ReliOn Micro and accuracy

My vet said that human glucometers cannot be used on companion animals since they weren't calibrated correctly. After finding this site (AH-MAZING), I bought the ReliOn Micro at Walmart. Take that vet who didn't think I needed to test but once every two week!!

How do these meters read in comparison to animal-calibrated meters? I'm curious.

Thanks!
SP

 

They will be similar at lower numbers and very different at high numbers. So a 50 on a human meter is about a 70 on a pet meter.... A 350 on a human meter might be 450+ on a pet meter. Just know normal on human meters is 50-120.... Below 50 is hypo, above 120 is higher than normal.

 

Oh, wow. I didn't know if would be that much. Hmmmm, that changes and confuses things.

 

Perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha Trak 2? I just looked up the strips online and they are double the price!

 

Confusing is when you test mere minutes apart out of curiosity and get numbers that are very far apart. Once you get settled in with one meter one thing you want is consistency. The low numbers is when you want some accuracy, you would be shocked to learn what the FDA considers "accurate".

 

Fatty's numbers have stayed clustered at 300 except for this morning it was 180 so I didn't give her any thinking that was low. How do you know how to dose correctly? Is the Alpha Trak the better way to go? I just started tracking on Saturday.
I can only imagine what they consider "accurate."

 

It sounds demented but you're going to have to experiment on Fatty. Someone here will give you a much better answer depending on weight and a thousand other things. This is why curves give you a lot of info. I'm not being a smart***, we use 2 different insulins and different meters.

 

I'll take another stab at this. Some of it's pretty basic and you've already figured a lot out so it's not meant to be condescending.
You'll start with a low dose and ideally will be able to at least take a few mid-day readings to see how the insulin is working. The nadir is the part where your insulin has peaked and Fatty's numbers start to climb back up. Feel free to post at anytime Fatty's numbers and the amount of insulin given. I don't post my spreadsheet but if you do people more experienced than me can see exactly what's going on and advise you. Don't worry about the spreadsheet and privacy, this about Fatty. Once you've gotten into an established routine and have done a few curves or even mini-curves this will get a lot simpler.
I hope that helps, now you know why "Poor communication skills" is in my profile.
Someone may correct me, that's okay here. It's not about egos.

 

I get what you are saying. It is really early in Fatty's treatment, but I don't want to screw anything up. Not that I haven't already, but luckily Fatty is a great kitty and tolerate of my errors (ear pricking). I have my numbers on a sheet of paper but will transfer them to the spreadsheet and upload.
I am off work next week and will do a curve then. The vet wants her to come in so they can do it, but I am going to cancel that appointment. I don't see the point if I can the check the numbers at home where she is most comfortable and give them the information later. I have a feeling the conversation will always go back to the meter and that mine is inaccurate.