Constant Pricking? Is it too much?

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tortie58

tortie58

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I feel so bad for the constant pricking on Rosy's ear for the bg figures. Her left ear bleed more easy & became the choice of pricking. I tried to do alternate ear pricking but the right ear is difficult to get the blood. I did warm her ears before pricking.
Any suggestion ? And, is there any ointment which I can use to make her less painful?
This hurts me so much as her mummy! :sad:
 
Some members use neosporne.
I use a wet frozen cotton ball & apply pressure for about 20 seconds.
I am allergic to neosporne so I don't buy it or use it.

When you are poking make sure you poke in a different area. Also,try to stay away from the vein. Stay on the outer part of the ear. If you take a flash light & hold it close to the ear you can see the vein.

Hope this helps.
Jenn & Baxter
 
Hi Tortie,

A lot of people use Neosporin with pain killer on the ears. I think a good lance pen is important also. I use the Freelance Lite Lance Pen only & their lancets. It's inexpensive but the best I've used. It never misses and doesn't seem to hurt Racci too much. Only one of Racci's ears works too. The other ear has next to no capillaries that can be seen at all.

Did you know that you can change the title on your posts? You're really not supposed to start so many new ones in a short time because it pushes others off the page. Instead, you can just edit your last post and change the subject so people know you have a new question. It also helps us to remember the last thing we talked about.

Melanie & Racci
 
MelanieAndRacci said:
Hi Tortie,

A lot of people use Neosporin with pain killer on the ears. I think a good lance pen is important also. I use the Freelance Lite Lance Pen only & their lancets. It's inexpensive but the best I've used. It never misses and doesn't seem to hurt Racci too much. Only one of Racci's ears works too. The other ear has next to no capillaries that can be seen at all.

Did you know that you can change the title on your posts? You're really not supposed to start so many new ones in a short time because it pushes others off the page. Instead, you can just edit your last post and change the subject so people know you have a new question. It also helps us to remember the last thing we talked about.

Melanie & Racci
Click to expand...


Okay, I am sorry for that! I'll revise my old post next time Ive a question :oops:
I am now doing the pricking free hand as I find it more easy to control the prick.


Jenn & Baxter said:
Some members use neosporne.
I use a wet frozen cotton ball & apply pressure for about 20 seconds.
I am allergic to neosporne so I don't buy it or use it.

When you are poking make sure you poke in a different area. Also,try to stay away from the vein. Stay on the outer part of the ear. If you take a flash light & hold it close to the ear you can see the vein.

Hope this helps.
Jenn & Baxter
Click to expand...

Tks! I'll try the frozen cotton ball!
 
I try alternating ears, but Grayson seems to like the right one more than the left. And as they told me, he IS developing more capilaries since I've been poking him, and the right ear is bleeding easier now.

The other day I couldn't get anything out of his left ear, but I always said it was like squeezing blood from a turnip! Grayson's my little turnip!
 
If you look at Musette's spreadsheet you will see how often she is tested and her ears are just as pretty as the first time I laid eyes on her. Their ears do "learn" to bleed and once that happens the bruises go away.

Now considering how much I test Musette and the fact that I adopted both Musette and Maxwell as diabetics if it truly hurt them Musette would have nothing to do with me, but that isn't the case she is very loving, sleeps with me every night and purrs up a storm. Musette will even come find me if I'm running late on her tests. The secret is treats, because cats are smart. They quickly figure out that it is a little ear prick is small price to pay for a yummy treat. In Musette's case this happens to be a tiny bite of cream cheese...oh she loves her cream cheese. They quickly figure out ear poke = treats, and shots = feel better.

You may not be able to train a cat, but you can certainly trick them into thinking it was their idea :lol:

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Kitten used to have horribly bruised ears. He has light coloured fur on his ears and so you would see even the slightest bruise. At the beginning I would feel so bad, especially when it looked like he got into a fight. Within a couple of weeks, I became better at poking and now get blood right away on the first try with a better poke. Although you can still tell a bit where I poke, someone that isn't staring at it like I do would never notice. All the bruising went away. Neosporin does help, but for us it was the pressing on the spot with a paper towel for a bit after testing that really did the trick.
 
Simon's ears used to bruise more--they still bruise some, but I really think it's getting better. I also don't think he minds being tested. He thinks it is special attention for him. Are you free handing or using the lancet device (the little pen that holds the lancet and POPS!)
I tried both on myself and I think the lancet device is much less painful. It's hardly noticeable. Try it on yourself.
You will have to experiment with different spots on his ear. His ears will bleed better with time. I can now use the lancet device at its shallowest setting and get a great bleed. It took some practice. And sometimes I still miss and have to re-prick!

But, in the end, the little bruises on his ears are a minor health concern compared to the harm that high blood sugar will cause!

Best of luck, and keep trying. you are doing great!
 
I'd also recommend a lancing device if you can. It can go deeper faster, meaning less pain. Also, try using larger-gauge lancets. I started off using 26-gauge, thinking it'd hurt Atticus less if the lancet was smaller, but it's the other way around. I used to have to prick 4-5 times each test before I switched to the 30-gauge lancets. Also, use a tissue to immediately staunch the blood after the strip gets it. That will reduce the bruising a bit. I used the Target brand of neosporin with pain relief, but I only ended up using it for a week or two. He hardly bruises much at all now, and we'd been testing 5-6 times a day. They do get used to it.
And always give a no-carb treat after each poke!
 
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