Forum reports on pet meters

[Auddog]

Hi Paula & Mackenzie,

I have not read good reviews on the reliability of the iPet Glucose meter, so I would not recommend it. Bazzle and I use the AlphaTrack2 as well as the One Touch Ultra Mini. I actually started with the OTUM because I didn't feel like I could wait for the AT2 to come in the mail, lol. I really like having 2 meters because I was able to compare the two which helped me come up with a multiplier for my OTUM. Now I save money by using the OTUM, who's strips are about 1/2 the cost of the AT2 strips.

So happy to hear that Mackenzie is making progress, and I hope it continues. I'm very interested to see how her active lifestyle affects her glucose levels. Can't wait for you to start the home testing ,

Audrey & Bazzle

[k9diabetes]

Re: Mackenzie's Odyssey

I do not recommend the iPet meter either - have seen a number of people get very poor results with it. Inconsistent and unreliable readings.

If you want to go with a pet-adjusted meter, AlphaTrak is good - expensive, but good.

We had an AlphaTrak for years but only used it occasionally to compare with our OneTouch Ultra, which we used every day for four years.

The cost over the long-term is the strips, not the meter. Plus I really like the strips for the OneTouch that have a window that shows whether the tube filled completely with blood. Another good feature is that it will tend to error out when there is problem rather than giving you a bad reading.

We bought our strips online - not even eBay but an online pharmacy that specialized in diabetes supplies - and they were much cheaper than buying them locally.

Exercise can have a huge affect on blood sugar. With Mackenzie's lifestyle, she may need snacks throughout the day to maintain her blood sugar when it's in a good range.

I know of a diabetic dog or two that were hunting/hiking partners - half a dozen times or more her person had to hike her out because her blood sugar went so low. It is a challenge with a very active dog, and I would probably opt for somewhat looser regulation as a result since hypoglycemia can be fatal.

You will have to stock the carriage with syrup. We used to keep a bottle of pancake syrup in the car and some small packets of syrup or gel frosting in the dog walking bag because even our slow moving dog tended to go low on walks.

Natalie

[MacKenzie]

Re: Mackenzie's Odyssey

Thanks to all for the reports on the IPet meter. I checked with the vet from the Diabetes website that actually sold it and she did not recommend it either. She too reported that the accuracy was terrible.

So, we ordered the One Touch Ultra 2 and begin her testing on Friday. Which begs the question, where is the best place to take the blood? They had a little bandaid around her upper front leg when they did it at the vet 2 weeks ago. Should I do it in that same area? I'm not too keen on this whole lancet thing as don't want to hurt her.

This last weekend we went for a 3 1/2 hour, 2 1/2 mile hike up to Horsetail Falls near Lake Tahoe - no snow, believe it or not. We had a snack before, 1/4 of the way, at the 1/2 way point (the top) and then 3/4 of the way back down - chicken jerky (we only buy the U.S. brand) and dog biscuits. She did very well and was totally her old self running all over the place and never stopping. It will be good to test her though on these outings to see how she's really doing. I'll report back with my findings.

Thanks,

Paula & MacKenzie

[BMarra]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

I bought this meter as a backup to the AlphaTrak about 6 months ago. Turns out I like it much better as the strips absorb the blood quicker and there is a 5 number countdown then the BG number appears no matter if it's high or low as the AlphaTrak will take long to register the number if it's high. The strips are less expensive than the AT strips. Whenever I start a new vial of the PetTest strips, i compare against the Alpha Trak. The company is also very responsive when contacted.

[MomofGus]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

The recent reviews on Amazon are promising! I see the strips for $26.95 (free shipping) from the same place I was ordering my Alphatrak strips. I may need to check this out because I test 3 times a day on most days. I wouldn't need a different lancet unless this one would require bigger blood drop.

Let us know what you think!

[MomofGus]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

Yeah!! Received my new Advocate meter yesterday. First reading was 100 pts difference, but I attribute that huge difference to maybe it being the first reading and maybe not getting everything just right.

I have used twice since yesterday. This morning, first reading was only 14 difference, with Advocate being the lowest, and my mid-day reading was 46 difference, again with Advocate being the lowest. If the difference holds, I will make this my main testing meter since I test so often.

I like how it works. It's easy set-up, and the strips just suck in the blood, beeps when the strip is full and pretty much instantly gives you a reading in under 5 seconds, whereas the AlphaTrak may take a little longer for it to work. I like how you use the end of the strip to get the blood instead of trying to get the blood on the little point of the Alphatrak strip. The starter kit came with 10 strips, 10 lancets, the lancer, and 5 travel safety lancets, and calibration fluid, and the little zippered travel bag, plus 2 AAA batteries. And, Countryside Pet threw in an extra bottle of 10 strips (which gives me 20 total to start with). All this for $9.95 and free shipping from them. I am now going back to Amazon to order a box of 50 strips, through them as a seller for $26.95. Ordering strips directly from them is higher. But, I have found it best to check Amazon and the seller to see which is cheaper because sometimes they switch the costs.

I don't plan to switch lancets as the Alphatrak works fine and I can get replacement lancets at Walmart for $1.48 for 100 of them. The Advocate lancer looks strange to me.

So, I'm hoping this continues to be a good meter and remains pretty accurate. The way my Gus is running now, I don't have to worry too much about having a low. We're back to having higher numbers again and being on a roller coaster of being anywhere in mid 300's to high 400s, and a couple 500's thrown in out of the blue. Schnauzers are most certainly hard to regulate and I sure pray he isn't getting insulin resistant. I will be curious on how close the readings are for others here that have ordered this meter.

[MomofGus]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

Update - just did third comparison BG test with the two meters, with only 5 point difference, again with Advocate being the lower reading. I'm pleased that it appears to be pretty darn close. It's a win in my book right now.

[jaycapz]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

Alright, I gave the new meter a test run. I am testing against the alpha trak, I typically use both alpha strips and freestyle. I know free style with code 7 is typically 15-20 points lower with BG below 200, and 30 lower than alpha above 200.

Results from last 2 days of testing.. A=Alphatrak with Alpha strips, AD=Advocates Meter

A-89, AD-33
A-100, AD-Low(no reading)
A-169, AD-77
A-95, AD-Low
A-121, AD-55
A-190, AD-100

The results are all over the map. I tried the control solution and all checked out. I am a bit disappointed, I would not rely on this tester if you have concerns of hypo range. I also found this to require slightly more blood than alpha and freestyle strips, not by much. The unit is bulky, alarm function is a nice add. It feels well built, but at the end of the day it's the accuracy. I have a second vial of strips, but I doubt I will see any change.

By the way, I did a coupe of tests against free style strips as well. As I started to question the alpha strips. Free style came in 20 points lower on avg, and still more accurate. I'll update with more once I have more to report on.

[MomofGus]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

JayCapz, I'm sorry you didn't get better readings for comparison.

Here is summary of the readings I've taken so far yesterday & today. As a note, I will continue to use AlphaTrak intermittently because I believe it to be more accurate, but the results I've gotten for my dog is close enough for me to warrant use since I test 3 times a day. My Gus is still running pretty high and numbers are all over and that's why I test as frequently as I do.

443 AT / 429 AD Diff = 15
458 AT / 412 AD Diff = 46
288 AT/ 283 AD Diff = 5
372 AT / 334 AD Diff =38
268 AT / 306 AD (first time Alphatrak was lower) Diff =38

I don't think any meter comparison is going to be the same. For me, this is pretty close since my dog runs typically high that I can still be on top of what's going on with him. For my dog, I think the Advocate used less blood - it's definitely easier to get it on the strip than the Alphatrak. But, I agree with you, it's about the accuracy.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

Wow, those readings for Jude are way off... you could talk to the rep about it to make sure there isn't some problem in how it's set up and they might send you a second one if they feel that one is faulty.

Natalie

[MomofGus]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

I did 3 comparisons today and the results are pretty much the same and not a whole lot of difference. I have a new full bottle of strips on the way and will start to use the Advocate for most of my testing to save money unless I have an issue where I'm not comfortable with the level of readings, now that I feel I have a pretty good idea of how close this is running for my pup. I will save my AlphaTrak strips/meter for when I have a problem or to spot check.

478 AT 452 AD Diff = 26
388 AT 379 AD Diff = 9
359 AT 376 AD Diff = 17 (AD higher this time, same time of day as the other comparison when it was higher)

JayCapz, did you use the same blood droplet for your comparison tests? If you didn't, that might make a difference.

[CraigM]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

Annie was so excited today, her new meter arrived!

Just did one blood test comparison between the AlphaTrak-2 and Advocate, and a test with both meters using the control solution that came with the Advocate (imitation blood?).

Real Annie blood, 4:00pm
AlphaTrak-2 = 123
Advocate. = 129

Second Annie test, 6:30pm
AlphaTrak-2 = 166
Advocate. = 157

Third Annie test, 6:30am
AlphaTrak-2 = 291
Advocate = 309

Advocate Control solution
AlphaTrak-2 = 77
Advocate = 86

Guess I now need to give Annie a big snack to get her blood glucose into the 300s and see if the two meters remain close to each other at higher numbers.

Craig

[k9diabetes]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

Every now and then we have found that a dog and a specific brand of meter don't get on well. So if a second PetTest is no better, that could be the case.

The various brands of meters use slightly different methods for calculating the blood sugar and it seems some dogs' blood is different than others. Same for people. A few human diabetics I've known found that some brands of meters worked much better for them than others.

Keep in mind, too, all - every meter reading is a "calculation" - it's not a simple counting of glucose molecules in the sample. So AlphaTrak and all other meters ultimately are only estimating your dog's blood sugar.

I know in the early years of AlphaTrak, for example, some folks with diabetic cats found that the readings were too low. The companies run numerous tests of dogs' and cats' blood sugar to come up with the algorithm in the meter that calculates the blood sugar reading based on the sample. Great tool - so much better than anything we had before for cats and dogs - but still just a tool that estimates.

Which is fine - it's ranges and trends that matter, not individual readings.

Natalie

[CraigM]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

and it's much easier to get the blood onto the little test strip than the Alphatrak.

. I've only used my PetTest 4-5 times because I had a container of AlphaTrak strips that were about to reach the expiry date that I wanted to use. I posted the results earlier. Will start using the PetTest next week for more routine testing after using up these older AlphaTrak strips (will still have 2 fresh containers of AlphaTrak strips).

I actually dislike the size / shape of the PetTest meter (too "boxy"). The length of the test strip is very short, and only sticks out a little from the end of the meter. I find myself needing to twist my hand to get the test strip to the blood droplet. I'm sure I'll get use to the shape of the PetTest meter after a bit of use.

Craig

[MomofGus]

Re: Advocate PetTest meter

I agree with you Craig in the meter being too boxy, and it's heavier (because of the batteries, I think). But, I don't seem to have trouble holding it to get the blood on there. I've been having trouble seeing the little point on the alphatrak stick to get the blood on there. Guess my eyes aren't what they used to be. I'm not stopping use of my Alphatrak all together, but at least I feel I have a fairly good alternative now and will be able to save a little bit of money on the strips and still know how my little guy is doing.