It's ok Joe!
My experience:
Im warming Rosy's ear before poking. Usually one side of the ear is easier to get blood; I safe that side for times when I need to poke every hr (ouch!) I warm her ear with an empty pill bottle filled with a bit of hot water (I dont have the warm socks thing). Using the warmed up bottle witht he hot water inside, I run over her cheek, body & neck to help her relax first. Then hold the bottle onto her ear while avoiding the edge where Ive poked before because it may hurt the old bruised area. Because the ear is so thin, it warms up pretty quickly. After the poke at the edge, blood will comes out much faster, no need to rub & squeeze. This is how I do it. After getting the test reading, I use another cold pill bottle ; with half btl of frozen ice inside , cover her ear with a piece of tissue first & use the coldness to numb the poke & stop the bleeding.
The hot water, I need to fill in the bottle everytime, the cold bottle, I keep in the freezer compartment in the fridge.
helen