Hi! New here.. Having hard time getting enough blood

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Kristinhall828

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Hi everyone! I'm new here and have heard such amazing things about the community here. I'm still working with my vet to try and figure out if my Sophie has diabetes. I've been monitoring her BS all weekend with a One Touch Mini that I just bought last week. We just got home from a vet check where Sophie's reading was great.. 194! But my meter has been giving me numbers of 256-337 all weekend, yesterday and this morning. The vet suggested testing again when I got home to see how my meter's number compared to theirs, and all of a sudden I'm having the HARDEST time getting enough blood and I'm getting so frusterated :( I've pricked her poor little ear veins probably 6 or 7 times and gone through 4 strips , then I tried the paw and still couldn't get enough. Sophie is so amazing at letting me do it (although she really didn't like when I tried the paw) but I'm just so frusterated and can't bring myself to keep pricking her poor little ears. I know I need a good reading in order to see if my meter is off. I'm thinking maybe the lancet is so teeny tiny thin (I mean it's teeeeeny.. thinner than a hair) that it's not giving me a decent enough prick? Because the meter really doesn't require much blood at all (only a very very small amount) but I just can't seem to get it right now. Anyone have any suggestions on what they do to get enough blood everytime?

Sorry to go on and on, I just need some advice and don't know where to turn!! Thanks so much guys.
 
Welcome Kristin and Sophie!

Our two biggest hurdles to getting blood were heating the eat enough and having too small a lancet. Try a prescription bottle filled with hot water or heat up a sock full of raw rice. Heat the ear for at least a minute. 25-27 gauge lancets are nice for new diabetics. The 30-31 gauge sold for human diabetics are often too small.
 
Thank you so much Sue and/or Oliver!!! :) I will try the heat and a bigger lancet.. I just looked at these ones and they're a gauge size 33!
 
Someone else posted a similar problem: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=64300 I guess the One Touch Mini meters come with the Delica lancet devices now? The Delica uses 33 gauge lancets which is too thin to get blood out of a cat's ear, especially for a newbie. A thicker guage lancet will work better. The Delica only uses the 33 gauge lancets so you'd need to buy a new lancet device and matching lancets. Or try this: call One Touch customer service and ask if you could exchange the Delica for a different lancet device that uses thicker lancets. Do not tell them that you are using the product on a cat. Just say that you are using it on a family member.
 
Hi Kristin -

You are not alone! Several of us have the challenge of squeezing blood from a turnip - in my case the turnip's name is Grayson. There's a photo somewhere on here showing the "sweet spot" - the prime area for getting a blood sample. Well, I don't think Grayson has ANY blood in that area, but if you come lower on the ear, where there's the little layered section, I can usually get some there. I've also gotten some on the top edge.

Some people can just poke their cats, others wrap them in a towel or blanket (if they wiggle too much or try to run). I keep Grayson on the table in front of my, lying down, with my arm around him but positioned to scruff if he decides to move. I use that same thumb to support the ear, and the other hand to poke. It works pretty well for me, and in time, you'll be able to eyeball when you have enough blood to satisfy your meter. Someone suggested scooping the blood off the ear w/ your fingernail, so you don't have to torture your kitty any longer than necessary. I've tried it and it works well, so that may be an additional help (Grayson doesn't like the feel of the test strip touching his ear.

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions if you have them.

Lu-Ann & [turnip] Grayson
 
Hey Kristin, I understand the testing frustration. I started out with I think 26ish guage. I'm lucky Junior is mostly a good bleeder but when not, I gently pinch his ear just below the poke a few times (i think this is called "milking") and it gets the blood circulating up.

I just switched to a 30 something guage (sorry, i'm not home to check) thinking it would be easier on him. I have to poke him a lot more to get enough blood and he knows it! I'm going to switch back to the larger needle.

I'm new here a month but have learned way more than I ever thought. Keep posting everything any questions. It's amazing how at any time of day someone is online to help :-D
 
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