Portable blood glucose meters do not reliably detect hypoglycemia in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) compared with a point-of-care chemistry analyzer

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Abstract Objective To compare blood glucose concentrations measured by a veterinary portable blood glucose meter (v-PBGM; AlphaTrak3; Zoetis Inc), a human portable blood glucose meter (h-PBGM; FreeStyle Precision Neo; Abbott Diabetes Care), and a point-of-care chemistry analyzer (reference analyzer; VetScan VS2; Zoetis Inc) in client-owned ferrets. Methods Residual heparinized jugular venous blood samples from ferrets undergoing unrelated veterinary evaluations were analyzed from June 2025 through April 2026 within 10 minutes of collection. Blood glucose was measured with the h-PBGM and with the v-PBGM using equine, canine, and feline settings. Agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman analysis and at hypoglycemia thresholds of ≤ 60 and < 70 mg/dL. Results 24 client-owned domestic ferrets ( Mustela putorius furo ) were included. Mean blood glucose concentration by the reference analyzer was 90.8 mg/dL (range, 43 to 157 mg/dL). The h-PBGM had the greatest positive fixed bias. The v-PBGM canine and feline settings showed minimal fixed bias, but all glucometers had wide limits of agreement. At the ≤ 60-mg/dL threshold, simple classification agreement was 79% for the canine and feline settings, 75% for the equine setting, and 58% for the h-PBGM. Conclusions The v-PBGM canine and feline settings agreed more closely with the reference analyzer than did the h-PBGM. However, agreement was insufficient to support diagnosis or management of hypoglycemia based solely on portable glucometer results in ferrets. Clinical Relevance Low, borderline, unexpected, or treatment-altering blood glucose results should be confirmed with a point-of-care or reference laboratory chemistry analyzer.

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Related topics: Hyperglycemia and glycemic control in critically ill and hospitalized patients · Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality Control · Veterinary Medicine and Surgery