Glucose Testing Problems

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Angelavenger

Angelavenger

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Hey so we've got our glucose tester (the ipet) and the doctor tested it against theirs and it was accurate.

Now the problem is we can't seem to get enough blood from our kitty for the test. We've tried the heated rice sock, rubbing her ears before hand. Even trying to do it right n the vein running along the ear. Then we tried the paw. No matter what she's not bleeding. Most the time not at all. Tonight with the heated sock we saw the tiniest of drops but immediately it went into her furr so that we couldn't get it on the strip and it was so small i don't think it would have been enough. Plus squeezing isn't making any more blood come out after the prick. We tried doing two pricks close together like the tutorial video someone posted for us and that didn't get any blood either.

Any help would be appreciated! We are really worried not being able to get her tested before each shot and my husband and I are super frustrated.
Plus she struggles quite a bit while we are trying to do it so usually after a good 3 or four tries we give up so as not to traumatize her too much.
 
Are you using the lancet device? Does it have depth settings?
Carl
 
What gauge lancet are you using? When I started I had 33 or 36 and had that issue. I went and got 26 and he's bleeding just fine now. More than necessary but at least I get him with the first stick and don't have to do it over and over. Duncan bleeds more freely when he's happy too...if he can be happy it's better, if not the 26 gauge is good to get a nice big drop.

Hope that helps!
 
Hometesting tips and videos: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Some tips:

I'm not familiar with the lancet device that comes with the iPet meter. Have you tried all the depth settings? Don't be afraid to press the lancet device firmly against the ear and then push the button to poke. Holding something firm on the other side of the ear (like the rice sock) give you a firm surface for poking.

Any Human pharmacy sells lancet devices and matching lancets. You can try a different lancet device to see if that works better than the iPet one. The AccuCheck Softclix works really well. Just don't buy the generic CVS one. Impossible to use :-Q

Lancet size: the really thin (30 gauge and up) ones are too hard for most people to get enough blood with. 28 guage is a good size. Here's a lancet chart: http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/library/centers/diabetes/lancets.jsp

Get the blood flowing in the ear. The rice sock works well. Heat it in the microwave until really really really REALLY warm but not hot enough that it burns you or your cat. Try 10 seconds and adjust the time as needed. Apply the warm rice sock to the ear for 30 seconds, longer if you can, then poke to get blood.

Try freehanding the lancet without the device. Some people here do this. You just give a the ear a quick poke with the lancet.

Try the other ear. Some cats only have one "good" ear that will bleed.

Try poking the inside of the ear instead of the furry side.
 
fyi........Beans right ear will not bleed for nothing but that left ear is a champ...must warm for a bit and make sure you have a backer for the lancet to connect with...
you can also scoop the blood onto your nail so you are not fighting with the fur.
you can also stick from the inside if need be, believe that there are a few that do that with kitties that have longer hair.
furry hugs and patience sent your way....keep trying, this will work.
ps, dont forget those wonderful treats for such a goooood kitty.
vampire world will get easier, promise
 
With new kitties that I have trouble with blood I use the lancet and then let the kitty shake his/her head. Not always fun because a drop of blood can go flying but it sure seems to get that blood flowing. After the head shake I'll milk the spot from above and below and push the blood drop to the surface.

If I have a squirmy kitty I'll put the droplet in my finger and test that, if the kitty will stay still I'll gather the sample directly into the test strip from the ear. After about a week the blood usually comes easier but I still prefer the kitty head shake most of the time with my Kiki, she's stingy with her donation :)
 
I handle the lancet without a device. That way I can see where it's going. Holding the ear above and below along with the lancet ready is sometimes a challenge, but I got used to it. I have gotten blood from above and below, and I agree with the head shake. Sometimes the head shake can *really* get it going! (So be careful where you are because blood will be flying.)

Good luck! Thinking about you guys over there.
 
Our lancet device does have settings. We've been doing it on five, the deepest one, and we can feel it going through on the ear. So it is deploying.
My husband did try free handing it outside the device a few times too but that didn't have better results.
The lancets say 28 gauge on the package. Even the vet pricked her on her ears and all her paws and couldn't get a drop. She was so upset she didn't charge us for the session since she was unable to get it to work either.
We'll go buy some 25 or 26 gauge maybe and see if those help. The rice sock did at least get a speck so maybe with those and the rice sock together we might get more then a spec.
 
With some kitties, their ears need to be really, really warm. Like a minute with rice sack before poking. And you can always double poke - a quick second poke in the same place.

Hope you have better luck today.
 
Instead of squeezing the ear, try pulling it gently apart then pushing it together several times to open up the hole that you've pricked.

And by any chance, is she dehydrated? Ask the vet about subcutaneous fluids - unregulated diabetes urinate a LOT and may be dehydrated easily. That could be what's making it so hard to get blood.
 
So the last few nights we've kept at it and didn't get any blood still. Finally looked up a video on youtube (i think from someone on here actually)
where she shows how to do it while noodling the cat up in a blanket since her cat gets a bit violent about it.
Artemis isn't violent but definitely squirmy. Plus we heated the ear longer and did double pokes and hurray manage to get enough blood for the first time.
So tonight her blood sugar was 443 pmps
Hopefully thats not too high for right before the insulin.
 
Hurrah! Welcome to the vampire club? How about starting a new thread with your number, kind of insulin, etc. and get advice.

So glad you got a test! :RAHCAT :RAHCAT
 
Hi!

I have no advice just a newbie here

Getting 'good' BG readings has been hard for me, too.
Sometimes, even with the best tips, tricks, and even two people we have problems.
But, the good news is that "it really does get better"
and am now getting some readings on my own

True, like I was told -
praise, treats, and pets, even when it doesn't work
are good for all

hopefully with hydration and help you're both feeling better soon!
 
we had a really hard time getting blood on punkin the first couple of weeks. it made all of us crazy. we tried 3-4 times and like you, if we couldn't get it we gave him a treat and marched on til the next time.

as you poke the ears more capillaries will grow, no matter what technique you use. so be encouraged that all your poking is causing more capillaries and before you know it you'll hit a gusher most every time.

in the meantime, some things that helped us - we tried all of the above suggestions. i think warming the ear well really helped. not just a tad, but getting it fairly warm. it also helped to kind of "open" the poke after it was there. we had our setting on the deepest and often went through, still with no blood, at first. but that really does get better and now we have the lancet device on the smallest setting.

the other thing is that the blood flows from the tip top of the ear along the outside down to the foldy part. which no doubt has a better name than foldy part. i sometimes press very lightly underneath the poke so to make a tiny dam in hopes that the blood will well up. and sometimes it worked!

if i were really desperate and needed to test to be able to shoot, i went straight on and hit the vein. you shouldn't do that much because it makes scar tissue, but i admit i did it several times. i didn't want to shoot blindly. once you've got more capillaries it all gets easier, so just hang in there.
 
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