Does anyone use the paw pads for testing?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mashyspringle

Member Since 2014
Hi, all:

In spite of your support and confidence that Stella's ear will bleed, it just doesn't! We've been trying all week. We tried 4 times today with the lancet set at 4! My husband could feel the stick in his finger behind her ear (actually through the ear), but NO BLOOD, at least from Stella. We rubbed and milked until she began to growl. We have recently changed her diet to ZERO carbs from Young Again and she is peeing much less. I'm afraid to give her an injection without testing her sugar. Does anyone ever use the paw pad? Is it more likely to actually bleed than the ear?

Sandi (alias Mashyspringle)
 
I don't see well enough to prick the ear; even with a light I can't see the vein. Paw pad testing is all I can do. Just use the sock technique to warm the paw pad and it will bleed for you. Also if your cat wants to fight testing just wrap them up in a towel like a kitty burrito and just uncover one back foot. Works like a champ.


Anita and Squeaker
 
I haven't used the paw pad, I'm too scared of infection with them walking in litter.

Did you try having someone hold a flashlight & shining it on the ear? I've found that one ear bleeds better than the other and one side of the ear bleeds better than the other! Keep trying-if you can catch them napping in a sunbeam that helps too--warms up the ear and the veins are obvious.
 
You know I had the exact same problem getting my cat's ear to bleed and I saw on this forum, someone suggested warming the ear first. I got a hotbag in the microwave (an old sock filled with rice will do) and warm the ear til it almost hot. My cat liked this. Then I used a lancing device. One click and the I got the ear to bleed no problem.

I would seriously advise NOT to use the paw pads merely because they walk on these pads - in their litter too - and its much more likely to be painful for them and more likely to get infected if they have a cut on their foot and then walk in their litter.

I have also read on here that using a thin film of Vaseline will help the blood to bead and therefore easier to sook up into the glucose strip.

I hope this helps. I hear you, this is not easy AT ALL and I am on a huge learning curve with all this.
 
Thank you to all. Tried holding the rice bag on the ear for a long time.....no blood. Then, out of desperation I tried the paw pad....a teensy bit of blood but not enough to test. By that time she was a hissing, kicking, growling skimming mess. I don't know what else to do but take her in to the vet for a 12 hour torture session. I feel like such a failure!!!
 
Kittymom777:

Thanks for your suggestion. I actually have had a demo by the vet technician and, boy, was it easy for her! She could have made a video. I went home super confident that it would be a piece of cake. But then reality set in. I have sent her an email to ask for help again. I can see that this is not going to be easy and I will definitely need lots of help. It may just be the first step in a long search for medical assistance with this cat. Maybe I will offer my spare room to a vet technician student on the condition that s/he checks the cat BG every day! Thanks for your contributions!

Sandi
 
I use the paw pad but had to get 28 gauge lancets (sometimes the box will specify that they're for "alternate testing sites") because the 33s I originally had wouldn't give us any blood at all. Just like with the ear though it helps to make sure his paw is a bit warmer to get good blood flow. Usually I can just rub it a few times or wrap my hand around and gently squeeze to warm it up, but since it's getting colder a rice sock will probably be necessary soon.

Bailey is good about just laying in the crook of my arm so his back legs come up across my lap (this is what we look like for testing - though usually we sit in a chair, lol) and I have both hands free to work the lancing device, tester, paw pad, etc. But like others have suggested, you may need to wrap up a cat burrito if you've got a wiggler on your hands! And once the lancet has gone in, you may need to squeeze up on the pad just a bit to get the blood to bead up better.

p.s. I know some people are worried about infection and what not, and I was too at first, but I always keep a gauze pad handy and use it to make sure the bleeding has stopped completely before I let him go (which doesn't take long). You can get a box of twenty or so sterile gauze squares for super cheap at any drugstore. The only time Bailey acts like it bothers him is on days we do curves (which is understandable because there's so much more pricking going on!) but he gets over it quick. When I only do pre shot tests he isn't bothered at all.

Good luck, Sandi, and keep us updated! Patience and persistence will get you there :-)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top