Frustrated

[puddersmom]

I am trying to start testing Oreo's blood today. I tried the warm wash cloth. I can get it to bleed. I just can't get the blood on the test strip. I must of pocked him a dozen times. He is so mad at me right now. So I am letting him claim down a little and going to try again. I don't understand what I am doing wrong. I tried the warm washcloth. Anymore ideas?

Thanks-
Niki and Oreo/Pudders

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

My cat never liked the warming sock. You can also put some rice in an old sock and microwave it or 20 seconds.
I usually have to just poke her without warming her ear.
But on really cold ear days, I would lean over and breathe softly on her ear to try to warm it a little and massage it.

Just be sure and reward your cat for even failed attempts because it teaches them to let you handle their ears.
As they make the connection that this activity gets good treats, they start cooperating more.

Are you hitting the sweet spot? I usually had to go up a little higher then the sweet spot, right on the edge and I would get a good
little drop. Sometimes you might have to poke twice.

Are you using a device or freehand?
If you have a finer gauge lancet ( 30 or 31 gauge) then that would also cause you problems.... They are too fine for cat ears.

You'll have to practice getting coordinated to get the drop quickly on your test strip.
It just takes trial and error.
Most people need a week before they get a good rhythm going and cooperation from kitty.

 

[MommaOfMuse]

Also you don't want to put the blood on the strip but rather let the strip sip up the blood. So you need to just touch the tip of the strip to the top of the bead of blood.

Very few of us got it right the first few times, it take practice.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

[BJM]

If you can get the drop on a clean fingernail, you can test it from there.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hiya,

OK, so you can get blood - Great! But the problem is getting that onto the strip..?

I find it helpful to think of the tip of the strip as a straw that sucks up the blood. So, you're not 'putting the blood on the strip' so much as holding the absorbent little bit of the strip up to the the blood droplet so it can sip it up.

If you don't mind 'wasting' a few strips you could always experiment with control solution (if you have that?) or indeed any drop of liquid - even water, just to see how that mechanism works.

If the problem is that the cat is wriggly and won't keep still for you, then as BJM says, you can transfer the blood droplet to a clean fingernail and test it from there.

Very few people get a test the first time they try. It's a learning process. But you will just suddenly get the knack of it. Honestly!

Always reward the cat for attempted tests, successful or not.
And reward yourself too (I find chocolate works well for me! ;-) )

 

[puddersmom]

I finally got it. I must of finally found the sweet spot cuz we had blood. It was like before i was getting blood but it wouldn't bleed enough to suck up on the strip. Any suggestions on treats. I was giving him Greenies and he threw them up. So not doing those anymore. Didn't even want to eat when he was done. Is blood sugar was 245. Is that still high for cats?

Niki and Oreo/Pudders.

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

Petsmart and petco have PureBites http://www.purebites.com/

freeze bite treats.... you can buy the dog ones in a bigger bag and break them into small pieces.

there are other brands of freeze dried treats too.

And there are jerky treats.
You can also boil chicken or bake it and cut it into small bites and freeze it.

 

[BJM]

Any suggestions on treats.

Freeze dried chicken or dried bonito flakes. Bits of boiled chicken.

(H)is blood sugar was 245. Is that still high for cats?

Yes. Non-diabetic cats typically run from 40 - 120 or so. A level about 240 is the renal threshold, where glucose starts going out in the urine.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Good job! You got one! It will get easier once you have more practice but now you know you can do it!

You can hold the ear just below the wound to help dam the vein and the blood. Or try to poke twice in the same spot close together.

Once you get some more tests in you will want to set up a spreadsheet to track your results (and so we can help monitor). Heres how, http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207
Wendy

 

[KPassa]

I finally got it. I must of finally found the sweet spot cuz we had blood. It was like before i was getting blood but it wouldn't bleed enough to suck up on the strip. Any suggestions on treats. I was giving him Greenies and he threw them up. So not doing those anymore. Didn't even want to eat when he was done. Is blood sugar was 245. Is that still high for cats?

Niki and Oreo/Pudders.

What glucometer are you using? Certain glucometers require less blood than others, so if you're having difficulty getting blood at first and depending how stressful it is for both of you, it might be worthwhile switching to one of those. Off the top of my head, I know the ReliOn Confirm/Mirco requires only .3µL of blood vs. most other glucometers require .6µL. After a couple of weeks, the ears start "bleeding" better, plus you get more skilled at "milking" the ear for blood, so then it won't matter as much.

For treats in my house, we used freeze-dried chicken (their favorite) or whitefish (super smelly) or turkey (Bravo). Pretty much any freeze-dried treats, cat or dog, will work as long as you check the ingredients and the only ingredient listed is the meat itself.