Hometesting / Ear

[ElizQ]

Hi,

Is it required to prick between the vien and the outer edge (aka the "sweet spot")? I am so afraid I'm going to prick his marginal vein. If I do, will I have to take Ace to the emergency clinic? Are there any other areas in the ear I can prick from? Ace's ears are black so I'm using a flashlight to help but I think it would be easier if I can prick somewhere else.

Perhaps I didn't get the right lancing device?

Walmart didn't had any 28 gauge lancets so I went to CVS and got this pair:

Lancing Device:
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-lancing-device-prodid-343477

Lancets - 28 Guage
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-lancets-thin-prodid-149668



I'm learning as I go!

Thank you,
Elizabeth

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

The 28 gauge lancet is fine you can even try a 26 gauge
I have never used the lancing devise , Most of us just hold the lancet and poke with that , you can see better where you are among. If you hit the marginal vein by accident that's OK you won't have to take him to the ER , it will just bleed a lot more, just get a cotton round and put it on both sides of the ear and press gently for about 10 to 12 seconds until it stops bleeding
I know you can test on their paws but I have never done that
If you hold the lancet in your hand look at it closely under a light ,you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

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

6. 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 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

You can prick anywhere on the ear where the sweet spot is

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Your previous post for continuity
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/feeding-question-new-to-this.268249/

 

[ElizQ]

The 28 gauge lancet is fine you can even try a 26 gauge
I have never used the lancing devise , Most of us just hold the lancet and poke with that , you can see better where you are among. If you hit the marginal vein by accident that's OK you won't have to take him to the ER , it will just bleed a lot more, just get a cotton round and put it on both sides of the ear and press gently for about 10 to 12 seconds until it stops bleeding
I know you can test on their paws but I have never done that
If you hold the lancet in your hand look at it closely under a light ,you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

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

6. 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 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

You can prick anywhere on the ear where the sweet spot is

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

Thank you so much for answering my questions and providing tips as well. (Ace thanks you too!) I feel more confident and going to try freehand! I went to Walmart this morning and bought all I need to hometest, so I am very anxious to start testing Ace and see what his numbers are.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Thank you so much for answering my questions and providing tips as well. (Ace thanks you too!) I feel more confident and going to try freehand! I went to Walmart this morning and bought all I need to hometest, so I am very anxious to start testing Ace and see what his numbers are.

I'm glad you are going to start home testing ,that's the only way to keep Ace safe
If you ever need any help

I see in your previous post they have asked you would do your signature so we know about Ace.
We also have a spreadsheet where we track our cats BG to see how the insulin is working and how low they are dropping.
We adjust the dose by how low they are dropping not by the Pre Shot numbers


If you can fill out what we call our signature that will be helpful,it's at the end of everyone's post in gray

To set up your signature which you will see is at the end of everyone's post in gray, click on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add this information

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Take a look at mine


We also use a spreadsheet to track our cats BG so we know how the insulin is working and how low they are dropping so we know when to either increase or decrease the dose
We adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time . We don't adjust the dose by going by the Pre Shots

About the spreadsheet
AMPS - means AM Pre Shot the first test you take in the AM ,you need to withhold food 2 hours before testing so it's not food influenced

Units is where you would put how much insulin you gave
+1 is one hour after giving insulin if you were to test then that's where you enter his _BG number
+2 two hours after giving insulin. ditto
+3 and so on until you get to PMPS - PM pre shot withhold food 2 hours before testing

+1 same as you do for AM cycle

We don't give times because we are all in different time zones that's why we use the + numbers
I'll give you the link to set it up , if you have trouble just ask and we have a member who will gladly do it for you

We also use syringes with half unit markings

Link to how to set up your spreadsheet if you would like to, if you have trouble just ask we have a member who would be happy to do it for you
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

@ElizQ

 

[Alicia2022]

I am so afraid I'm going to prick his marginal vein. If I do, will I have to take Ace to the emergency clinic?

I did prick Bella's ear vein quite a few times. This is not a big deal. There will be definitely more blood, but normally it should stop quickly. I use a cotton pad with some Microcyn on it to apply pressure to her ear for 15 sec or so to stop the bleeding.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I did prick Bella's ear vein quite a few times. This is not a big deal. There will be definitely more blood, but normally it should stop quickly. I use a cotton pad with some Microcyn on it to apply pressure to her ear for 15 sec or so to stop the bleeding.

Same here. Sometimes the spot will scan but it’s not a big deal other than how badly you feel afterwards