Advice on getting blood to flow from ears more easily

Hi gang -

So it has been about five weeks since Stinkyboy was diagnosed, and we're making a little progress. He's eating better now, and only one bout of vomiting in the past three weeks, which makes us both pretty happy. Stinkyboy is currently on one unit of ProZinc, twice a day.

The vet I'm working with wants me to test Stinky's blood sugar at home, which I've been trying to do. He's noticed that Stinky's blood sugar spikes like crazy - as much as 400 points - when I bring him into the clinic, so he wants to avoid any possible stress-induced blood sugar numbers by having me test at home.

This has been a lot harder than it sounds, not because he fights the lancet - he's actually pretty patient with me - but because no matter what I do, I am seemingly unable to draw any blood from his ears.

I've tried the warm rice sock, I've tried massaging his ears, I've tried using a flashlight to make sure I'm hitting the right spot, all for nothing, because apparently I have the world's only bloodless cat. In three weeks of testing, I have only successfully gotten blood from him on two occasions, and both those times I had to jab upwards of five times. All I'm succeeding in doing is bruising his ears and hurting him.

I'm also having problems with the lancets I'm using. I was using a One Touch Ultra 2, with an older lancet pen. It had settings that went up to 9; this was the pen I was using the two times I was able to draw blood. I had to return the meter and lancet pen, so I bought a meter of my own (a One Touch Mini), but I'm finding the new lancet device - called The Delica - impossible to use properly. The settings only go to 7, and I had to test it six or seven times on myself before I could draw blood. Then I tried dumping the lancet pen and just using the lancets by hand, but still no luck.

I'm getting a little frustrated, and Stinky is getting to the point where he flinches whenever I touch his ears at all.

HALP!

What am I doing wrong? Is it just the lancets? Is there a better device I can order and get FAST? Do some cats just not have enough blood flow in their ears?

Any and all help/advice is welcome.

Thank you!

Colleen & Stinkyboy

Sorry you are having issues, but rest assured that the ears learn to bleed.
I think you can get diff sized lancets, but the others can tell you which is better.

It's great to hear that SB is doing so much better, and testing at home is going to be so much better for him.
My 2 cats both tested diff at the vet office; Shadoe always went higher, and Oliver often went lower from stress.

Good luck with the testing

What part of the ear are you testing? Have you tried all around the entire edge of the ear?

Deanie -

Yes, the vet showed me how to find the vein at the perimeter of the ear. I'm hitting the right spot; just never any blood. I'm starting to wonder if its the lancing device.

IS there one you or anyone else uses that you recommend?

colleenlindsay said:

I'm finding the new lancet device - called The Delica - impossible to use properly. The settings only go to 7, and I had to test it six or seven times on myself before I could draw blood. Then I tried dumping the lancet pen and just using the lancets by hand, but still no luck.

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That might be the problem. The Delica lancets are 33 gauge, too thin for a newbie to get blood out of a cat's ear with.

I suggest using a lancet device that has thicker gauge lancets. Here's a lancet comparison chart: http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/library/centers/diabetes/lancets.jsp 28 gauge is a good size to use. You can buy a new lancet device and matching lancets at the pharmacy. I like the AccuChek SoftClix lancet device.

You can try calling One Touch customer service and ask if you could exchange the Delica for a different One Touch lancet device that uses thicker lancets. Do not tell them that you are using their product on a cat because they will flat out refuse to help you. Just say that you are using the product on a family member.

Are you heating the rice sock up really really well in the microwave? It should be really toasty warm but not so hot that you can't hold it for a minute. Apply the warm rice sock to the ear for a good minute if you can. Fold the rice sock over the edge of the ear and hold down firmly to make sure that the blood gets flowing. Then, while holding the rice sock under the ear, press the lancet device firmly against the furry side of the ear along the edge and press to do the poke.

I was going to say the same thing about the sock, I wasn't using it long enough at first. When I started using the warm sock for over 60 seconds, things improved. And when people say that the ear learns to bleed, its because each poke, the ear develops more capillaries (that's what I read anyway). So when you poke and get no blood, it will still help for the future. You might not like the idea of that if your cat's ears are getting bruises, as my cats ears were at first... they're lovely and healed now, but still bleed nicely.

Here's a diagram showing the 'sweet spots'. Actually i've got blood even up on the tip of the ear.
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=61556&p=666702#p666702

Forgot to say, if you are able, take the cap off the lancet and use the needle to jab the ear by hand (not using the release action of the pen).

I use a Freestyle Lite lancet, which works well. BUT if you get the Freestyle Lite lancet, don't use the meter, the strips aren't accurate. Just the lancet is good.

Here's a video I made. Hope it can help. One thing to keep in mind and I don't think I mentioned it on the video... Try to stay calm when you're ready to test. Our furkids can feel everything we're feeling. Just tell you're self that you're in charge and try to project that energy. May sound weird, but it's true. Remember to keep lancet on ear for at least a count of two. If you pull away to fast. The ear tends NOT to bleed.

Good Luck! http://youtu.be/3PDK3bZ4pDc

Thanks everyone!!!!

I also love the Freestyle lite lancet pen and the lancets that go with it fit nice and tight so if you are having a problem you can pull them out a bit instead of pushing them in all the way and this way when you hit the release button, it will go a little deeper to give blood without going deep enough to pierce the ear. I set it on 4, the highest, with it pulled out a little and it even works on her bloodless ear.

That's the other thing. Some cats have 1 good ear to use and 1 that doesn't bleed as well.
Another thing I do is put a little vaseline on the ear after warming it really well to keep the blood from soaking into her long fur.
Sometimes it takes a few seconds for the blood to start coming. Move the back tissue fast so it doesn't soak it up and try to move the little hole apart to let the blood come out more and also you can help it along by pressing lightly from blow the hole.
Put pressure on the blood spot afterwards for a minute or less to prevent bruising & a little neosporin to help it heal.
Also make sure you change your lancets every day so they're sharp.

I hope that helps.

Melanie & Racci

I found the rice sock didnt work so well--what DID work miracles was a washcloth with hot wet water, placed in a sandwich baggie. leave it one for almost a minute!

and then after pricking, to slide my fingers from the base of the ear to the tip, squeezing the blood up to the top if you like. make sure also to wait a second, give the blood time to form a good droplet before touching it with the test strip.

My husband always rushed this last step, couldnt wait 5 seconds for a good blood droplet to form with the squeezing, and so couldnt get blood or gave up or went through a billion test strips and pricks. he was great with the sub q's though!

mostly, be patient with yourself. Your cat is not the unique genetic specimen with bloodless ears

we all go through this learning curve period, where it feels like nothing works or will ever work!

But TRUST ME, it will. Youll eventually be able to prick your cat's ears in the half darkness bleary eyed at 6 am like a pro, shoot and feed and do the whole thing in 5 minutes. I promise!

love
cynthia and sara

Thanks, Melanie! I'll try the vaseline; didn't think about that!

You're welcome. I hope it helps!

Melanie

Yikes! Had no problem getting blood tonight, but I'm afraid Stinky's poor ear is a bloody mess now. The Vaseline helped a lot but I also have to stick the poor little guy three or four time. The last time I stuck him, I hit the vein and suddenly there was blood EVERYWHERE. Stinkyboy was not amused. LOL!

Poor Stinkyboy! I did that to Racci the other day when I broke my lance pen and was waiting for a new one and used the lancet alone. I felt so bad!
I'm glad that worked for you. I couldn't do it without losing the blood until I used my old standby, vaseline. :lol: You really ought to try to get that freedom freestyle light lancet pen too. It's really a lot easier than the others. Its only about $7 plus the lancets.

Melanie & Racci

Is it too gory of me to cry: "HOORAY!!!! There was blood everywhere!!!!"
Well, it means there really is blood in your cat after all. Or ... there was...

Are you heating the rice sock up really really well in the microwave? It should be really toasty warm but not so hot that you can't hold it for a minute. Apply the warm rice sock to the ear for a good minute if you can. Fold the rice sock over the edge of the ear and hold down firmly to make sure that the blood gets flowing. Then, while holding the rice sock under the ear, press the lancet device firmly against the furry side of the ear along the edge and press to do the poke.[/quote]

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I'm glad I read this, NEVER did I ever read that the sock was to be folded over the ear. I had been just kind of laying it in the ear and hoping for the best. I am now going to try testing again - I haven't been able to draw blood and I also think my lancets are too fine.

Thank you everyone who offered advice on how to more easily draw blood from Stinky's ear. We're now on a roll, and he's even flinching a little less when I come at him with sharp pointy things.

Thanks to all of you talking me through it, I was able to get numbers steadily enough that the vet now wants to try taking hm off insulin entirely. Stay tuned to see how our first week trial goes!

colleenlindsay said:

Thanks to all of you talking me through it, I was able to get numbers steadily enough that the vet now wants to try taking hm off insulin entirely. Stay tuned to see how our first week trial goes!

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That is wonderful news. Believe me, you will feel like you've been let out of jail to get off the insulin rollercoaster. Fingers and paws crossed.........