ReliOn Premier Meter Instructions: Control Solutions? Necessary?

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Phaewryn

Phaewryn

Member Since 2022
I believe I mistakenly posted this in the wrong forum so I am re-posting it here. I thought it was a technical question needing technical support, so I put it in tech support, but it seems like maybe that's more for support for the forum itself and not for tech support for meters, even if it's a technical question?

I bought my ReliOn Premier meter yesterday, fasted my cat last night, and got up today to do his first test, got out the instructions and was really disappointed to read that I was supposed to buy Control Solutions to use with the new meter and with every batch of new test strips, else the test results won't be accurate. I went ahead and tested my cat before feeding him today anyway, because unfortunately, I can only get a ride to a store once a week, and that would have meant waiting a whole additional week to test him, and I had already fasted him for 6 hours. I probably should have looked in more forums to see all the things I needed to buy before going to the store, but can I trust my test result I got today at all, or is the meter useless until I can get Control Solutions and calibrate it? It's going to be really difficult for me to do the calibration since the instructions say the Control Solutions have to be between 68-77 degrees, because it's never that warm in my apartment in the winter. How important is this calibration with Control Solution at the exact right temperature? Is calibration really required?

The good news is that it was super easy to get blood out of my cat and his reading was 94, which doesn't seem too bad, although he had been fasted about 6 hours at that point (because I got up, picked up the food bowls, and went back to sleep). I didn't test him again all day today because I was waiting to hear back about the calibration, but like I said, I think I posted in the wrong forum. I do need "tech support" about this meter though and if calibration with the Control Solution is really necessary!

Also, I read that human blood is different than cat blood so cat blood glucose meters are calibrated differently for cat blood and that a human meter reading would not be accurate for cats. Is there a conversion chart for converting a human meter reading to an accurate cat blood glucose, so when I give these readings to my vet, they are in "cat blood glucose"?
 
Great job at getting your first test!
Human meters tend to read lower than a pet meter like the AlphaTrak. That is why in this forum we say the normal range on a pet meter is 50-120.....on a pet meter while it is 68-150.

When I would send my curve to my vet this is what I told her.
She also used the pet meter , she had no trouble with me using a human meter
Tyler has been in remission since 1-24-21
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Hi I have never used the control solution for my Relion meter, or had to calibrate anything.
What a great number this morning.
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Yes, it was a much better number! It's a relief that others are not calibrating! The instructions included with the meter were very specific that the meter MUST be calibrated before use and every time you open a new container of test strips. Perhaps they included older instructions from a previous model or something, because the solution doesn't appear to be sold in any store I can find. It's almost as if ReliOn doesn't even have control solution, so I am very confused. I emailed the company to ask where I can purchased it and if it is, in fact, required. It's hard to believe they would not include it with the meter if it is, in fact, required before the meter can be used the first time, as the instructions state!
relion-calibrate.jpg


Diane Tyler's Mom said:
There is no conversion chart for the 2 different meters.
Human meters tend to read lower than a pet meter like the AlphaTrak. That is why in this forum we say the normal range on a pet meter is 50-120.....on a pet meter while it is 68-150.
When I would send my curve to my vet this is what I told her.
She also used the pet meter , she had no trouble with me using a human meter
Click to expand...
Alright, that makes sense, thanks!

Diane Tyler's Mom said:
In your signature you say diet combo? If you are feeding any kibble I would put wet/dry
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I followed the direct instructions for how to set up a signature located at https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/. It says to list it as either "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo". I had the specific foods, but it was a bit long, especially after adding the link to the spreadsheet. Does "combo" not mean a combination of low carb wet food and dry kibble? That is what I am feeding.
 
Phaewryn said:
Yes, it was a much better number! It's a relief that others are not calibrating! The instructions included with the meter were very specific that the meter MUST be calibrated before use and every time you open a new container of test strips. Perhaps they included older instructions from a previous model or something, because the solution doesn't appear to be sold in any store I can find. It's almost as if ReliOn doesn't even have control solution, so I am very confused. I emailed the company to ask where I can purchased it and if it is, in fact, required. It's hard to believe they would not include it with the meter if it is, in fact, required before the meter can be used the first time, as the instructions state!
relion-calibrate.jpg



Alright, that makes sense, thanks!



I followed the direct instructions for how to set up a signature located at https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/. It says to list it as either "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo". I had the specific foods, but it was a bit long, especially after adding the link to the spreadsheet. Does "combo" not mean a combination of low carb wet food and dry kibble? That is what I am feeding.
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Yes putting combo is fine :cat:
 
About the control solution, I have The Relion Prime which is now discontinued , but they still sell the test strips.
I just looked at my manual and it says to call 1-855-776-0662 7AM to 7PM central time to obtain a free bottle.
Out of curiosity I would call and see what they tell you
@Phaewryn
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom said:
About the control solution, I have The Relion Prime which is now discontinued , but they still sell the test strips.
I just looked at my manual and it says to call 1-855-776-0662 7AM to 7PM central time to obtain a free bottle.
Out of curiosity I would call and see what they tell you
@Phaewryn
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Waking up during "normal business hours" is not my strong suit. Aiming to be up before 6PM tomorrow (what normal people would consider later today at this point, but I've not gone to bed yet) so I can call in my pet food order before the store closes. Will try to do that right after the pet food order. And will try to get to bed before daylight tonight. His test result just now (before dinner) was 85, so not looking like he has diabetes at this point. Not good, as the alternative explanations for his symptoms are not great (renal failure, his thyroid meds no longer working). Vet agrees with scheduling him for bloodwork to check renal values and thyroid again.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Just seeing this now, please let us know what's going on after you get his blood work results :bighug::cat:
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I tested his blood glucose with a home meter on and off at various times for a past few weeks and his blood sugar has been fairly good, normally between 90 and 110. I think the high reading was due to stress. His bloodwork is another matter. Kidney/liver failure is looking most likely at this point? I'm currently in between getting the bloodwork done and scheduling a follow-up appointment with the vet to discuss the results, so I'm not really sure. He's been vomiting more often (usually just white foam and when his stomach is empty), eating very little, but hasn't apparently lost any weight? I was sure he was looking thinner, but according to the scales, he is exactly the same weight as last time. His bloodwork is much worse though. :( He sounds like he's always about to vomit, like he's constantly struggling not to vomit, I can hear his stomach gurgling from two feet away and half the time I can smell him when he is close-by because a foul smell comes up in burps from the excess stomach acid. He just walked by, making his "blookp, blookp" noise, his new constant struggle, swallowing constantly at the top of his throat just to keep from puking. He just had a snack, so hopefully he will settle down and his stomach will settle a bit shortly. Someone who was triggered by the sound of others vomiting would never survive being around him. He tries to eat cat grass constantly, but it doesn't seem to help. I try to feed him a few treats to keep something in his stomach to help as it seems to be worse when he goes a long time without eating (any time his stomach is empty, he does vomit up white foam and nothing else, other than the cat grass he may have eaten just prior), but when he does eat, he eats so little that I worry he doesn't eat enough, but then again, he hasn't lost any weight, so maybe I am just paranoid, but you can see and feel his pointy little hip bones, which doesn't seem right to me. He doesn't usually vomit up food, very rarely does this happen, but I suspect that's why he eats so little as a few times I have seen him eat a good-sized amount, he has vomited it back up. He has become extremely sensitive in the digestive system. Mostly all he is eating now is Wellness Healthy Indulgences Morsels and the dry kibble, which I did try to wean him off of due to the advice of this and the renal failure pages, but struggles with nausea so much unless he has "snacks" that it's impossible to remove the kibble. The weeks I pulled the kibble from him, he was vomiting non-stop and was clearly suffering. So long as he eats a little bit fairly often, he does OK. The problem is that I can not always on top of being sure to take Sammy a handful of treats or beg him to eat a few bites of wet food (which he generally hates and usually refuses) and if I don't, he really struggles with nausea, so I need a bowl of kibble down for him to free eat. I don't see any way around it.
sammys-results.png
 
His creatinine is pointing toward CKD but likely stage 1 or 2. Was a urinalysis done ? What was the USG? Her potassium is way too low and needs to be supplemented. It needs to be over 4.0. The foam vomiting is likely acid and eating small amounts more often should help that.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I can tag a few members to take a look at your blood work
Just to confirm You are not giving Sammy any insulin. Correct?
Did you get any of the low carb kibble I gave you on your previous post which I posted here
Your last test was on 2-1-2022 any reason why you haven't done anymore
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No, I did not switch his kibble because his blood glucose was normal, so he doesn't appear to have diabetes after all. No insulin, he's not diabetic. I have been testing, I just hadn't entered them on that spreadsheet, yesterday's test results were 104 before breakfast, 101 1.5 hours after breakfast, and 93 before dinner, many hours later. I can't make myself poke him more than 3 times in a day. Low ALT can indicate end-stage liver failure. :(
 
tiffmaxee said:
His creatinine is pointing toward CKD but likely stage 1 or 2. Was a urinalysis done ? What was the USG? Her potassium is way too low and needs to be supplemented. It needs to be over 4.0. The foam vomiting is likely acid and eating small amounts more often should help that.
Click to expand...
No urinalysis, I can request one at his exam when he goes back for the follow-up with the vet (or maybe I can catch one and drop it by before then). This was just a tech appointment for the blood draw (in, stab him, and out). Vets are extremely overwhelmed here so it's very hard to get in. Is there an OTC potassium supplement I can buy or is that a prescription thing?
 
Asked my walmaet Pharmacist about obtaining control solution and was told the following:
The old style meters needed it but now there is a chip actually in the test strip that sends the value to the meter where it is displayed. He said it would literally be meaningless to use now, and that ReliOn needs to rewrite their owners manuals for their new generation of meters. He said it was the discontinued Prime meters that needed the control solution and that's why the new premier test strips are more expensive, due to the on board chip.

Hope this helps
 
Lee Renfro said:
Asked my walmaet Pharmacist about obtaining control solution and was told the following:
The old style meters needed it but now there is a chip actually in the test strip that sends the value to the meter where it is displayed. He said it would literally be meaningless to use now, and that ReliOn needs to rewrite their owners manuals for their new generation of meters. He said it was the discontinued Prime meters that needed the control solution and that's why the new premier test strips are more expensive, due to the on board chip.

Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Hi the relion premier classic test strips are still 17.88 for 100
I never used the control solution with the Prime before it was discontinued and never had a problem, Tyler has been in remission since 1-24-21
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Hi the relion premier classic test strips are still 17.88 for 100
I never used the control solution with the Prime before it was discontinued and never had a problem, Tyler has been in remission since 1-24-21
Click to expand...
I pray I can get Spike in remission. I entered his lab work on that tab. They also wanted him to take 1 AminAvast per day for high #'s. Wonder if it'll help?
 
Lee Renfro said:
Asked my walmaet Pharmacist about obtaining control solution and was told the following:
The old style meters needed it but now there is a chip actually in the test strip that sends the value to the meter where it is displayed. He said it would literally be meaningless to use now, and that ReliOn needs to rewrite their owners manuals for their new generation of meters. He said it was the discontinued Prime meters that needed the control solution and that's why the new premier test strips are more expensive, due to the on board chip.
Click to expand...

That's good info to have. Odd that they have not updated their manuals that they are including with the new meters to reflect that though. Update to everyone here, BTW: Sammy has been diagnosed with early-stage CKD. That's why he was drinking so much. Not diabetes. I do thank each and every one of you for your help! I have moved on to a CKD support group. I'll be back if I ever have a cat with diabetes.
 
Phaewryn said:
That's good info to have. Odd that they have not updated their manuals that they are including with the new meters to reflect that though. Update to everyone here, BTW: Sammy has been diagnosed with early-stage CKD. That's why he was drinking so much. Not diabetes. I do thank each and every one of you for your help! I have moved on to a CKD support group. I'll be back if I ever have a cat with diabetes.
Click to expand...
Until recently you had to input into the meter the code printed on the vial of stips . Now almost all meter come with self coding strips. The strips now have a color code or othr means to automatically input the stip code into the meter. Manually entering the incorrect strip code was a major cause of inaccurate BG readings and thus seemed to be the driver for using s control solution.. The stri code is to account for variations in the strip manufacturing process due to variances in the different lots/manufacturing runs of strips.

My experience with both iHealth and Genultimate strips (generic strips for One Touch Ultra/Mini meters) is that the manufacturing processes have changed and have for me resulted in the the same cade for years.
 
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