Bruise, scar, bumps ect, from home testing...

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kimouette

kimouette

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Hi everyone,

Last time I saw my vet she quickly took a look at my cat's ears and said everything looked ok.
But now I'm wondering if maybe I'm not doing things correctly...

Anyone has pictures showing bruises, scars, bumps and other wounds inflicted by home testing needles that would be "OK wounds", and other pics showing what we should be worried about :?:
 
It's normal for a cat's ear to look bruised ans scarred from bg testing :smile: It happens when you're just starting out. The brusing and scarring will go away once your cat's ear learns to bleed. To minimize brusing and scarring, hold a piece of tissue over the poked spot and press gently to stop the bleeding. Using a new lancet each time you poke will also help. A dull lancet will have ragged edges that will injure the skin.
 
I am very careful (never use the same needle, hold the ear with a sterile gauze to stop the bleeding) and normaly I get a good drop of blood at the very first prick and my cat doesn't seem to worry about it. But still, there is one red wound that wont go away. I use a flashlight to see it clearly and it looks like an inflammation, not a bump and not like a blood spot, but really an inflammation, about the size of a dime. After 6 days it's still there. I was really hoping to find images showing wounds that are "usual" for home tested cats, but cant find any.
 
Hi, I've never compared with anyone else but this is 'normal' for my cat:


His ears are relatively hairless and are pink. In addition, both these photos are backlit to make things look as bad as can be:). I use a lancing device, one stab per test, and hit the vein from time to time. Pressure is applied immediately after the test to help keep bruising down and I wipe with an alcohol pad afterwards. There is no swelling, just the red blobs, and there is no apparent pain- he still likes his ears massaged pretty roughly despite the bruises. I apply polysporin antibiotic cream every day as well. After the above picture, this ear got a rest for 8 days, resulting in:


Nice and clear, just a few stubborn blood crusties. It may have been healed a couple days earlier, I didn't get around to a picture though.

Like I said though, I don't know if this is normal but it always heals so I'm not too worried. Hope this is some help.
 

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I would like to reiterate that bruising is not normal except in the beginning when you are learning. Pressing the spot afterward is a must.

And the "aim" is NOT to hit the vein! You want the area between the vein and the out edge of the ear. Brian, your picture really makes me think you hit the vein.
 
Vicky & Gandalf (GA) said:
Brian, your picture really makes me think you hit the vein.
Click to expand...

I'm certain I sometimes hit the vein and that's what causes the worst bruising. I use the bayer microlet device and I do aim for closer to the edge but it isn't very precise. I've tried all manner of techniques with freehand holding for better aim and Linus would always vocally complain- I don't have a very delicate touch. He doesn't even flinch with the lancet device, so I went back to it brusing and all since they heal and don't seem to bother him. I could probably make do with a much finer lancet, it doesn't say on the box but I think mine are 28 gauge. I'll try to find some 33 gauge in a few days.
 
Yes, apart from the first week before I got my technique down, there are no bruises or scars on Bandit's ears from testing (and I use larger, 26g lancets). You want to make sure you're not hitting the vein, and putting pressure on the poke spot for 20 seconds after the poke. I also dab a tiny bit of neosporin + pain relief on afterwards.

I also use the Relion lancet device, on the second to the deepest setting. The top of the device is circular, so I aim by placing the circle in the center of the device over the area I want to poke. I also poke on the inside of Bandit's ear where there's no fur so I can see easier.
 
Hi Brian, thank you so much for providing the pictures. It really helps with how others can advice you.

I try to hit a little further down side of the ear.

I use a frozen wet cotton ball or cut into pieces & folded up paper towel or cut into pieces cotton pad. I wetthence & put them into a ziplock bag in the freezer. Baxter likes it & his ears aren't bruised or red. Some people think I am crazy for doing this, but when humans get hurt & bruised, icing helps with bruising.
I poke, then apply pressure with the frozen cotton pad etc. Hold for a couple of seconds, then good to go.

Some use neosprorin to help with the healing. I am allergic to neosprorin so I don't buy it or dare touch it. So that is one reason why I use the frozen method.

I hope this helps.
Jenn & Baxter
 
If the spot is the size of a dime it very well may be an infection. Are you using an antibiotic ointment?

I always alternate ears and move around the ear as well. I freehand w/ a 33ga lancet and never see even any bumps. Try to find the BD brand, they are a little more expensive, but i think they are sharper. They seem to need less pressure and little scarring. I always apply pressure for at least 20 seconds.
 
I never thought of using an antibiotic ointment. Right now all I have at home is something like polysporin, but the Swiss equivalent I guess. Can one of you check what's inside the ointment they use and tell me if the following ingredients are also in there : 10,000 units of polymyxin B (as sulfate), 500 units of bacitracin zinc, 0.25mg of gramicidin

I dont have a good camera so we cant really see the red spot I was talking about (I tried to make a circle arround the area in question).

I'm using a Bayer Microlet 2 (28 gauges I think), it makes a tiny little drop of blood and no scabs, or if there are scabs, they are too small to be seen. The red spot is worrying though.
 

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