Blood thinner med and glucose test?

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Lillie

Member Since 2017
Leo's ear was bleeding quite a lot yesterday after the prick test. He is on a blood thinner and when I called the vet to see what I could use along with pressure the vet tech told me corn starch. She also seemed miffed that I was testing at home because he is on a blood thinner and does not recommend doing this at home. Does anyone here have a cat on a blood thinner who does testing at home? I'm very concerned now that I won't be able to regularly test Leo at home due to this med. Not sure what I can do as if I had followed the vet's previous advice and shot him without testing yesterday he may not be here as his BG was normal at the time. She said he had a lot of bruising when they were testing him on a regular basis at the hospital so she did not want me to test frequently at home. This is a bind I'm in and not sure what to do.
 
Are you sure you didn't accidently knick the vein and that's why it was bleeding so much? also maybe for the time being switching to a 30 gauge lancet would be better... to make a smaller hole.
 
I most probably did knick the vein. I'm using a needle the vet gave me-the same one he uses. I haven't been using the lancet.
 
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I'm confused. When I read the info on ear pricking it mentions pricking the actual vein. Is this not correct? Hmmm- I was also under the impression that the needle was smaller than the lancet that comes with the alpha trak kit. Where do I find a thinner gauge lancet?- and by the way what is a lancet? Is it not a needle? You can tell I'm very confused. The first few pricks I did were ok and not a whole lot of bleeding. This last one was a doozy. I'm wondering if the bruising from past pricks could cause more bleeding?
 
Correct, you don't want to prick the actual vein :). Which is what we are thinking happened to cause the excess blood, along with being on a blood thinner. The lancets that come with AlphaTrak 2 kits are 28 gauge. A lancet is basically a small needle used for capillary blood sampling. Ask the Vet what gauge that needle they gave you is and let us know. You can find them online or in Walmart, ReliOn makes some Ultra Thin (30 gauge) and Micro Thin (33 gauge).
 
Lillie said:
I'm confused. When I read the info on ear pricking it mentions pricking the actual vein. Is this not correct? Hmmm- I was also under the impression that the needle was smaller than the lancet that comes with the alpha trak kit. Where do I find a thinner gauge lancet?- and by the way what is a lancet? Is it not a needle? You can tell I'm very confused. The first few pricks I did were ok and not a whole lot of bleeding. This last one was a doozy. I'm wondering if the bruising from past pricks could cause more bleeding?
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You don't want to hit the vein. Knicking the vein hurts the cat more and bleeds more than needed. Just do a price very close to the outer edge like in the diagram. A lancet is a tiny needle for the purpose of testing blood sugar. The higher the number the smaller the Lancet. I use a 28. If you need smaller get one that is 30 (which is what diabetic people often use.). You can get them at any Walmart or pharmacy or online.https://www.adwdiabetes.com/search.aspx?keywords=Lancet


Is this what you use or are you using a regular needle? (When my vet did a bg check in front of me she used a sub q needle and hit the vein.... Clearly she didn't know the best way.)
 
Lillie said:
Does anyone here have a cat on a blood thinner who does testing at home?
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Yes, my kitty Neko was on Plavix last year for her heart condition and I home tested her on average 5-6 times in 24 hours. We have had other cats on heart meds/thinners also being tested.

If you are seeing bruising after testing, try compressing the prick site with a piece of tissue (I used make up pads) for 15-20 seconds after the poke. Just wrap the ear with tissue and hold. The vet clinic probably wasn't doing that. Compressing will also help stop any bleeding.
 
I just checked my alpha trak kit. I did not use the needle/lancet insert that comes with the device. It looked easier to just use the needle that the vet uses. I was afraid the device would obscure the area on the ear I needed to see. He gave me a bunch of sterile needles to use by themselves. I like using just the needles but if they are too large I guess it's not so good. The side of the case that the needles are in say 25x5/8 A.
They look like injection needles in a small case. Oh my-
 
Lillie said:
I just checked my alpha trak kit. I did not use the needle/lancet insert that comes with the device. It looked easier to just use the needle that the vet uses. I was afraid the device would obscure the area on the ear I needed to see. He gave me a bunch of sterile needles to use by themselves. I like using just the needles but if they are too large I guess it's not so good. The side of the case that the needles are in say 25x5/8 A.
They look like injection needles in a small case. Oh my-
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You can just hold the Lancet that came with the meter.... I never use the device because as you said it is harder to position it and cats don't like the click.
 
Sometimes it is hard to get him to stay put after the prick and he is anxious to get away. Holding and compressing the prick area will be hard for even 20 seconds. Maybe once I use a smaller lancet he won't be bothered by it so much?
 
Are you putting a treat in front of him right after the test? That kept my girl in place. :) Even if you can hold 10 seconds that will help.
 
Lillie said:
Sometimes it is hard to get him to stay put after the prick and he is anxious to get away. Holding and compressing the prick area will be hard for even 20 seconds. Maybe once I use a smaller lancet he won't be bothered by it so much?
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Definitely. Those Needles are much much larger than a lancet.
 
I've tried the treat thing but he gets so antsy to get away he nearly jumps out of my hands. Maybe the larger needles I'm using are bothering him. It's also possible I'm sticking him too hard and a gentler prick would be better. The lancets that come with the kit have a top on them. Am I supposed to twist the top off to get to the needle? Gosh- I sound so stupid but the vet didn't really show me much about the kit except to watch him prick the ear.
 
Ok- we've got that covered about the needles being too large. Now I need to know how to just use the needles that came with the kit that insert into the device. Do the tops come off to expose the needle?
 
Lillie said:
I've tried the treat thing but he gets so antsy to get away he nearly jumps out of my hands. Maybe the larger needles I'm using are bothering him. It's also possible I'm sticking him too hard and a gentler prick would be better. The lancets that come with the kit have a top on them. Am I supposed to twist the top off to get to the needle? Gosh- I sound so stupid but the vet didn't really show me much about the kit except to watch him prick the ear.
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Yes... Just pull that round part off. You'll see how much smaller they are. If these are still big then get 30 guage.
 
Lillie said:
Ok- we've got that covered about the needles being too large. Now I need to know how to just use the needles that came with the kit that insert into the device. Do the tops come off to expose the needle?
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Pull the top off. No need to even use the device unless you have trouble holding them.... Just freehand poke.
 
Are you putting Neosporin with pain relief on his ears afterwards? That also helps healing and dulls the pain. I found moving to smaller lancets helped. You should be able to twist the plastic top off of the lancet. And try to poke with the bevel side up, ie. sharp point in first. And do it at an angle.
 
Thank God you guys have a lot of patience with new people! When I looked close at the needles the vet gave me they look like sub Q needles and B12 needles in a syringe I used to use for my previous cat. Good grief why did the vet give me those? I'm starting to think I should have gone to Leo's specialist for all of this. If the smaller lancets don't work I'll look for the 30 gauge. Thank you all!!!
And thank you Wendy for letting me know that it is possible to test on a cat who is on a blood thinner. The vet tech I spoke to today seemed angry that I was even attempting to home test due to the blood thinner.
 
I used some neosporin today on his ear that was bleeding yesterday. I'm trying to get the caked blood off the inside of his poor little ear.
 
Lillie said:
I used some neosporin today on his ear that was bleeding yesterday. I'm trying to get the caked blood off the inside of his poor little ear.
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I know it's hard to do something that seems to hurt your kitty. Your technique and efficiency will improve a lot over time. You're doing the best thing for keeping him safe. :bighug::)
 
I know you're right. I will need to test on the other ear tonight and it will be a little more difficult due to his left ear being a darker color than the other side. The lighter side ear was much easier to see the vein but still has some caked blood on it. I wish my vet's tech had the same attitude. You would have thought she would have said "Good, you'll be able to get a better and more accurate read at home." Instead she made me feel like a cruel monster for trying to help Leo. I don't know why or how they think a cat can get regulated on bringing him in once a week to do a test when everyone knows it can read a lot higher and also not pick up a later bad number. They (my local vet) should let people know that home testing is better but also give you a choice and explain that it will be more difficult if they do it once a week.. Sorry for the rant. I'm still slightly upset that the vet told me to resume his injection the next morning after getting a 68 at +6 on Tues. without even testing first. Thank God I didn't listen because his BG was 85 the next morning.
 
Lillie said:
I know you're right. I will need to test on the other ear tonight and it will be a little more difficult due to his left ear being a darker color than the other side. The lighter side ear was much easier to see the vein but still has some caked blood on it. I wish my vet's tech had the same attitude. You would have thought she would have said "Good, you'll be able to get a better and more accurate read at home." Instead she made me feel like a cruel monster for trying to help Leo. I don't know why or how they think a cat can get regulated on bringing him in once a week to do a test when everyone knows it can read a lot higher and also not pick up a later bad number. They (my local vet) should let people know that home testing is better but also give you a choice and explain that it will be more difficult if they do it once a week.. Sorry for the rant. I'm still slightly upset that the vet told me to resume his injection the next morning after getting a 68 at +6 on Tues. without even testing first. Thank God I didn't listen because his BG was 85 the next morning.
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We understand ranting! You're learning to trust your own judgment.
 
I emailed Leo's specialist and she was surprised I was not told to home monitor. She knows he's on a blood thinner and knows his medical history so I think she will be a better reference. She told me to keep checking for a good while even though he has had normal numbers. Especially if I see him drinking excess water etc. My goodness there is such a variation in vet opinions. I guess it is worth it to see a specialist.
 
Lillie said:
I know you're right. I will need to test on the other ear tonight and it will be a little more difficult due to his left ear being a darker color than the other side. The lighter side ear was much easier to see the vein but still has some caked blood on it. I wish my vet's tech had the same attitude. You would have thought she would have said "Good, you'll be able to get a better and more accurate read at home." Instead she made me feel like a cruel monster for trying to help Leo. I don't know why or how they think a cat can get regulated on bringing him in once a week to do a test when everyone knows it can read a lot higher and also not pick up a later bad number. They (my local vet) should let people know that home testing is better but also give you a choice and explain that it will be more difficult if they do it once a week.. Sorry for the rant. I'm still slightly upset that the vet told me to resume his injection the next morning after getting a 68 at +6 on Tues. without even testing first. Thank God I didn't listen because his BG was 85 the next morning.
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You really should avoid hitting the vein. It's more painful and bleeds too much. You want to aim for the sweet spot which is the area between the vein and the outter edge of the ear.
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The first Vet that diagnosed Maury's diabetes said I would need to see a specialist after his 2nd visit. Is this a feline diabetes specialist? Because I'm used to named specialists, like for his heart I would probably seek a cardiologist. But a Specialist is sort of vague to me. Sorry if that's confusing, it still confuses me LOL!
 
Leo's specialist is at his speciality hospital. Internal medical specialist along with cardiologists, oncologists, endocrinologists, critical care specialists, etc. She's a wonderful doctor but very pricey.
 
So basically a Vet is like human Primary care doctor, and Vet Specialist are Internal Medicine with same names for Pet specialists, no wonder I am not fond of regular Vets. I can't even find a human PCP that I have ever liked :p
 
Yong- Ha, you are so very right. I use my primary vet usually for uti's, blood work check that I know the specialist wants (it's cheaper that way), nail clips, ear checks, routine teeth cleaning, etc. The specialist I use for anything else like Leo's IBD, CRF if it happens, seizures, blood clots, echo cardiograms if needed, etc. It has definitely been worth it for better diagnoses and better treatment. I should have gone to the specialist for his diabetes but she gets a copy of everything and I email her regularly and she is very nice about advising me. I wish she were my doctor!
 
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