I experimented on myself today....

[Ladybug]

Hi all,

Don't really know why, just guess I was bored.

Anyway, I decided to check MY blood with the AlphaTrak vs. One Touch Ultra meter to see what would happen. I kept the AlphaTrak at Code 7 for dogs (woof woof ) and the One Touch was coded to 30 according to the test strip vial. Here's my readings using MY blood:

One Touch Ultra Meter - 95
AlphaTrak using their strips - 152
AlphaTrak using Freestyle Lite strips - 169

These readings were all from the same drop of blood within about a minute. I just kept squeezing my finger. I was getting tense at the 169 reading, my finger was starting to hurt!

What was I trying to prove? I really don't know except that the AlphaTrak is just a plain Freestyle Lite meter with a calibration in their little computer chip for dogs and cat, a different color case, a different name and big dollar figure.

AlphaTrak claims their meter is only calibrated for animals and not for human use, then why did the meter read my blood?

I could use the AlphaTrak on myself and just lower the readings by a percentage.

People use a human meter for their pets and add a percentage.

Doesn't make any sense to me. I wish I would have came here before I went to the expense of buying the AlphaTrak.

Just a note - this experiment was conducted without the use of live animals!

Linda (sans Ladybug)

[Patty]

Re: I experimented on myself today....

Having a little fun Linda

Under the heading METERS FOR ANIMALS on this page http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Glucometer

"In March, 2006, Abbott began marketing its AlphaTrak[37] animal-validated glucometer. It basically operates similarly to those above, with the validation process being accomplished through obtaining blood glucose test results over a period of time from dogs and cats and validating through averages of them[38] as compared to Antech Laboratories' results. Over 200 dogs and 200 cats were tested to validate the AlphaTrak meter--in each group, only slightly more than 50 were diabetes patients."

The Alphatrak is validated through comparisons to lab results over a period of time from dogs and cats. It will read your blood, but it's not calibrated for the results you would see with a human's red blood cell. The size and shape of a dog's red blood cells are different than that of a human's, thus the difference in readings.

The difference you got was 57 points which is in the ball park of how low the OneTouch meters often read for a dog's blood.

I agree on the expense of the Alphatrak. As long as you have a meter that shows consistency in readings when compared to the lab like we see with the OneTouch, it becomes more of a personal preference than a must have.

Patty

[Ladybug]

Re: I experimented on myself today....

Thanks Patty,

The Alphatrak is validated through comparisons to lab results over a period of time from dogs and cats. It will read your blood, but it's not calibrated for the results you would see with a human's red blood cell. The size and shape of a dog's red blood cells are different than that of a human's, thus the difference in readings.

The difference you got was 57 points which is in the ball park of how low the OneTouch meters often read for a dog's blood.

I did learn something today! Learning is always a great experience.

Linda

[Bagel's Mom]

Re: I experimented on myself today....

I took my One Touch to the vet's and they tested Bagel's blood with mine and the Alphatrak//.There was a SIX point difference and they were surprised!
I have used it since November with no probs. I test 2 X a day so the strips would bankrupt me!

[Patty]

Re: I experimented on myself today....

Sande,
How far off was your OneTouch and their Alphatrak to the lab results?
Patty