Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

Can I use human test strips for my cat's glucose and ketones?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | neutered | 10 lbs

Can I use a human glucometer and strips to measure my cats glucose? And can I use human ketone strips to measure urine ketones? If not, why?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on December 27, 2017

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

You can use human ketone and glucose strips to test for ketones and glucose in Ringo's urine. If you want to test his blood sugar at home I recommend investing in a Veterinary glucometer which are more accurate for animals than human ones. If you have a human glucometer you can use it and watch trends but it may not be totally accurate.

I hope this helps and I wish you and Ringo the best!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on March 19, 2020
Hello. You can use a human glucometer, but the recommendation is to use one of the pet only ones. But, in a pinch, you can use a human one. They are actually fairly accurate. Talk with you vet as to what is the best for your situation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA
Veterinarian
Published on April 12, 2016
Human glucometers are not as reliable as veterinary callibrated models for cats (or dogs) so it is always preferable to source the correct instrument. You should discuss the benefits of home testing with the vet overseeing her diabetes medication and treatment in order to ensure the stress of taking regular samples is actually going to improve her long term management. They may even be able to source a glucometer for you as it is important the model you use has strips and control solutions readily available also. Ensure all other management factors are well controlled also including diabetes specific diet and a weight monitoring and management plan, regular fructosamine samples to assess adequate control, urine and eye checks to monitor for any other complications such as urinary tract infections and eye problems
13Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

My cat has diabetes. How often to test blood, regulate, or use urine?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is not a set number of times per day or anything like that. That is something that is determined based on the current control of the diabetes and is adjusted accordingly. That should be recommended by the veterinarian who is prescribing the insulin and keeping tract of the case closely. There is no way to accurately measure glucose in the urine for these cases. How long it takes to achieve steady levels also varies widely per case but possibly within a week or so. Best of luck!

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

What are easy ways to monitor my diabetic dog's glucose at home?

I have provided a link here that hopefully will help you. There are a lot of good owner tutorials/videos for owners of diabetic pets. The best spots to obtain a bit of blood for a glucometer are the paw pad and ear tips but a lot of owners have trouble and the values may not always be accurate. You do not need to check blood sugars daily as this is not very accurate. Checking a spot check blood sugar is more important if you think the value would be low, which is more concerning than a high sugar. A blood glucose curve is a better way to monitor and this is done 7 to 10 days after diagnosis and after any dose change. Some owners monitor urine dipsticks as well. If you feel like you need more help with this disease process then you could ask for a referral to a veterinary internist who specializes in managing chronic diseases like diabetes. I hope this helps and thank you for using PetCoach! https://www.aaha.org/guidelines/diabetes_guidelines/resources.aspx

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

What if I'm short a strip for my dog's glucose curve test?

Hello, if you have gotten 11 readings so far, this should be enough to perform a curve. If need to measure the glucose for dosing purposes, most of the glucometers are based from humans and you may be able to find the same strips at your pharmacy. Hope this helps and best of luck

Updated on September 23, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My cat has diabetes. What's the normal glucose level in their urine?

Good question. The "normal" level of glucose in urine is none. In a non-diabetic, the urine glucose should read negative. This is rarely the case with our diabetic animals. They often have some glucose in their urine because their blood glucose levels are higher than normal and that high glucose "spills over" into their urine. So, we use the urine glucose level as an indicator of blood glucose levels and changes in blood glucose levels. I hope that was helfpul and answered your question. Please post again if you have any other questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Updated on September 23, 2025

When to check my diabetic cat's blood sugar: before or after insulin?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think this is Veterinarian preference. If your Vet wants you to be doing this at home, double check with them on what time they want you to check Nappy's blood sugar so they can accurately guide you on changes. With that being said, I like the reading to be right before the insulin is due to be given or 6 hours AFTER it has been given (which should be the lowest point of the day). I sometimes have owners do full blood sugar curves at home, which requires measuring the blood sugar every 2 hours for 12 hours, starting right before the morning dose of insulin. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

My cat drinks/pees a lot. Can I test for diabetes at home? Vet help?

Unfortunately no, there is no way to test this at home, Zoey has to see a vet. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Check these resources to see if one can help you, and please call a vet in the morning to make her an appointment. Best of luck.

Updated on September 23, 2025

Can I use a human glucometer on my dog? What's a normal level?

Yes, human glucometers can be used in pets, but often the results are not a direct correlate to true blood glucose in dogs - they tend to be lower than what it really is. Normal blood glucose for dogs would be 80-120 but can vary depending on stress level, recent meals, or concurrent illness. If you would like to routinely check Miley's blood glucose, I recommend that you talk to your vet about a veterinary glucometer. If you still want to use another glucometer, your vet can draw multiple sample throughout the day to compare the numbers of the human glucometer and compare it to a veterinary glucometer.

Updated on September 23, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share