Lance

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The Genteel lancet pen is fine, Nothing really special about it except it has built-in ejector to eject the used lancets. It also comes with sample of lancet diameters from the larger 26 gauge to the very small diameter 33 gauge ones. It seems hard to get blood from a cat's ear with the 33 gauge. The 26 and 28 gauge ones seem to be best.

Some lancet pens come with an optional clear with is used commonly for alternate (other than the finger tip) in humans. I find the clear cap easier to use. However, for some lancet pens when you use the clear cap you lose the ability to adjust the depth.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
The Genteel lancet pen is fine, Nothing really special about it except it has built-in ejector to eject the used lancets. It also comes with sample of lancet diameters from the larger 26 gauge to the very small diameter 33 gauge ones. It seems hard to get blood from a cat's ear with the 33 gauge. The 26 and 28 gauge ones seem to be best.

Some lancet pens come with an optional clear with is used commonly for alternate (other than the finger tip) in humans. I find the clear cap easier to use. However, for some lancet pens when you use the clear cap you lose the ability to adjust the depth.
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Thanks!
 
To draw the blood you need to prick the edge of the outer ear, although anywhere on the outer edges is OK. Shine a torch behind your cats ear and you will see a vein running around the edge of the ear. You need to aim for between the edge of the ear and the vein, you don’t want to hit the vein.
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I actually use the lancets free hand without the pen, the pen makes a clicking noise that totally stresses my cats, so it really doesn't matter what brand they are I found out the gauge (26, 28,33) is more important I think that at the beginning 26 or 28 are better, as his ear gets used to the pricking it bleeds more easily and you can use a 33
 
My concern is not hitting a vein. The "sweet spot" as it's called is pretty small. Also this crazy cat when ever I
touch his ear he thinks I'm going to pet him and won't keep his head still. The clicking wouldn't even get this cats
attention. He is so laid back even when I turned on the loud clipper to shave a spot he just want to be petted, could
care less about what I was doing as long as he was getting petted. I am really luck he is such a good cat, I can see
this would be quite a challenge with a cat that freaks out over anything, like my other cat.

Also what is this going to do to his ear stabbing him 60 or more times a month in the ear? Is there a sight(s) to
alternate between?

What are some of the low carb snacks I can give him as a treat?
 
Sundance2023 said:
Also what is this going to do to his ear stabbing him 60 or more times a month in the ear? Is there a sight(s) to
alternate between?

What are some of the low carb snacks I can give him as a treat?
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You can poke anywhere on the ear where the sweet spot is
Nothing will happen to the ear poking 60 times a month
I have always freehanded just poking with the lancet, I feel you can see better where you are aiming
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 up
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
Look at the lancet under a light, you will see one side is curved upward that's the side you want to poke with
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
 
Are the color of the lances across deferent Mfg. representative of the gauge and consistent with all Mfg.?
If so what color are the 26g and 28g? The lance device I got came with a bunch of yellow that are 30g so I'll
give those a try.
 
Sundance2023 said:
Also what is this going to do to his ear stabbing him 60 or more times a month in the ear? Is there a sight(s) to
alternate between?
Click to expand...
It won't do much to cat ears, they heal really fast, after all they are used to scratching with really sharp nails, their and from other cats and bitting and a lot of rough play, but if you can and he allows it yes you could alternate between ears and give each one some rest

Sundance2023 said:
Boiled Chicken, is raw Chicken not good for cats?
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If your cat is used to raw it is probably ok, I just think it's just a bit more practical since you are going to have to give some treats each time you poke him sometimes is easier to have cooked one or dry treats so that you do not have to worry if it's fresh enough and you can have them at hand every time
 
Sundance2023 said:
Are the color of the lances across different Mfg. representative of the gauge and consistent with all Mfg.?
Click to expand...
No. Some manufacturers use the same color for different gauges. You have to look at the box/bag of lancets. Avoid ones that are marked ultra thin since those or 33 or 31 or so gauge.
 
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