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

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 70 lbs

Can I test my dogs blood glucose level with a human tester? If so, what is the level she should be at?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 11th, 2017

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.

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 30th, 2018

    Human glucometers should not be used in animals as the calibration is much different and the numbers for glucose levels are different on human meters. The glucometer I recommend to all of the owners of diabetic patients I manage is the AlphaTrak 2. You can find this online quite easily. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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Related Questions

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Can we use human glucose meter on dogs? And if yes, what are the normal levels for dogs through a human glucose meter? Thanks a lot to whoever who answers!
Human glucometers should not be used in animals as the calibration is much different and the numbers for glucose levels are different on human meters. The glucometer I recommend to all of the owners of diabetic patients I manage is the AlphaTrak 2. You can find this online quite easily. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hi there I am testing my dogs blood sugar today I am wondering if he has diabetes (very thirsty and frequent urination but no weight loss ) what is a good fasting blood sugar level for a dog? Thank you.
It should be less the 150 but can vary using human glucometers and may not be accurate. Diabetes is truly diagnosed when glucose is high in the blood AND seen in urine. If the glucose is normal or you are unsure or to get the most accurate reading, I would have your vet take a look at him. There are several things that can cause increased drinking and urination. Your vet will be able to help you rule these things out and figure out what is causing this new behavior. I hope this helps !
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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What is a normal blood glucose level for a dog? I have an English Bulldog almost 5 years old, history of countless skin issues (I know it’s common), two stomach surgeries for blockage, he has had over the past two weeks an obsession with drinking con
Normal glucose reading would be 70 to 150 mg, dL. 46 is too low, however, human diabetes test ers often show a lower glucose level than the actual level as it aims to keep human diabetics from getting hypoglycemic. I suggest you make sure your dog eats properly and schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for a blood test. The excessive drinking is also concerning and can point to endocrine or kidney disease.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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what is a dangerous reading for dogs glucose reading high and low?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! High and low blood glucose will be somewhat dependent on the method that is used though typically more than 180mg/dl is considered high and less than 60mg/dl is considered low in dogs. Have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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I need to know where I can find a printable blood sugar range chart for a dog. My dog has been diagnosed with diabetes and I don't know what the normal ranges are for a dog, or the abnormal ranges for a dog. Could you tell me where I can find that?
Most "normal" dogs have a blood sugar range from 75-150. But most diabetic dogs are never that low. Our blood sugar goals for most diabetes are more like 150-250. The most important thing is to closely monitor Bindi's levels in order to help your veterinarian adjust her insulin accurately. And do not change the insulin dose without speaking with your veterinarian or based on a single reading. The most important thing is monitoring trends in her blood sugar levels. I am attaching a handout below which has a form that you can download to help record and monitor her blood sugar levels. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952916 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Im having problems getting blood from my dog to check his blood glucose as he is a diabetic and we have been unsuccessful. The closest vet is 30 miles away at least so i cant take him in everyday and my vet is not the most compassionate and doesn't r
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 Boop by Petco! https://www.aaha.org/guidelines/diabetes_guidelines/resources.aspx
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Mo Jo my diabetic dog (10 yrs old) his glucose levels are going from 12 a week ago to 17 today, Can I just watch it for a week or should I be alarmed and get him in. It seems to go up and down quite regularly, other than that everything seems fine. I
Consider having Mojo rechecked by your veterinarian. A bG curve should be done to confirm the insulin dose is appropriate or if it needs to be adjusted. In a diabetic dog, a bG between 5-12 mmol/L over a 24 hour period is considered "stable". Rapid or wide swings should be addressed by your veterinarian
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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How often should I test my dog's blood sugar with the Alphtrak 2 monitor? And what is the acceptable glucose level range for a diabetic dog?
Great question! Typically I have owners do curves at home starting with a check before breakfast and insulin, then every 2hours until their next insulin dose. Ideal is 80-120 for me, but below 200 is pretty good control. If you are just starting to monitor your diabetic dog, I usually wait 1 week of dosing to start a curve. Do the curve on a day when you will be home with Toby and can check every 2 hours, and when there is no stressful activities going on, like visitors/construction, etc. Once you get your curve, you should send the results to your vet so they can analyze the results and make any changes to his insulin treatment if necessary. Do not change insulin dosage without talking to your vet first. Good luck and kisses to Toby!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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We take our maltida to see her vet tomorrow decades she is a diabetic and we check her levels this morning before her insulin shot and it was 188 is that good,,is there anything we should ask the vet about our baby girl maltida?
That value is within normal range, so that's good; however you cannot judge if a pet is being managed well with just 1 reading. I would encourage you to discuss doing a glucose curve with your veterinarian to get a full picture of her diabetic status. This involves taking blood level readings every 2 hrs over the course of 12 hrs (if possible). Also the vet will likely want to get her Fructosamine levels (takes her blood sugar levels 2 weeks prior and is not affected by stress). Stress can lead to false high blood glucose readings, especially in cats, which is why we often use Fructosamine as a more accurate management tool. Here is also more information on the glucose curve and tons of info on diabetes in cats. http://www.vetsulin.com/vet/default.aspx is another key factor when managing diabetes, and I usually recommend either Purina DM (top pick), Royal Canin Glycobalance, or Hill's M/D which are all prescription brands, expect for the Purina.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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I've gotten some mixed reviews about my dog's blood glucose. Had a false reading of <10 from preop bloodwork first time. Went back for a quick in house retest and got 57. Vet said low end was 60, so came in just a tad low but didn't seem concerned. S
I don't see an age, breed, or sex listed for your pet, which would give us helpful information in terms of how to interpret that finding. It is certainly lower than expected; usually when dogs (or cats) have their blood drawn, they are a bit stressed from being at the vet, which tends to increase the blood sugar for a short period of time, so usually we will see animals be over 80-90, and most commonly over 100. It may be worth asking your vet about running a "baseline cortisol" test to screen for Addison's disease. I will attach some information below. Keep a close eye on your dog as well. If he seems lethargic, tired, walks with a weak or wobbly gait at times, etc, (or certainly if he has more obvious problems such as a seizure), then this probably is a problem for him. Other possible causes of low blood sugar (again age, breed, and sex also play in here in terms of liklihood), include insulinoma (a tumor in the pancreas), liver disease, or toxin exposures (most notably xylit
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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