am considering getting a blood glucose tester, would maybe be handy to be able to test my diabetic dogs glucose levels at home - does anyone test their dogs at home? and how easy are they to use? (have been looking at the Alpha Trak 2 monitor)

I had a diabetic cat who I tested using an Aviva human testing system for about 3 years. I still have it actually and would be happy to post it to you  if you want it. It was very easy to use. You have to look at the price of the testing strips. I used it to adjust the insulin dose which I injected her with twice a day. It was a bit of a performance to be honest. But you get into the swing of it and the alternative was having her pts.

I use the one touch ultra. It's a human meter but has it compared the lab values at the vets and it's not too far off.
It can be very expensive to buy the test strips for the meters and the alpha trak is by far the most expensive.
I have been testing my dog for 3years and could not survive without it.