Black cat and ear testing: Help

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Steph

Steph

Member Since 2013
I tried four times today to get blood from Casey. Black cat, big, furry black ears.

I failed miserably and I hate that--I am hurting him.

I rub and rub; do I always need to use the warm rice sock?

Any tips appreciated, as this can't continue. I am looking for the vein at the edge of the ear.

Thank you.
 
Try testing the inside of the ear instead. You can also smear a bit of neosporin on the ear and wipe it off and this will cause the blood to bead up. And don't worry; you're not hurting him. Cats are more annoyed by being restrained than the actual poke. I sometimes test my non-diabetic (Henry) when he's sitting on my lap and he doesn't even notice.

As for the rice sock, it comes in handy the first few weeks, but after their ears "learn to bleed," you might not have to use this any more. You basically want to get the blood flowing. At this point, I'll occasionally have to rub Mikey's ears to get them warmed up if he just came from outside, but that's about it.

Have you seen these ear-testing tips yet? They might come in handy. :-D
 
My Chicken Little is black and Im blind so even with thick glasses I have trouble! @-) I sometimes use a flashlight and the underside of the ear works well also. Anybody here can tell you that I had a lot of trouble with the testing for quite a while however with the help of a lot of great people here (big shout out to Sue and Oliver, Joyce and Simon, BJM and many more!! \M/ ) I am now very good at getting a test done!! Dont worry you will get the hang of it!!
 
Thank you all so much. Good job, all of you who have mastered this. I've actually been doing Casey for two months, but some days, I just can't! Then I get stressed, too.

I'll try again tonight.

Meow for now...

Steph
 
Sometimes it takes a while for an ear to learn to bleed. If you hold a light under the ear, you will see the vein running around the edge of it. Massaging the ear from the base towards the tip also helps to get the blood flowing. Try massaging before you test and after you poke it.
 
I noticed that I work just up the street from you (Irvine Spectrum area), so if you want me to stop by to help you out, just holla! :-D
 
I shaved a teeny tiny patch of fur on Wink's ear when I was first starting out. His long fur made it very hard to see the blood drop and against the black long fur, the blood would seem to disappear.
 
I test the inside of Maui's ear. I use a flashlight that I hold in my mouth and use like a spotlight to help me see where the blood is. I also use the rice sock to warm up the ear good. and sometimes, you may find that one ear bleeds better than the other.
 
My Bertie is black too. When I first started testing I used a teensy smear of vaseline on the ear; it encouraged the blood to 'bead up' and stopped it disappearing into the fur. I probably did that for a month or so until I got the hang of things. And it's true that the ears bleed more after a little while (they make more blood vessels).

You will get the hang of this. Honestly. :smile:
 
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