the only other way to tell if numbers are higher for most of the day is with the possibility of symptoms with water consumption and urination if that has been reduced your probably not much higher than that 400 point range but even that can be a toss up as being totally correct

so i would not worry .we all had a start that was difficult . most find a better place sometimes within a month . for others like my jesse longer but shes good enjoying a dogs life

[CraigM]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hello Craig,

I used my moms Bayer Contour just to see what the results would be and it was 460 so if meters run low then her glucose may be way higher and i should be worried.



Sonja

As you know, or your mom will confirm, a single reading doesn't tell much. Blood glucose can vary by quite a bit over a day, and especially after eating. If you have the chance, try testing before tomorrow breakfast / injection and then about every 2 hours until the pre-dinner test / injection. This is called doing a curve.

I found the 80 you mentioned earlier unusual. A general starting dosage is 0.2 units per pound, so I thought the initial 2 units sounded rather low for a 24 pound pup, THEN you said she tested 80 As we frequently say: "every dog / situation is different". But the current 460 would indicate 1 unit is too low.

The day she tested 80 on 2 units did she eat a normal meal?

You've increased her meals, so that will affect the blood glucose. If possible hold the food steady while in the testing phase. Anytime we make a change (type of food, amount of food, amount of insulin, amount of exercise, etc.), it sort of screws up the testing. In fact, many of us use a kitchen food scale to weigh out the food because measuring cups might not be repeatable enough for some pups.

Craig

[amydunn19]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hi and welcome! I use the One Touch Ultra and it is the consensus favorite of the human meters as far as being closest to an animal meter. Remember that all meters use an algorithm to measure blood sugar in both humans and dogs and some margin of error is expected. Your vet is mistaken about the value of testing at home - it has saved my girl many times. The numbers in the lower ranges are usually quite close with the One Touch. You can't put too much into one random reading - testing is really looking at a range rather than a number and putting it in the context of the entire day relating to meals and insulin.

As far as feeding more, it really won't help with gaining weight. In the early days of diagnosis, the dog is not using food in the normal way anymore - it just passes through with little benefit. This is why they lose weight and until they get into a regulated state, you could feed her all day and night and she would not gain weight. Plus, increasing food at this point might cause her to lose more because when her glucose goes higher her body is in survival mode so you may be prolonging it. The quickest path to getting the weight back is get her regulated. Then, you can take steps to help her gain some weight back.

We have all been there but I would continue testing and keep her schedule as consistent as possible. Same insulin, same amount of food at the same times every day.

[Gabby's mom]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hello Graig, when Gabby was tested at the vet and her reading was 80 she was on 2u and yes had a normal meal so he decreased her insulin and because she had dropped so much weight fast he told me to increase her food especially the protein so that is what i have done. She currently eating Sojo's grain free pre mix and we add her protein i add chicken, cottage cheese and some cucumbers to her meal. I did buy a food scale so i really need to measure her daily food to be sure it's the same at every meal. I know she is up and down with her readings because she is peeing more and is incontinent especially when she is sleeping.Is this food okay for diabetic dogs. The mix does have complex carbs and the company said it's about 49%. I know they have to have some carbs but not to many. I also looked into a pre mix called U Stew that you add your own ingredients which is meat and green beans or carrots there isn't many carbs in it except what you put in any thoughts?


Sonja

[Gabby's mom]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hello the One Touch Ultra i have looked at as well from viewing other sources and such but what do you think about the Bayer Elite it says it has the least variance of only 5% some are around 30+ difference.

[amydunn19]

Re: Glucose monitors

There really isn't one food or combo that works better because every dog responds differently to each one. I could feed what Craig feeds and get different results so what works great for one may not work well for another. Every time you change anything will most likely mean a dosage adjustment.

[jesse girl]

Re: Glucose monitors

your meter may work very well for your pup . an important part is if your comfortable using it .

you can compare it to a vets preferably a lab analyzer . what we did is bring jesse meter for curve day at the vet and compared on each reading with her meter . she went from 70 to 500 in that curve so gave us a good range from low to high numbers . they were off quite a bit in the higher range and quite accurate as it got closer to normal blood sugar as most meters do

i used quite a few human meters and settled on one we could afford. i did not want to restrict testing because of cost . now i take her numbers as is and she has done good but others may do some sort of conversion . i would recommend doing your own comparison to see how your meter compares and you would like to do that at higher and lower levels if possible . the lower levels are more important . sometimes that can be difficult and to really be sure you may have to do that with multiple comparisons at the vet may not need to be complete curves . you would just go over at a level you would like to know how it compares

now you could buy a pet meter and compare with your humane one but you may run into the same problem at the higher levels as all handhelds maybe of a bit at higher levels including a pet one

now for me trends and patterns are more important than how exact the reading is especially in that higher range . knowing when jesse was higher and lower during the day. could she duplicate that day in day out was helpful . those kind of things . if the meter is consistent . say i take a test and then do another wright after and if they are close that tells me its consistent. multiple testing is the best way to get comfortable and to trust your meter

[CraigM]

Re: Glucose monitors

What I was referring to was that 2 units is very "light" for a 24 pound pup. Most pups of that size would have been started, and needed more than 2 units. It will be interesting what dosage the vet recommends at the next visit. Of course every dog is different and Gabby might be one that requires much less than average. Not a bad thing: they need what they need.

One question. Where are you obtaining your syringes? Are they the standard U-100 syringe bought at a local pharmacy (NOT a U-40 syringe from a vet clinic!).

OK, one more syringe question. The one unit you are now injecting is only at the first, or second, mark on the barrel of the syringe - only about a single drop of insulin. (Sorry to ask that, but we have had folks misread the markings on the syringe)

I'm not sure if anyone is using the Bayer Elite on the forum. Probably the "selling" point for a human meter for me would be the cost of the test strips. Many of us test 2-3 times a day / every day. So a meter that takes a 20 cent test strip is better for me than one that costs $1 per strip for daily use. About buying the meter and strips; online prices are frequently much less expensive than local pharmacies. Forum members probably use a dozen different meters, if you like the Bayer model, give it a try - no law says you have to stay with your first choice! I have a collection of seven meters!

Craig

[Gabby's mom]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hello Craig, she was on 2 units twice a day because her initial bs was 354 so he thought 3 would be to much so then when she dropped to 80 on next bg blood draw 6 hrs after she ate/injection he cut her back to 1 unit twice daily but i'm thinking she might need to go back on 2 units again i guess we will see. As far as the syringes i have the Reli On from the pharmacy u-100. Yes, the second line is what i'm giving 1unit i give insulin injections all the time not to worry lol but thank you for checking. The test strips are expensive especially the dog glucose strips and i looked into the One touch ultra as well not cheap either but i may not be on the right site for the cheapest. I guess it's all trial and error with the monitors.

Sonja

[CraigM]

Re: Glucose monitors

Thanks for answering and understanding my questions. There have been times where new folks have used the wrong syringe, misread the syringe markings, didn't "code" their meter correctly (for the few meters that require manual coding (most new meters auto-code)) or tried to use wrong test strips for their meter. I'm sure when I started 7+ years ago I had no clue there were different insulins and different syringes

My "normal" meter is the Walmart ReliOn Prime. The Prime is about $18, but the test strips are only 18 cents each. I also have the $$$ AlphaTrak2 that I use every several months to compare to the Prime. This combination / procedure works for me, others have their own procedure.

Are you trying to do a curve today with your mom's meter? If you are, post the readings if you wish us to take a look.

Craig

[amydunn19]

Re: Glucose monitors

Try eBay for one touch ultra strips - look for expiration dates and sealed boxes. I buy short dated ones - they are generally cheaper and I use them in time. Also, I have a diabetic friend who has assured me numerous times you can go past the dates a month or even two. I wouldn't buy any generic strips though - they are way off in the OTU. Make sure you are getting the one touch ultra strip. Also, if you can afford to buy in quantity, it is cheaper. I don't just because I don't test as much as I did in the beginning. Also, check seller feedback.

One advantage to the One Touch is if you don't get enough blood or a diluted sample, you get an error message. Even the Alphatrack doesn't have that feature so many meters will give you a number, albeit incorrect.

[Gabby's mom]

Re: Glucose monitors

Hello Craig i understand completely about some people have miss read things. I did do a bs on gabby today around 12:45 and it was 264 on my mom's glucose machine didn't have time to do a curve but when i do i'll post for you to look at. I did look at the Reli meters but wasn't sure if they were okay to use but will look into it more.



Sonja