Although chemistry analysis is necessary for diagnosis and monitoring of diseases in birds, the small volume of the blood sample that can be safely obtained from small avian species, often limits laboratory diagnostics. Consequently, a suitable method which requires a small volume of blood must be employed. Two experiments were designed to compare domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) blood glucose concentration using a commercial hand-held glucometer (Accu-Chek active) against the standard method (Biotecnica Targa 3000, Italy). In the first experiment, blood samples were obtained from 30 domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica). Blood glucose concentration was measured by a standard human glucometer and the remaining sample measured for packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (nRBC), and plasma glucose concentration with automated analyzer. For the second experiment, 30 pigeons were divided into two equal groups (N=15). Blood glucose concentration was measured under induced hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions by insulin and glucose IV administration to each group. Linear regression models showed that there was a significant relationship between the glucometer and auto-analyzer results in three conditions (normal: R=0.43; P=0.018, hypoglycemia: R=0.95; P<0.001, hyperglycemia: R=0.81; P<0.001). The results of this study suggest that we can predict the real blood glucose concentration of pigeons using the glucometer results.

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