Bruised ears

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Monica and Atticus (GA)

Monica and Atticus (GA)

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Atticus' left ear looks absolutely awful. He's got two big red bruises. I don't think I can test there without hitting one. Q1: is it extra painful or harmful to poke a bruise? I would think it would be?
Q2: How long does it take for them to go away?
Q3: How can I keep it from happening? I always staunch with a tissue, and apply Neopsorin, but he's still all banged up.
Sometimes he wriggles when I test him, so I don't hit the sweet spot exactly, and I guess it happens when I get too close to the vein.

It looks so, so bad. I feel terrible. If I was more patient, more competent, maybe I wouldn't be causing him so much pain. He's such a sweet kitty to go through all of this, and all I want to do is help him. I wish I could explain it so he could understand. :cry:

It's dark and rainy here and it's making me super emotional.
 
:YMHUG: Don't beat yourself up .. Mocha had more then a bruise or two over the course of being on insulin for nearly two years .. It happens .. just remember to apply the neo to the ear afterwards .. Do you rub the ear before the poke to get the blood flowing easily? That way you don't have to "squeeze" out a drop .. Atticus will be ok .. he knows that what you are doing, you are doing it to help him ..
 
Maxwell's ears looked aweful in the early days and it didn't help that his ears are a pale orange and white so it made those angry red marks stand out even more! Musette's ears were pretty rough looking as well those first few days...her's are a little darker as she is a dilute tortie. It does get better as their ears learn to bleed. When you stanch the blood make sure you are putting a little bit of light pressure on the ear not just stop the blood flow with the tissue. With Musette it takes very little time at all for her ears to heal up with the neosporin, almsot over night now...but I do remember it took a little longer in those early days, jut don't remember exactly how long.

Yes it hurts more if you test on top of a bruise, but they also usually bleed better because a bruise is blood under the skin. I try to switch ears with Musette every so often although her right ear does bleed better than her left, I also try to make sure I'm poking in different spots as much as possible, but Musette doesn't give me much real estate to work with she has tiny little ears.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Putting pressure on the ear for 20 seconds helps to prevent the bruising. if you get the neosporin w/ pain relief, it should help w/ the soreness too. It does get better. Tess's ears never show a mark now and we seldom even need the Neo. But a full 20 secoond long pressure is important.
 
Thanks, y'all. I was about to ask when it started to get easier, and then I was looking over his SS again and I realized we've only been testing for 10 days. It feels like it's been a few weeks, but I guess I need to remember that his ears are still very, very new to this.
 
I wet cotton pads, cut into smaller pieces & put them in the freezer in a ziploc bag. When it's testing time I get one out & place it on his ear after the test. In my mind the cold helps from bruising & is soothing to Baxter. In other peoples mind I'm crazy or it's nonsense.

If you think about it when a human gets injured you apply a cold compress to prevent bruising or swelling. So why can't the cold cotton pad help with bruising on the ear? I don't know maybe it does nothing, but it makes me feel better.

Ear testing will get better.

Jenn & baxter cat_pet_icon
 
Hey Monica,

I don't have any advice cuz I'm in the same boat here but I am making note of all the tips everyone has provided.

I noticed both our cats are named after To Kill A Mockingbird characters. We just need a Jem and a Calpurnia and we'll be all set!

Lori
 
It does take a while to figure this out!!! Remember that this is still so new to you guys! Louie's right ear seems to work much better~ and I agree that putting pressure on the ear after the poke can make all the difference! after almost 3 months into this, Louie's ears look amazingly well!
wishing you all the best as you find your way through this~ hopefully those bruises will clear up as you & your dear kitty get used to this process!
~and tasty treats to reward really work wonders!
Tracy & Louie
 
Well, we've done 5 tests this evening so we're certainly getting practice! I've been switching up the ears. Today was all Mr. right ear (the not-bruised one), and I made sure to keep the pressure on longer. We'll see how the ear looks in the morning.

Jenn- I might give that a shot, actually.

Lori- Calpurnia, I love it! That is a wonderful cat name. Is Scout a girl?
 
Yes, Scout's a girl, her real name is Jean Louise but she hates it. ;) But seriously, that was my favorite book growing up and I still enjoy it today. My mom made me laugh... when Scout was like 5 my mom said to me,"You know I saw a film the other day with a little girl named Scout in it and I thought of your Scout." I said, "Yeah Mom, guess who she was named after." :smile: Maybe I should have named my black cat Calpurnia? :lol:

Glad to hear the ear pricks are going well. Fingers crossed no more bruises tomorrow on little Atticus!

Lori
 
Scooters ears were swelled and bruised pretty bad for the first week and a half, and then it just healed and didn't come back. I test constantly on his right ear on the lower part, and it never bruises any more, as long as I apply pressure to the spot for 10-15 sec after the poke.
 
Sitka's ears were really bruised too and I felt like I was torturing her. I've been at it a month now and they are looking pretty good. I found that testing opposite ears each time helps so one side can heal up before I hit it again. Jan
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one with this issue! I even had a dream that Hobbs' ears were torn up and infected from me testing him. I try to apply pressure for 20 seconds but he doesn't always let me. He hates having his ears handled so I put pressure on as long as he allows and then while he's distracted with the treat I put neosporin on him. He hates that too but I tell him to deal with it. LOL
 
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