New Member (10/28/2020) Cannot see vein in ear.

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KAC2000

KAC2000

Member Since 2020
I am Buddy Kitty's mom. I took Buddy Kitty to the vet yesterday because he had lost weight (I could easily feel his spine) and drinking a lot of water. He had lost over 4 pounds. He normally weighted between 17.0 to 17.5 and no he was not overweight, just a big boy. He now weighs 13.9. His blood sugar (GLU) was 459.

I have ordered ProZinc Insulin 10ml (per vet 3 units twice daily) from Petco and U-40 syringes from Total Diabetes Supply (boy are these expensive) per vet's prescription. Hoping to have by first of next week.

The vet wrote a perscription for Hill's Prescription Diet m/d GlucoSupport, both wet and dry. After my research, I have decided to feed both Buddy Kitty and Miss Belle, Friskies (keeping carbs under 5%).

Since I am diabetic, I already have a meter and test strips (ReliOn Prime). Buddy Kitty is a very laid back cat.

Problem, I cannot see the vein in his outer ear. Biddy Kitty is a gray and white cat and his ear is gray.

Any suggestion as to seeing the vein?
 
Hi Buddy’s mom and welcome!

good job on the food choice and testing :bighug::bighug::bighug:

you won’t really see the vein in the ear. Maybe if you shine a flashlight from the back, but it’s not necessary. You just aim for the sweet spot. Here’s a pic of 2 or it. I also suggest warming up the ear with a sock filled with rice that you can nuke for about 30 seconds or so until it gets hot. It makes it easier to get enough blood out. Also, we suggest you start off with a large lancet gauge like 28 or even 26. Keep asking questions!!
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Just adding, I’ve never seen a vein. I just aim for that spot and prick with the lancet and the blood comes out.

you mentioned he lost weight. Does he need to gain? How much are you feeding him daily? A good rule of thumb to get the daily calorie intake is 20 times ideal weight
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Hi Buddy’s mom and welcome!

good job on the food choice and testing :bighug::bighug::bighug:

you won’t really see the vein in the ear. Maybe if you shine a flashlight from the back, but it’s not necessary. You just aim for the sweet spot. Here’s a pic of 2 or it. I also suggest warming up the ear with a sock filled with rice that you can nuke for about 30 seconds or so until it gets hot. It makes it easier to get enough blood out. Also, we suggest you start off with a large lancet gauge like 28 or even 26. Keep asking questions!!
View attachment 57681View attachment 57682
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Thank you.
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Just adding, I’ve never seen a vein. I just aim for that spot and prick with the lancet and the blood comes out.

you mentioned he lost weight. Does he need to gain? How much are you feeding him daily? A good rule of thumb to get the daily calorie intake is 20 times ideal weight
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply.

Yes, Buddy Kitty does need to gain weight. I will be starting him on wet food tomorrow. Currently, he free grazes. Neither of my cats talk. (Belle did speak when I put her in the carrier yesterday. Buddy did not speak.) I once tested to see what would happen if they did not have any food for 24 hours (several years ago). Neither asked for food. When I finally feed them, Buddy Kitty ate for less than 5 minutes and then went back to the window. Miss Belle, eats every time I go into the bathroom where their food is on the sink counter. If food is on floor, there will be ants. I kill ants with a combination of original Dawn and white vinegar.
 
WELCOME TO FDMB!
Ummm first...3 units is a massive dose for a newly dx'd kitty. Please reconsider this.

We generally would like new members to start here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Theres a ton of information here with good folks to help you navigate it all.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:

We look forward to getting to know you and Kitty Boy. (btw that was my nick name for that handsome devil to your left.) :p

You and Kitty Boy have landed in a safe place, to learn everything you need to know, abut feline diabetes. ;):coffee:

jeanne
 
jt and trouble (GA) said:
WELCOME TO FDMB!
Ummm first...3 units is a massive dose for a newly dx'd kitty. Please reconsider this.

We generally would like new members to start here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Theres a ton of information here with good folks to help you navigate it all.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:

We look forward to getting to know you and Kitty Boy. (btw that was my nick name for that handsome devil to your left.) :p

You and Kitty Boy have landed in a safe place, to learn everything you need to know, abut feline diabetes. ;):coffee:

jeanne
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Thank you. I was going to check blood sugar levels after a couple of days of no carb food. The gradually move up starting with .5. I am supposed to go back to the vet in 2 weeks. I will see where we are at that time.
 
KAC2000 said:
Thank you for the suggestion. I will pick up a bell tomorrow when I am out and about.
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Don't forget "each cat is different" and so are cats and their bells. Some like talking (recordable) buttons to push. Some like hanging bells to paw. Some like "service counter" bells to ding!
 
KAC2000 said:
Thank you. I was going to check blood sugar levels after a couple of days of no carb food. The gradually move up starting with .5. I am supposed to go back to the vet in 2 weeks. I will see where we are at that time.
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Im not sure checking a few days after transitioning to low carb food is ideal. The bg numbers can drop very fast right away with a change in food. Just like with people but I’m sure you know that! Most of us check the bg a few times a day. Do you think you can hold off on the food change until you’re used to home testing? Ideally you want to test before each insulin shot in the am and pm as well as a spot check midday to try to catch his nadir, lowest point in a 12 hour cycle
 
KAC2000 said:
Problem, I cannot see the vein in his outer ear. Biddy Kitty is a gray and white cat and his ear is gray.
Click to expand...

I'm like @Aleluia Grugru & Minnie I've never seen the vein either (Mac has black ears) but it hasn't been a problem - I just aim slightly in from the edge of the ear. PS if you ever catch the vein don't panic - it will bleed a bit but will soon stop with a little pressure - same if you go straight through the earflap no permanent harm done so don't fret - been there done both & we've both survived OK!!
:)
 
Oliver's skin is pink and the veins are easy to see but I never look for them. I just poke along the edge. Going thru both sides or hitting the vein sounds bad to us but makes no difference to the cat. (Although you want to avoid the vein when you get better at this.) I have found that I'm more consistent in getting the right amount of blood with the 33 gauge instead of the 28. It's trial and error for everyone. Don't be afraid of the learning curve.

Here's the promised video of Oliver ringing his bell for food. (His brother has a different kind of bell and uses his when he wants to go outside. Woops...my video is mp4 which is not an acceptable file extension for an upload here. So I copied it as a gif below. Hope it works. I'm new to posting on a forum.
 
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