? confused over glucose meter numbers

I'm new to this thing, and I've done a lot of digging around on the site/forums but am having a bit of trouble finding the good/bad/normal ranges when it comes to testing cats? Can someone point me in the right direction?

Also, if I was reading things right, how can I translate a reading from a human glucose monitor into a cat-specific range?

 

Normal cat: 40-120 mg/dL.
On insulin; 50-130 mg/dL.

See my signature link Glucometer Notes for more details. There are feline-specific reference numbers provided there and in the insulin protocols for various insulin types.

Do not adjust nor convert the numbers!

Glucometers read +/- 20% from what a lab would get. The aren't intended to replace a lab.

Human meters read about 60-70% of what a pet meter of vet lab would get. It varies with meter type and glucose range. There is no conversion.

 

Normal blood glucose on a human meter is 50-120

The vast majority of us use human meters here due to the cost of the strips with the pet meters, but normal on a pet meter is 68-160'ish

We don't try to convert the numbers because between the 20% variance allowed on all meters and the 30-40% difference between human and pet meters, the number ends up being pretty useless

It's like taking temperature in Celcius and Farenheight..... 32C is hot...32F is cold....both are correct, you just have to understand the scale

 

Thank you, I get it now thanks to the link. Like you said it's like trying to read in a different measuring system. Mom will be learning about insulin at the vet tomorrow, so I will help her out w/ testing once she learns about giving insulin. Hopefully she won't be too suckered by the vet into buying stuff.

 

things to avoid:
Prescription food - low carb OTC food is fine
Pet meter and strips - human meters are fine
Vet curves - home testing can do these

 

I am well versed about cat food so I have convinced Mom to avoid the RX stuff. The cats don't even like the RX samples they were given anyway.

I am planning to get a Relion from Walmart.

This site is awesome. We are getting there.

 

LOL, a little off topic, here... but I LOVE your avitar!

Yep, don't let the vet talk you in to buying the prescription cat food. It is WAY OVERPRICED and nutritionally not what it should be. Plus, Hannah and her GA civie wouldn't even eat it. I was lucky, as the vet took it back and gave us a refund. Your mom can do better with FF Classics or 9 Lives pates from your local grocery, pet store, or Walmart.

Your plan to purchase a ReliOn from Walmart is a good one. That's what we use. Initially, the vet's office manager talked us in to buying a pet specific meter, the AlphaTrak2. It's a great (but expensive) meter, and with all the testing we find necessary, I was going broke buying the test strips. ReliOn strips are about $37 for 100. AlphaTrak strips are about $74 for 50.

Best of luck to you, your mom, and Mae.

 

I just bought some AT strips from my vet, $56 for 50 and I thought that was bad enough!

 

OMG... that sounds like a much better deal than I got. I paid $73.64 on July 31, 2014, from our vet. That was the last time I bought them. After that, decided the ReliOn meter and strips were more cost efficient for our purpose.