Epic fail on first time BG ear prick test…

[Nikkiz]

Hi… we took our diabetic kitty Edgar, recently diagnosed two months ago, to have his blood glucose checked today and to get training on how to do it at home. The vet tech did it free hand and immediately drew the perfect drop of blood for testing. She made it look so easy. Six hours later at home my husband and I tried freehand and pricked him about seven times in the ear and could not get blood for testing. We then put together a lancet device and used that on different settings about seven more times on the other ear and again could not get anywhere near enough blood for testing. It was a nightmare. Poor Edgar was so good the whole time but he was getting stressed out, and so were we.

Can someone please recommend a great lancet device for cats and what setting they use? We did get the Alphatrak 3 and I purchased an additional lancet device (Caretouch) that has a clear cap as I thought it would be better to see the needle.

Just to confirm… You do not want to poke the vein… You want to poke just next to it on the outer edge of the ear? Is that correct?

Just so stressed that it went so poorly at home for a first try.

Thank you…

Nikki

 

[Snickers and Chrissy]

Don't feel bad! It takes some getting used to. Below I have copied and pasted some info that @Diane Tyler's Mom posted for another user that should help.

Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also. Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up.

As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.

When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear. Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear

You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops.

Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets.

A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device I find it better to see where I'm aiming. Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with.

Here is a video one of our members made testing her kitty.

She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,with a human meter you don't have to code it. So ignore that.
I have always used a human meter.

VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Basic's Mom]

Welcome, Nikki.
Sorry about your recent diagnosis, but glad you found the forum.

Your vet tech has done it for years. This was your first try. Give yourself credit for being brave enough to try.

I'll include some links for tips on helping home test. Want to tell you what makes a huge difference for me. Making sure the ear is warm enough. This helps the blood flow, hence giving you a juicy drop. You want 26 or 28 gauge lancets. As you test more the ear will form more capillaries, giving even more blood. When this happens, you can get smaller lancets like a 30 gauge.

Where you poke is key. The spot you want is known as the sweet spot. Yes, you are correct. You do NOT want the vein.

Some members don't use a lancet device because the sound bothers their cat. Mine doesn't seem to mind and I am very heavy handed. When I tried without a device, he cried. He's never cried with a lancet, so I resumed using one.

Not including links because as I was typing this, Chrissy got them to you.

 

[Snickers and Chrissy]

Also, just to add that most of us here use human meters rather than pet meters like Alpha Trak. I started with the Alpha Trak but the test strips are way less pricey for human meters, and easier to find. You can go to the store and buy human test strips rather than having to wait for them to come in the mail like with the pet strips.

I didn't like the AT3's lancet device and use one that I got at Walmart instead. I think the lancing device I use is the Freestyle lancer, though I use the Relion lancets with it, and also a Relion meter.

 

[Nikkiz]

Thank you for the responses. Yes, I think I will switch to the Relion meter and such after the stripes are all used up for the AT3. I have read that a lot of people use that one. I will check out the Freestyle lancet device. I hope this goes better soon. I will try the rice sock tomorrow. The lancets came with 30g I think.

What setting number (depth) do most people have good luck with on the lancet devices?

Thanks much!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'm adding the link to our post on home testing.

I suspect you're doing everything just the way you should. I'm guessing you're starting out with a lancet that's too thin. Like Chrissy noted, look for a thicker gauge lancet -- the 26 or 28 gauge. Once the capillary bed is built up, you can switch to a thinner lancet (e.g., 30 or 31).

The only other information I would add is about treats. Every time you poke Edgar's ear, give him a treat! It doesn't matter if you're successful or not. You want him to associate ear pokes with treats. Positive reinforcement/rewards work very well. Just make sure the treats you're giving him are low carb. If you haven't come across them, freeze dried chicken (or other freeze dried protein) is zero carbs and most cats love them. Cooked chicken also works but we've also had members whose cat like being brushed so he got brushed whenever she needed to test.

 

[Snickers and Chrissy]

What setting number (depth) do most people have good luck with on the lancet devices?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I set my lancet to 3.5. That's just what works for me.

 

[Snickers and Chrissy]

I will check out the Freestyle lancet device. I hope this goes better soon.
Thanks much!

I just looked it up and it appears that the exact Freestyle lancing device I use may not be available anymore. I guess I bought it a while ago. I found it online for like $20 but I definitely didn't pay $20 for it when I bought it. Probably a third of that. Maybe try the Relion lancer? That's readily available and that's the one I would try if my current one broke.