Home blood testing question

Status
Not open for further replies.
paul

paul

Member Since 2014
Julius is currently on Lantus for his diabetes and I have started home testing him.

At the moment the home testing is hit and miss and sometimes I'm successful with just one prick of his ear and some times I give up after 3 attempts (I don't want him to uncomfortable from too many stabbings).

In regards to the best place to prick his ear I am getting two different answers everywhere I search on the web and I don't know which one is correct.

Some people say aim for the tiny red vein, and others say aim for next to the vein towards the outside of the ear edge. Can someone tell me which is the correct answer please?

The times I've been successful I can't tell if I've hit the vein or the edge I've been too excited to see that drop of blood to take notice. But the last two days I have been aiming for the outer edge away from the vein and have not been successful at all, but I have also tried right on the vein with no luck.

If someone can tell me the correct answer that would be great so I know which one to concentrate my efforts on. My vet said to aim for either area but I want to know if one area is better than the other from people who actually home test (my vet just draws blood using a syringe in his leg vein).

And also, when you home test do you pierce right through the ear to the other side with the lancet? I'm terrified to do that, Julius already jiggles around when I'm just piercing the surface of his ear.

Thanks so much
 
If you hit the vein, it tends to bleed profusely. One good shake of the head and the walls look like those of an abattoir. Only aim for that if you absolutely must.get.blood. Otherwise, aim just between that vein and the edge of the ear.
Over time, new capillaries will develop (its called angiogenesis) which will improve your success in testing.

No, you're not supposed to pierce the ear. It does happen, though (yes, to me too!). Apply direct pressure to help it bruise less.

Three tries and a low carb treat is what we suggest, too.
While you work on testing, see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for additional assessments you may wish to make.
 
Thank you, I will aim for that small spot between the vein and the edge of his ear. I'll get the hang of it. It wasn't that long ago I said there was no way I would ever be able to do insulin injections and now they are just part of his feeding routine. Now all I need is to conquer the home testing. He's on an extremely low dose, half a unit of Lantus twice a day, with super low readings he was 131 an hour after breakfast yesterday which is part of the reason I want to home test daily to make sure he doesn't go down to hypo levels.
 
I go right through the ear very regularly, it's very thin so I don't see how it can be avoided but neither cat I've tested seems bothered by it. Sometimes I get the nicer drop of blood on the side I didn't mean to test ;)

My mum tested for me once while I was at work, it was her first time. She rang with the result, which was low, so I raced home - to find her still cleaning blood off the walls and the couch - yep she'd hit the vein, and with the cover part of the lancet off! Apparently Vyktor wasn't overly concerned but poor mum nearly had a heart attack :smuggrin::rolleyes::smuggrin:
 
Try warming the ear a bit longer. I was surprised at how long I needed to warm Saoirse's ear when I first started testing her. Also, are you using a little film of Vaseline on the test site? If not, try it because it makes the blood sample bead up into a little droplet instead of being drawn into the fur.

The good news is that as you continue to test more capillaries will form at the test sites and it will become easier and quicker to get samples.
 
Julius was roasting in the sun this morning and his ear was boiling hot so I did a blood test and pricked his ear on the edge I had to massage to get that drop but I got it and he was totally fine. It made it easier knowing which spot to aim for. And I think having a warm ear is what I was having problems with, it definitely makes a difference when that ear is warm. He was 135 two hours after breakfast which I'm pleased about.

Would like to know some recommendations for diabetic treats to give him after his blood test? At the moment he just gets a few pats and "you're so brave" but I would love to him a reward. Suggestions?
 
Delighted to hear you had more success with the blood test today. :)

Freeze-dried protein treats are great as post-test rewards. I think that some people here use a brand called Pure Bites (maybe someone could confirm this). I'm in the UK and I give Saoirse Cosma Snackie freeze-dried chicken treats.
 
Last edited:
In the UK I buy tubs of freeze dried chicken pieces ( they're bite size ) made by a company called Thrive. I don't know if you can get them in Oz, but you probably have something similar.

You're doing very well, it took me some time to get blood samples ! There are some other Aussies on here, you could start a thread asking what they buy.
 
I had a hard time testing my baby Whiskers also, the one spot that i found to help alot was the "sweet spot"top of ear between vein and end of ear, i finally found it yesturday and it has made a world of a difference....my poor baby was hating everytime he saw me get his meter pouch. i wish i would of found it sooner.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top