AlphaTrak 3 issue or its time to switch

[Britta and Regs]

Good morning!
I think I may have to give up on the AlphaTrak 3. Last night Reg’s numbers were unexpectedly high, and this morning I realized the meter had somehow switched itself from cat to dog mode. When I compared both modes, the dog reading was noticeably higher. Not a huge deal when he’s high, but what if this happened when he was low?


Now I’m seriously considering switching completely to ReliOn. I hate losing the app and having to explain the switch to my vet, though. For those of you using ReliOn, do you fully trust it? How do the TR/SLGS numbers apply with a human meter, and would I need to change anything in my spreadsheet?

 

[CORKY]

I can easily say that about 98% of our members trust on the ReliOn Premier monitor, as I, your vet should not argue this fact, and the BG numbers are quite accurate, the Alpha Track is not only expensive, but the strips are about $1.00 each, the ReliOn (Walmart) is $9.00 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100, and is always good to have extra strips at hand, and we do base our numbers on the ReliOn (or human meters) we do value the Alpha Trak of course

 

[Britta and Regs]

I can easily say that about 98% of our members trust on the ReliOn Premier monitor, as I, your vet should not argue this fact, and the BG numbers are quite accurate, the Alpha Track is not only expensive, but the strips are about $1.00 each, the ReliOn (Walmart) is $9.00 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100, and is always good to have extra strips at hand, and we do base our numbers on the ReliOn (or human meters) we do value the Alpha Trak of course

Thank you so much Maria. Oh wow 98% use the ReliOn? Thats quite a number!
Weeks ago I bought the ReliOn premier blu and I just used that for some comparisons so far. I was a little sad that the device with that specific serial number was not able to connect to the app I downloaded, that ReliOn did not have an own app anymore and the strips felt a bit flimsy compared to the alphatrak and I got a lot of error codes. I’m sure that’s just training but that were all factors that bummed me a bit.

Not only that the AlphaTrak switched to dog but the price is one of the bigger factors as well. As you said it’s one dollar per test and for example I did test Regs yesterday 12 times, that means a 50 count pack lasts 4 days and that’s something that is not affordable in the long run. I love Regs a lot but I would hate spending almost 400 Dollar per month if there are similar alternatives

Would I need to change anything on my spreadsheet if I switch?

 

[CORKY]

I have never used an app with it, I use my SS, all you need to change on your SS is the name of the meter, everything else remains the same

 

[Liz & Crowley]

I use the ReliOn. I think most numbers here go based on human meters, so it's easier if you go based on human meters I think.

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Would I need to change anything on my spreadsheet if I switch?

The color coding in the spreadsheet changes on the low end. Instead of lime green being <68 for pet meter, it becomes <50 for the human meter. @Marje and Gracie can help get it sorted or at least explain what she does.

 

[CORKY]

I forgot that one

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Thank you so much Maria. Oh wow 98% use the ReliOn? Thats quite a number!
Weeks ago I bought the ReliOn premier blu and I just used that for some comparisons so far. I was a little sad that the device with that specific serial number was not able to connect to the app I downloaded, that ReliOn did not have an own app anymore and the strips felt a bit flimsy compared to the alphatrak and I got a lot of error codes. I’m sure that’s just training but that were all factors that bummed me a bit.

Not only that the AlphaTrak switched to dog but the price is one of the bigger factors as well. As you said it’s one dollar per test and for example I did test Regs yesterday 12 times, that means a 50 count pack lasts 4 days and that’s something that is not affordable in the long run. I love Regs a lot but I would hate spending almost 400 Dollar per month if there are similar alternatives

Would I need to change anything on my spreadsheet if I switch?

I can convert it for you but I’ll need editing rights. If you can please send me a PM, I can tell you how to do that so I can modify it for you. Thanks!

 

[Daniel and Simon]

I was worried about switching from the pet to human meter but it ended up being super easy and I wish I would have switched sooner. My AlhpaTrak was never consistent, even after recalibrating with the control juice. I would use two test strips on the same drop of blood and get numbers out of the 20% margin of error. So I switched to the Contour Next Gen, which has been alright so far. The AlphaTrak test strips were too expensive to justify constantly using the device anyway. Now I keep mine as a backup, though I don't really trust it.

Kind of wish I switched to ReliOn instead, mostly because it's even cheaper and I don't really like the Contour app. I actually still use the AlphaTrak app to track food and injection time.

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

Hey Britta - we also switched from AlphaTrak 3 to Contour (another human meter) after a couple months. You can see on our SS when that happened. The only "bad" part about switching to Contour was that it requires more blood, so I'm glad I started out with the AlphaTrak. But a couple months in, Moonie's ears had learned to bleed well enough that it wasn't an issue for us. Plus, it's WAY WAY cheaper and I love the peace of mind that it brings that if we run out of strips (or something goes wrong), we can easily run to the convenience store to get more (which is the only reason why we went with Contour vs. ReliOn since we don't live by a Walmart).

 

[CORKY]

Hey Britta - we also switched from AlphaTrak 3 to Contour (another human meter) after a couple months. You can see on our SS when that happened. The only "bad" part about switching to Contour was that it requires more blood, so I'm glad I started out with the AlphaTrak. But a couple months in, Moonie's ears had learned to bleed well enough that it wasn't an issue for us. Plus, it's WAY WAY cheaper and I love the peace of mind that it brings that if we run out of strips (or something goes wrong), we can easily run to the convenience store to get more (which is the only reason why we went with Contour vs. ReliOn since we don't live by a Walmart).

any human meter is just as good, if you do not have a Walmart where you live

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

any human meter is just as good, if you do not have a Walmart where you live

Relion is cheaper though!

 

[Britta and Regs]

I can convert it for you but I’ll need editing rights. If you can please send me a PM, I can tell you how to do that so I can modify it for you. Thanks!

Dear Marje, Thank you so much for the offer to help converting my spreadsheet, really appreciate the offer. Chris already did it and we are ready to go tomorrow with the human meter

 

[Britta and Regs]

Hey Britta - we also switched from AlphaTrak 3 to Contour (another human meter) after a couple months. You can see on our SS when that happened. The only "bad" part about switching to Contour was that it requires more blood, so I'm glad I started out with the AlphaTrak. But a couple months in, Moonie's ears had learned to bleed well enough that it wasn't an issue for us. Plus, it's WAY WAY cheaper and I love the peace of mind that it brings that if we run out of strips (or something goes wrong), we can easily run to the convenience store to get more (which is the only reason why we went with Contour vs. ReliOn since we don't live by a Walmart).

Oh yes that’s a big factor as well, that we can just get them at Walmart and don’t have to worry about Amazon or chewy. And of course the price factor is huge, on days like yesterday I do measure 12 times a day and the AlphaTrak, as much as I love it, is just getting too expensive. I will just miss the app but I will import the values manually. In 2 weeks we have a vet appointment and I really don’t know how to tell the vet that we use a human meter,!she has a strong opinion about that

Moonie is such a good kitty that she even allows that so brave! Regs still hates when I’m poking his ears and tries to push my hand away with the paw

 

[Britta and Regs]

I was worried about switching from the pet to human meter but it ended up being super easy and I wish I would have switched sooner. My AlhpaTrak was never consistent, even after recalibrating with the control juice. I would use two test strips on the same drop of blood and get numbers out of the 20% margin of error. So I switched to the Contour Next Gen, which has been alright so far. The AlphaTrak test strips were too expensive to justify constantly using the device anyway. Now I keep mine as a backup, though I don't really trust it.

Kind of wish I switched to ReliOn instead, mostly because it's even cheaper and I don't really like the Contour app. I actually still use the AlphaTrak app to track food and injection time.

Oh yes I noticed that too that when I measured twice with the AlphaTrak we had many times a difference from 50 mg/dl or so. And for spending so much money on the strips I would hope for a bit more consistency.
I hope that would be different with the ReliOn. But in the first tests I really got a lot of error codes, I hope that was just a handling issue and I will get better in that.
I think I will also still use the app and just import the glucose manual at the beginning, just for the progress and the little curves it can do

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

Oh yes that’s a big factor as well, that we can just get them at Walmart and don’t have to worry about Amazon or chewy. And of course the price factor is huge, on days like yesterday I do measure 12 times a day and the AlphaTrak, as much as I love it, is just getting too expensive. I will just miss the app but I will import the values manually. In 2 weeks we have a vet appointment and I really don’t know how to tell the vet that we use a human meter,!she has a strong opinion about that

Moonie is such a good kitty that she even allows that so brave! Regs still hates when I’m poking his ears and tries to push my hand away with the paw

The AlphaTrak strips are so expensive . Hopefully you guys have an easy transition to ReliOn. I'm surprised the vet has such strong reactions to the human meter since a lot of vets recommend Libres which is also a human meter (!). Plus... how do they think we afford these vet visits? Got to save our pennies somewhere starting with these strips

Moonie is a brave girl who'll do pretty much anything for treats so I got very lucky. Hopefully as Regs gets more used to the pokes he comes to tolerate it as a weird annoying thing his mom does before treat time

 

[CORKY]

Before the pet meter were invented Vets used a human meter! It’s a fact

 

[CORKY]

@Britta and Regs
Also, if your Vet talks to you about doing a curve, you do not need to go to the vet's office for that, save your money, a curve is simply testing every two hour for one cycle (1day), this is done to see how the insulin evolves during the cycle, I have been blessed that Corky is a very 13 year old healthy boy, I only take him to the vet for the rabies shot once a year, and this year in May he got a dental cleaning, he is very tightly regulated thanks to this Forum and the amazing member here. He eats Fancy Feast Pates since diagnosed, 0-10% carbs, He uses ProZinc , and I have followed every suggestion/advice given here without blinking an eye.

 

[squeem3]

Human diabetes supplies (syringes, test strips, insulin, etc) are FSA / HSA eligible Just keep the receipts in case of an audit or if you want to be reimbursed for paying out of pocket.

 

[Carina and Shelly]

Good morning!
I think I may have to give up on the AlphaTrak 3. Last night Reg’s numbers were unexpectedly high, and this morning I realized the meter had somehow switched itself from cat to dog mode. When I compared both modes, the dog reading was noticeably higher. Not a huge deal when he’s high, but what if this happened when he was low?


Now I’m seriously considering switching completely to ReliOn. I hate losing the app and having to explain the switch to my vet, though. For those of you using ReliOn, do you fully trust it? How do the TR/SLGS numbers apply with a human meter, and would I need to change anything in my spreadsheet?

Our vet, just yesterday, tried to steer us toward using the AlphaTrak over the ReliOn, so I understand your worries about speaking to them about the switch. I wish vets could be more client-centered.

 

[CORKY]

My thinking is that you take care of your cat according to you comfort, effectiveness and financial circumstances, there is no reason why any vet should disagree to this, the glucose number are the same if not more accurate than pet meter

 

[Carina and Shelly]

My thinking is that you take care of your cat according to you comfort, effectiveness and financial circumstances, there is no reason why any vet should disagree to this, the glucose number are the same if not more accurate than pet meter

I completely agree

 

[Britta and Regs]

Our vet, just yesterday, tried to steer us toward using the AlphaTrak over the ReliOn, so I understand your worries about speaking to them about the switch. I wish vets could be more client-centered.

My thinking is that you take care of your cat according to you comfort, effectiveness and financial circumstances, there is no reason why any vet should disagree to this, the glucose number are the same if not more accurate than pet meter

I think right now my big master plan is not to tell her. I will just import the data manually on the AlphaTrak app and show her at our next visit in 10 days. To be fair, she is a really good vet and saved 2 of our pets in the past, including Regs, I just dont know why she is so weird about that.

 

[Britta and Regs]

@Britta and Regs
Also, if your Vet talks to you about doing a curve, you do not need to go to the vet's office for that, save your money, a curve is simply testing every two hour for one cycle (1day), this is done to see how the insulin evolves during the cycle, I have been blessed that Corky is a very 13 year old healthy boy, I only take him to the vet for the rabies shot once a year, and this year in May he got a dental cleaning, he is very tightly regulated thanks to this Forum and the amazing member here. He eats Fancy Feast Pates since diagnosed, 0-10% carbs, He uses ProZinc , and I have followed every suggestion/advice given here without blinking an eye.

She thankfully did not bring that up yet but thanks for preparing me. I dont think I would feel good leaving Regs the whole day at the vets office for something I could easy do at home- plus there his glucose might be even higher due to stress

 

[Britta and Regs]

The AlphaTrak strips are so expensive . Hopefully you guys have an easy transition to ReliOn. I'm surprised the vet has such strong reactions to the human meter since a lot of vets recommend Libres which is also a human meter (!). Plus... how do they think we afford these vet visits? Got to save our pennies somewhere starting with these strips

Moonie is a brave girl who'll do pretty much anything for treats so I got very lucky. Hopefully as Regs gets more used to the pokes he comes to tolerate it as a weird annoying thing his mom does before treat time

Yes exactly, our vet always says he should get a Libre but the last time it lasted 3 days before Regs could remove it. It is a pretty cool device and I wish he would accept it better but spending 100 dollar for putting that on the cat in the vets office no way.

Regs really could learn from Moonie but hopefully he will find out that its treat time earlier when I dont have to wrestle him down

 

[CORKY]

Good for you!!!!!!

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

Yes exactly, our vet always says he should get a Libre but the last time it lasted 3 days before Regs could remove it. It is a pretty cool device and I wish he would accept it better but spending 100 dollar for putting that on the cat in the vets office no way.

Regs really could learn from Moonie but hopefully he will find out that its treat time earlier when I dont have to wrestle him down

Parker has always wanted to try a Libre on Moonie but it’s so expensive and we were pretty sure she’d try to pull it off.

I hope Regs learns to love pokes for treats! Honestly I’m lucky that it’s not my ragdolls who are diabetic. They’re very opinionated, agile, and not at all food motivated so they would be a real challenge

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

She thankfully did not bring that up yet but thanks for preparing me. I dont think I would feel good leaving Regs the whole day at the vets office for something I could easy do at home- plus there his glucose might be even higher due to stress

Whenever Moonie has gotten her BG checked at the vet’s office I swear it’s never been lower than 300 from the stress!

 

[Britta and Regs]

Whenever Moonie has gotten her BG checked at the vet’s office I swear it’s never been lower than 300 from the stress!

Yeah, we are not doing that. And who knows what they charge you for having a cat all day.

 

[CORKY]

Cats have a stress clock, they become very stressed at vets office, this is why before your vet recommends an increase, check with the Forum first test again when he’s back home about 2 hours, and you’ll see the correct BG LEVEL

 

[Britta and Regs]

I hope everyone has a good weekend and kitties with some good numbers.
Yesterday we had our vet appointment and our vet was giving me a lot of sh** for using the ReliOn instead of the Alpha Trak but still was happy that Regs should get a libre. She said that the ReliOn is not accurate in cats and I can't use it for him because (not completely sure what she meant) that the red blood cells are bigger or smaller in cats than in human and that the serum has some different proteins.

I asked her, why Regs should get the libre then, when this is so inaccurate and she could not give me an answer to that.
Yesterday evening the pre on the libre war 349 and on the ReliOn 259 then Regs dropped pretty steep to 150 (153 libre and 157 ReliOn) and this morning he is out of range high on the libre and 349/359 on the ReliOn.

She also said that I really only need to measure twice daily and not between the pre shots.
That all seems very odd to me,I would love to hear opinions from some experienced people.

 

[CORKY]

I can say
1- that approximately 98% of all the members here use the ReliOn or any other human meters, not only because it is very accurate, but you can consider that the strips for the Alpha are quite expensive. Before the Pet meters were invented, Vets used a human meter, (please click below on Corky’s spreadsheet) so you can get an idea how we test, now I am an obsessive tester, you do not need to test as often, but to give you an example, today, after Corky's shot, two hours later his BG was 66 , so if I do not check at that time and wait till next shot I would not know if his BG will get lower, therefore risking hypoglycemia, also, I shoot on low numbers and Corky uses ProZinc, the BG protocol for Lantus is a bit different. It is also important for a diabetic cat to have 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, to keep the insulin in check, also a non-diabetic cats’ glucose level is between 50-120

2- testing before shot and several times during the day 3-4 times can avoid not recognizing a hypoglycemic episode, especially 2 hours after shot, since the insulin takes about 2 hours to kick in. Cats are very good at hiding illnesses, and a hypoglycemic episode is not pretty aside from the fact that can damage other organs. You pay your Vet, he should understand what’s more comfortable for you, do not be afraid to speak up, by testing only before shot gives you and your cat risks, which can result in unnecessary visita to the Vet, cats are very sensitive to stress, testing levels at the Vet will always result on High levels and most likely unnecessary increases in dose

 

[Britta and Regs]

I can say
1- that approximately 98% of all the members here use the ReliOn or any other human meters, not only because it is very accurate, but you can consider that the strips for the Alpha are quite expensive. Before the Pet meters were invented, Vets used a human meter, (please click below on Corky’s spreadsheet) so you can get an idea how we test, now I am an obsessive tester, you do not need to test as often, but to give you an example, today, after Corky's shot, two hours later his BG was 66 , so if I do not check at that time and wait till next shot I would not know if his BG will get lower, therefore risking hypoglycemia, also, I shoot on low numbers and Corky uses ProZinc, the BG protocol for Lantus is a bit different. It is also important for a diabetic cat to have 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, to keep the insulin in check, also a non-diabetic cats’ glucose level is between 50-120

2- testing before shot and several times during the day 3-4 times can avoid not recognizing a hypoglycemic episode, especially 2 hours after shot, since the insulin takes about 2 hours to kick in. Cats are very good at hiding illnesses, and a hypoglycemic episode is not pretty aside from the fact that can damage other organs. You pay your Vet, he should understand what’s more comfortable for you, do not be afraid to speak up, by testing only before shot gives you and your cat risks, which can result in unnecessary visita to the Vet, cats are very sensitive to stress, testing levels at the Vet will always result on High levels and most likely unnecessary increases in dose

Thank you so much Maria, I appreciate your reply a lot.

I know almost everyone here uses a ReliOn and I just don't understand why the vet is acting so weird with that. The Libre is fine but the ReliOn is not?
I feel much better testing him a couple times with the human meter, knowing that I can get 300 ReliOn strips for the price of 50 Alpha Trak strips so I can monitor him better and closer. But she almost made fun of me for getting up at night and test him, that bothered me a lot.

Plus if I would have not tested him last night I would have never seen the steep drop he had and who knows what numbers we would have had this morning? Ok they are not pretty this morning either but I think he bounced.

 

[CORKY]

The Libre is a very convenient tool, many members use, I also did at the beginning, for me it was exhausting, the first sensor that the vet placed after hospitalization, by night time it came off, the sensors are expensive and they only last 14 days. Don't misunderstand me, it is a good source to test without pricking the ear, but it has its faults, it reads
is low BG numbers much lower, than reality, so when that happens you have to manually test, the cat can remove it, at times they do not last the 14 days, so most members that have the CGM placed always have ReliOn or any other meter to test in case these issues arise, also you do not need your Vet to replace the sensor, you can place it yourself the instructions are simple, just do not use glue for placement, it will damage the sensor, here is a link to learn all about the CGM

Getting Started With Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) for Diabetic Cats

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

Thank you so much Maria, I appreciate your reply a lot.

I know almost everyone here uses a ReliOn and I just don't understand why the vet is acting so weird with that. The Libre is fine but the ReliOn is not?
I feel much better testing him a couple times with the human meter, knowing that I can get 300 ReliOn strips for the price of 50 Alpha Trak strips so I can monitor him better and closer. But she almost made fun of me for getting up at night and test him, that bothered me a lot.

Plus if I would have not tested him last night I would have never seen the steep drop he had and who knows what numbers we would have had this morning? Ok they are not pretty this morning either but I think he bounced.

I’m sorry Britta. All of this would have bothered me a lot too

You would think a vet would be happy to have a client who cares so much and asks great informed questions after research. I imagine it’s clients at the opposite end of the spectrum that often cause burnout so it’s disappointing that that was her response.