3 Necessary Precautions to Take When Using Blood-Glucose Monitors on Diabetic Dogs

Consult your veterinarian before performing any home-based blood glucose test on your dog.

Finding the right blood glucose monitoring system for your diabetic dog can be complicated, but it is a vital part of helping him maintain a decent quality of life. There are many aspects of your pet’s daily schedule—such as his food consumption, his exercise regimen, and his stress level—that have an impact on your pet’s blood glucose readings.

A home-based blood glucose monitoring system is a great tool to regulate your pet’s diabetes. It can help you and your veterinarian analyze the current type and dose of your pet’s insulin to make sure it is successful in controlling diabetes. The results of this test are most accurate when conducted under normal conditions, meaning your dog’s diet, exercise, and stress are at their average day-to-day levels.

When conducting these tests at your veterinarian’s office, one of the most common problems that pet owners face is that their dogs may refuse to eat or become severely stressed after being forced to stay in a confined space for a long period of time and then restrained to take the blood test. These are not conditions your pet is used to, which is why the blood glucose readings obtained this way may not reflect the accurate blood glucose level of your pet on a typical day.

However, home-based tests can be used on an occasional basis to measure your dog’s blood glucose level if his diabetes is well controlled and managed. They can also help you gather information that your veterinarian can use to suggest changes to the current insulin therapy given to your pet, if any changes are needed.

There are a few decent options available for blood glucose meters for pets in the market, and they only require a small blood sample from your pet. However, before using any of these tests, make sure you have read and understood the process of sampling blood, and make sure to carefully follow the instructions included with the blood glucose meter.

Without further ado, here are three necessary precautions to take when using a home-based blood glucose test on your diabetic pet.

1. Make sure everything around you is properly sanitized.

Make sure you have carefully washed your hands using an antibacterial soap. In addition, look around and see to it that you are working on a clean surface. You can use a clean towel to put your materials on. Also, make sure you are not touching the lancet’s tip in the meter.

2. Ensure that the site where you are performing the prick is clean and dry.

Before you perform the prick on the chosen site, make sure the site is thoroughly cleaned and dried. If you think that your chosen site of prick is dirty then you can wash it using warm water. Next, make sure you have waited long enough for the site to totally dry before you actually perform the blood sample. If any moisture is left behind, the drop of blood will spread out, making it very hard to accurately perform the blood glucose test. The moisture may dilute the blood sample, leading to an inaccurate blood glucose test result.

3. If you must restrain your dog, do so gently.

To perform the prick, you will need to get your dog calm and relaxed for a few minutes. While trying to restrain your pet, be careful not to cause him too much stress and anxiety, as this may lead to inaccurate results. If you do find yourself in a situation where you pet is clearly anxious, wait a few minutes and then try again.

Author Bio:

I’m Jolie Adams, and I enjoys getting feedback from readers about the topics I cover. Some of the subjects commonly explored in my blog include advice for pet owners, blood glucose monitoring systems for pets, and the treatment and prevention of diabetes in pets.