Paw Testing?

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Gabriela and Sunday

Gabriela and Sunday

Member Since 2016
Good afternoon everyone. :cat:

I was looking into possibly doing home testing, but as I mentioned in my introductory, Sunday is very iffy when it comes to anyone going near her ears.

Does anyone have experience with paw testing? Is it as safe as the ear? My concern is that she will get litter or feces where I poked her.

Any suggestions or information from those with experience in this department?

Thanks!
 
I paw test on Rosa sometimes. It works just fine and I've never had a problem with infection etc - the tiny hole you make when you poke actually heals over very quickly. If Sunday has litter stuck to her paw before you test, then I would give her paw a quick wipe with a damp cloth, but other than that I don't do anything special to clean the paw. :)
 
Perfect thank you. My main concern was that she would get litter dust in it, but we did just switch over to a less dusty litter made out of wheat, so I'm glad it shouldn't cause any problems regardless.

Have you experienced that the paws are less painful than the ears at all?
 
I would imagine the pain response depends on the cat. Neither test site is particularly painful I don't think, but of course some cats hate to have their paws touched while others hate to have their ears touched. It's really down to what works for Sunday as an individual. With Rosa, I use both her ear and her paw pads - she lets me know which she is happy with on any particular day - and I always think that since the lancet is going into her skin, I should just let her choose which place I get to test.
 
I test exclusively using the paws and have finally got around to putting the instructions in my signature. My cat doesn't tolerate her ears being messed with but is fine with paw testing.
 
Alexi said:
I test exclusively using the paws and have finally got around to putting the instructions in my signature. My cat doesn't tolerate her ears being messed with but is fine with paw testing.
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I heard the sound of a choir singing when I saw your signature! :rb_icon:

Have to bookmark it for when I get home.

Thank you!:bighug:
 
Alexi said:
I test exclusively using the paws and have finally got around to putting the instructions in my signature. My cat doesn't tolerate her ears being messed with but is fine with paw testing.
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I also exclusively test from the paw pad and always have. Did his ears for about a week, but it was too much of a fuss to try to get a good grip without him fidgeting. With how much I was testing, sometimes 10+ times a day when Carter was in low numbers, poking his ears that much would not simply be viable for me or him. I've never had an issue with infection and I mostly try to test on the edge of the paw pad, the part that isn't touching the ground directly. I also always disinfect the area and apply neosporin with pain reliever as well. Carter purrs or sometimes even falls asleep with the paw pad, so it's a much quicker and easier way to test for us.
 
Erica & Carter said:
I've never had an issue with infection and I mostly try to test on the edge of the paw pad, the part that isn't touching the ground directly. I also always disinfect the area and apply neosporin with pain reliever as well. Carter purrs or sometimes even falls asleep with the paw pad, so it's a much quicker and easier way to test for us.
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I never even thought about testing the edges of the paws. That's brilliant
 
I tested Squeaker from the paw from day one. I think the foot pad is less "sensitive" because the skin I believe has fewer nerve endings due to that being the point of contact when they walk. Could you imagine a cat walking around outside and actually feeling everything they step on. That aside, I would wrap Squeaker up in a towel and lay him on his back, warm the foot with a baby sock filled with oatmeal heated for 30 seconds in the microwave, and lanced. It was quick, painless, and easy. The lanced area seals up very quickly and we never had a single issue; he wouldn't even lick his paw when we were done.
 
Do most of you warm up the paw pad before testing? Also, when you say the edges of the paw, do you mean on the side, or just on the edge of the bottom surface of the paw pad? We have been unsuccessful with testing Anakins' ear and really need to find a way to test him at home. We haven't tried the paw yet, but we figure that is our next step.
 
Purple4199 said:
Do most of you warm up the paw pad before testing? Also, when you say the edges of the paw, do you mean on the side, or just on the edge of the bottom surface of the paw pad? We have been unsuccessful with testing Anakins' ear and really need to find a way to test him at home. We haven't tried the paw yet, but we figure that is our next step.
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I don't warm the paw pad - I even tested our 4 yo civvie wriggler from the paw pad successfully on the first attempt last night after we caught her trying to drink out of people's cups (and the toilet) even though there is a huge bowl of fresh water for them all. I use an alternate site lancet, the alternate site lancet device cap and hold the paw firmly so I'm making sure there is pressure against the lancet. I've found just off from center on the big paw pad works well for me...if you try and poke dead center, you're getting the toughest bit of skin because it's in contact with the ground all of the time, but as long as I a little off from that point I never have a problem getting enough blood for a test on any of the cats whether they're tested regularly or not.
 
manxcat419 said:
I don't warm the paw pad - I even tested our 4 yo civvie wriggler from the paw pad successfully on the first attempt last night after we caught her trying to drink out of people's cups (and the toilet) even though there is a huge bowl of fresh water for them all. I use an alternate site lancet, the alternate site lancet device cap and hold the paw firmly so I'm making sure there is pressure against the lancet. I've found just off from center on the big paw pad works well for me...if you try and poke dead center, you're getting the toughest bit of skin because it's in contact with the ground all of the time, but as long as I a little off from that point I never have a problem getting enough blood for a test on any of the cats whether they're tested regularly or not.
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Thank you for the tips. We will give that at try!
 
I also do not warm the paw pad. Carter bleeds pretty easily so the process it very quick for us. In regards to the edge of the paw pad, I'm referring to the side of the pad, the part inbetween his paw itself, and the part of the pad that is touching the ground when he walks. If I can't get enough blood from there, then I poke the right or left side directly on the paw pad.
 
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I do warm the paw pad, I find if I don't I can't always get a good drop of blood the first time and have to do a second poke before the meter times out. I tend to alternate or try slightly different parts of the pad each time. For some reason one paw bleeds better than the other.
 
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