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Introduction
Home blood glucose testing has become a common practice among owners of
diabetic pets. This information will help you and your vet learn about
home bg testing, be assured that the meters are accurate, help you decide if home blood glucose
testing is appropriate for you and your pet, and learn specific testing methods.
Home blood glucose monitoring should be performed in consultation with your veterinarian.
General
Concepts
Specific
testing methods (locations for getting the drop of blood)
Which
Meter Should I Purchase For My Pet?
These meters are good for pets because they
have test strips using capillary action to "suck" the blood into the
test strip. Many owners of diabetic pets have found this type of meter, to best meet their needs. Meters that are not listed
are not “bad” meters, they are just not commonly used by owners of diabetic
pets. The main features of each meter and it's test strips are shown below. You shouldn't have to pay much more
than the listed price at a local pharmacy. There are also links to the
company web sites, and to their on-line owner's manuals. The companies often run rebate
offers, so call them and ask if there are any rebates available (the number will
be on the box). Also, you can often find "buy 50 test strips and get the
meter free" deals. Many owners have said the folks at Hocks.com
have been very helpful in providing meter / test strip deals and they are
familiar with the needs of diabetic pets.
| Model |
Accu-Check
Advantage
(Accu-Soft
in Canada)
Comfort Curve
Strips
 |
One Touch
Ultra
|
Glucometer
Elite
or
Elite XL
|
Glucometer
DEX
|
FreeStyle
|
| Reference |
Plasma |
Plasma |
Plasma |
Plasma |
Plasma |
| Blood
(uL) |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3-4 |
0.3 |
| Time
(sec) |
up to 40 |
5 |
30 |
30 |
15 |
BG
Range
(mg/dL) |
10-600 |
20-600 |
20-600 |
10-600 |
20-500 |
Replaceable
Battery |
AAA
Alkaline |
lithium |
lithium |
lithium |
AAAA
Alkaline |
Auto
Shut
Off (min) |
5 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
| Controls |
Low,
Norm,
High |
|
Low,
Norm,
High |
Low,
Norm,
High |
Normal |
| Temp.
(F) |
57-104 |
43-111 |
50-104 |
50-104 |
50-95 |
Test
Strip
Calibration |
Chip |
|
Strip |
No calibration
required |
Button
on meter |
| Test
Strips |
Comfort Curve
test strips
(100 ct)
($63)
|
|
Elite (50 count)
($37)
|
Dex
Sensors
(50 ct)
($40)
(100
ct)
($70) |
(100
ct)
($68) |
| Meter
Kit Price |
$65 |
$65 |
$45 (Elite)
$53 (XL) |
$68 |
$75 |
| Pros** |
|
|
| + |
touchable strips |
| + |
meter can be held in any
orientation |
|
| + |
10 sensors in meter are
convenient for frequent testers |
| + |
meter can be held in any
orientation |
| o |
Rated "very
good" by
Consumer Reports but a little less consistent than some meters |
|
| + |
won't start without
enough blood |
| + |
rated in top three by
Consumer Reports (Oct 2001) |
|
| Cons** |
| - |
false reading with too
little blood |
|
|
| - |
false reading with too
little blood |
|
| - |
false
reading with too little blood |
|
| - |
several owners
report this meter reads low on their cat. I've also had the same
report from one dog owner. |
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U.S.
Customer
Support |
800-858-8072
Excellent |
800-227-8862 |
800-348-8100
Excellent |
800-348-8100
Excellent |
888-522-5226 |
Maker
Web link
site quality
manuals
|
Roche
Cumbersome
online
owner's
manuals
|
LifeScan
Excellent
online
owner's
manuals
|
Bayer
Excellent
online
owner's
manuals
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Bayer
Excellent
online
owner's
manuals
|
TheraSense
Very good
online
owner's
manuals
|
If I were to purchase a meter again, I would
choose the Accu-Check Advantage, followed by the One Touch Ultra.
Although the Bayer Elite was not a top-rater meter in Consumer's Reports I
think it is a good meter for use with pets and many pet owners use one of
the Bayer meters (we used the Elite when Barney was being tested).
Being able to hold the meter in any
orientation (flat, sideways, tipped in some direction) makes it easier to
get the test strip to the drop of blood on the ear, paw, lip, etc.
AAAA
(that's not a typo).
* may
be too narrow a temperature range for people living in cold or hot
climates.
** these
pros and cons are either characteristics that are mentioned in the owner's
manuals or advantages or disadvantages owners have mentioned when using
these meters with diabetic pets. Just because a pro or con is not listed
doesn't mean it doesn't apply to that meter, it just means no one who uses
the meter has mentioned it.
All of these meters have a memory that
stores recent bg readings. The amount of memory varies, and some
meters include the date and time along with the bg.
All of these meters, except for the
Glucometer Elite have data download capability. This feature is not
usually used by pet owners, and if you are choosing between the Glucometer
Elite and the Glucometer Elite XL, the XL would not be worth the extra
expense.
"Touchable strips" means you
can touch the test end of the strip without damaging the strip or
effecting the test results. This is a very nice feature.
These meters / test strips have about
the same range for hematocrit, with the Bayer Glucometers having the
widest range (20-60%). Your pet's hematocrit should be within an
acceptable range unless your pet is severely dehydrated or anemic. The same is true of
the cholesterol and triglyceride limits of the meters, with the possible
exception of hyperlipidemic pets. If your pet is
dehydrated, anemic, or is hyperlipidemic, you should be sure to check with
your vet and the
specifications of your meter to be sure you will get accurate
readings.
Two other
meters:
WalMart ReliOn brand of glucometer.
The meter kit costs only $25 and a box of 50 test strips costs just $10.
It measures bg in the range of 20-600 mg/dl and has a memory that retains
the last 10 bg tests. It's operating range is 39-86 degrees F. The auto
shut-off is 1 minute, and it has a non-replaceable battery that lasts for
about 4000 tests. U.S. Customer Support: 800-992-3612.
Unfortunately, the meter is not featured on the WalMart website, and is
available only in WalMart pharmacies (not any other store).
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Meters
that are not good for use with diabetic pets
The following meters have been used by owners
of diabetic pets and they were not happy with them. Usually it's because
the meter requires too much blood or because you have to drip the blood onto the
test strip (not a capillary action "sippy" type test strip)
-
Accucheck Simplicity
-
Exactec RSG
-
Medisense Precision
Meters
recently rated in Consumer Reports
The October 2001 issue of Consumer Reports magazine rated several home bg
meters. Meters were evaluated by 9 people with diabetes including four diabetes professionals based on the following criteria:
-
how easy it was to use / maintain / transport; and features
-
consistency (similarity of reading when retesting the same blood sample)
-
accuracy (how closely readings agreed
with standard lab results)
They note that consistency was given more weight in the overall rating than
accuracy because users can learn to adjust the meter to any bias it might have.
The three top-rated meters are noted in the pros in the chart above. The
following meters had comments that "there are better choices" because
of poor consistency and/or poor accuracy
-
One Touch FastTake
-
MediSense Precision QID
-
AtLast
-
InCharge
Lancing
Devices and Lancets
There are many types of lancets and lancing
devices on the market. Some lancets are sharper or smoother than others - which
can be less traumatic for your pet. But, a lancet that is too sharp may not
produce a large enough prick to get a drop of blood. A few owners have
found that the B-D Ultra-fine II lancet is too fine. Whether or not you use a
lancing device is personal preference. Some owners feel they have more control
holding the lancet in their hand, while others find the lancing device to be
very helpful. If you don't like the lancing device that came with your meter,
you may want to try the Softclix lancing device. It is pen shaped, quiet
(won't scare your pet) and has 6 depth settings. Many owners like this lancing
device.
 
Updated February 2004
Copyright. All rights reserved.
This site is for information purposes only. Please consult
your veterinarian.
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Home Blood
Glucose Testing Education