Use of two different methods for glucose determination in sheep under normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic conditions: an evaluation of practical diagnostic methods in ovines

Context Animals can present abnormal blood glucose concentrations because of various diseases or pathological conditions, stress, or hunger. Early diagnosis prevents complications, economic losses, and death. The use of a portable glucometer (PGM) has been shown to be a good, simple, and practical alternative method with good precision and accuracy for assessing blood glucose in humans and companion animals. Aims The objective of this work was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a portable glucometer (PGM) for assessing glycemia in normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic sheep. Methods Blood glucose was evaluated in 60 normoglycemic, 15 hypoglycemic, and 15 hyperglycemic sheep. Blood samples were collected and analysed within 2 h by using PGM and the enzymatic method (EM). Each test was evaluated for sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for two cutoff points, namely, one for hypoglycemia and the other for hyperglycemia. Key results The results of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (P < 0.05) for all groups evaluated did not show a normal distribution for the values evaluated by PGM and EM. Despite the significant difference found between the medians of the methods and the low homogeneity according to the coefficient of variation (CV), there was a homogeneous and linear dispersion of the results. The Bland–Altman test showed that the mean difference between the two methods was close to zero, denoting good agreement, precision, and accuracy of PGM when compared to EM. Conclusions PGM presents high accuracy and precision for assessing glycemia in sheep, providing satisfactory and reliable results when compared with EM. Implications The use of PGM facilitates the veterinarian’s routine, promoting early diagnosis, field examinations, and monitoring of metabolic diseases.