Newbie: 5/9/23: Ear prick tricks

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

Any tips for not poking my cat's ear tips full of holes (& in particular, an eartipped cat) because the clock method is not working for me so far since half the time I can't remember where I poked last so I just switch ears or avoid the wounds I actually see? She's already gotten hip to the tests, so I hate to see her cringing every time I approach her which is what this has come to. (PS - I already know about staying as close to the edge as possible to avoid that main vein.) :-( Sigh.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

It's not just you. I came home thinking the injection was the hard part, surprise!
Our second sugar cat only had one good ear that sometimes got torn to shreds if he flinched. This was my routine:
>I've never used a lancing device, some cats don't like the clicking noise.
>He was way beyond nervous so I laid out everything in front of him so it didn't look like I was ambushing him.
>He already loved having his ears rubbed and it's a good way to get blood flowing.
>I wasn't doing him any favors using a 31 gauge lancet, I'd have to sometimes poke four times to get a sample. Try a 28 gauge.
>I immediately rubbed his ears inside and out with a warm wet paper towel. That was a better reward than any cat treat.
>If he flinched or I messed up I got the blood into the meter first, then apologized. Whether that blood was from the outside or the inside of the ear didn't matter.
>Noah always new it was me because I sang 'and if that diamond ring don't shine'.
I know some people can get blood from a paw pad when all else fails but there's the filthy factor and I've never seen a cat that likes to have his paws played with.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Are you having to poke multiple times because you’re not getting enough blood the first time? If that’s the issue, you need to warm up the eats more. You may also be pricking too gently and not creating a hole large enough the get a decent amount of blood out. It’s a fine line between pricking to softly and pricking too deeply.

I also prefer every time I can to get the blood onto a clean nail that way I don’t have to worry about the ear flicking or if I need to retest, most of the time I still have enough blood on my nail and don’t have to prick again.

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

No, thankfully not pricking multiple times. Getting enough blood, I either rub the ear or hold a warm washcloth with dry rice up to it. I'm talking about the 4+ times a day. I'll try putting it atop my nail, so far I've just been holding the meter up to the blood drop since my meter is so particular.

 

[Bandit's Mom]

Do you use a lancing device? If yes, try to reduce the depth of the poke and see if that helps. A treat before and after will definitely help.

Here is a post by another member with some more testing tips:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-9-bailey-amps-117-5-62.252712/#post-2851043

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

No, thankfully not pricking multiple times. Getting enough blood, I either rub the ear or hold a warm washcloth with dry rice up to it. I'm talking about the 4+ times a day. I'll try putting it atop my nail, so far I've just been holding the meter up to the blood drop since my meter is so particular.

I feel like when the droplet is on my nail it’s also easier to tell when the strip has all the blood it needs. You can wait a second or so holding it in place to make sure. When you have it up to the ear it’s harder to keep it there for long. Are you using the washcloth to keep the rice in and nuking it each time?

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

Do you use a lancing device? If yes, try to reduce the depth of the poke and see if that helps. A treat before and after will definitely help.

Here is a post by another member with some more testing tips:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-9-bailey-amps-117-5-62.252712/#post-2851043

Yes, thanks! And will check that link. On that note, that's exactly what I also have had a problem with, but with so many new issues: hadn't gotten to ask yet: Anyone have good suggestions for LC TREATS?? I had gotten her some freeze dried ones (forget which brand but I got it at Amazon & it was the most affordable for me, which wasn't saying much considering how much freeze dried goes for) & they were 100% chicken & catnip, & she couldn't have cared less for them. I'm gonna try 100% meat baby food because all my cats liked that when they tried it recently when a coworker gave it to me when her sick cat wouldn't eat them, but just thought I could find something else also & maybe even better. Thanks!

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

I feel like I’m the Baum it’s also easier to tell when the strip has all the blood it needs. You can wait a second or so holding it in place to make sure. When you have it up to the ear it’s harder to keep it there for long. Are you using the washcloth to keep the rice in and nuking it each time?

Yes, is definitely harder to hold up to ear (with her trying to high tail it). Yes, washcloth with rice bundled inside by an elastic hair band & microwaving @22 seconds & testing on wrist 1st. Thanks!

 

[Bandit's Mom]

Anyone have good suggestions for LC TREATS?? I had gotten her some freeze dried ones (forget which brand but I got it at Amazon & it was the most affordable for me, which wasn't saying much considering how much freeze dried goes for) & they were 100% chicken & catnip, & she couldn't have cared less for them. I'm gonna try 100% meat baby food because all my cats liked that when they tried it recently when a coworker gave it to me when her sick cat wouldn't eat them, but just thought I could find something else also & maybe even better.

LC treats are usually freeze dried meat - PureBites, Orijen etc. Maybe try a different meat if she didn't like the chicken. 100% meat baby food is also fine - just make sure there's no onion or garlic. The other treats I've read about here are the Churu ones. Not sure which of those are low carb.

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

Will check them out. Very kind, thanks!

 

[.:. in.active .:.]

I'm having the same issues with poking my baby boi's ears. I noticed there are certain spots that have better blood flow than others, and his seem to be everywhere else, but where the most common spots are What works for me is pressing the lancing device firmly down for a few seconds after the lancet retracted, to try and "push" the blood out of that little hole. Then I take the device away and let the blood bubble out for a few seconds, while I yank the strip into the meter quickly. Usually by then, there is enough there to collect and be recognised by the meter, but of course meters and strips have minds of their own, and sometimes I cannot get them to read even though we are bathing in blood. Sometimes I barely need to touch a drop and it reads instantly...

Regarding treats: I read somewhere on the interwebz (I believe it was on this forum actually) someone feeding their cat prawns/shrimps as post-poke treat. I gave it a go starting yesterday and oh dear god, it's a definite winner! My other two seems to hate shrimp, so it's all his, meaning even though it's something like £6.50 for a 450g bag, it will last quite a while. (Just make sure you boil them first, and take the tail and head off. I buy pre-cooked frozen ones from Iceland, but briefly boil them as well, just to be safe.) I do give tuna here and there too (tinned in spring water) and Lick-e-Lix, although I'm not sure how low carb the latter is. (They love it though, and it's easy to hide medication in that one, since I'm having to tend the other two with crushed up pills and stuff on the daily as well.)

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Yes, is definitely harder to hold up to ear (with her trying to high tail it). Yes, washcloth with rice bundled inside by an elastic hair band & microwaving @22 seconds & testing on wrist 1st. Thanks!

I'm having the same issues with poking my baby boi's ears. I noticed there are certain spots that have better blood flow than others, and his seem to be everywhere else, but where the most common spots are What works for me is pressing the lancing device firmly down for a few seconds after the lancet retracted, to try and "push" the blood out of that little hole. Then I take the device away and let the blood bubble out for a few seconds, while I yank the strip into the meter quickly. Usually by then, there is enough there to collect and be recognised by the meter, but of course meters and strips have minds of their own, and sometimes I cannot get them to read even though we are bathing in blood. Sometimes I barely need to touch a drop and it reads instantly...

Regarding treats: I read somewhere on the interwebz (I believe it was on this forum actually) someone feeding their cat prawns/shrimps as post-poke treat. I gave it a go starting yesterday and oh dear god, it's a definite winner! My other two seems to hate shrimp, so it's all his, meaning even though it's something like £6.50 for a 450g bag, it will last quite a while. (Just make sure you boil them first, and take the tail and head off. I buy pre-cooked frozen ones from Iceland, but briefly boil them as well, just to be safe.) I do give tuna here and there too (tinned in spring water) and Lick-e-Lix, although I'm not sure how low carb the latter is. (They love it though, and it's easy to hide medication in that one, since I'm having to tend the other two with crushed up pills and stuff on the daily as well.)

You should also try to scoop the blood into a clean nail and test from there. I think you’ll have less issues then.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Yes, is definitely harder to hold up to ear (with her trying to high tail it). Yes, washcloth with rice bundled inside by an elastic hair band & microwaving @22 seconds & testing on wrist 1st. Thanks!

You know you can use a sock instead and just tie the end of it right?

 

[.:. in.active .:.]

You should also try to scoop the blood into a clean nail and test from there. I think you’ll have less issues then.

I did, and I failed miserably.
A certain angle/method* works wonders for me, but I didn't want to get too technical, because speaking from experience I think it is very meter/strip dependant.

* little on the back of the strip, the dip the side, then smudge the front all over it to pick up any blood that is hopefully left
(this is for AT 2.0 where the blood is soaked up on the side of the strip, yet seemingly still needs to interact with the back and front of the strip too. my other device soaked up blood without any issues - but the readings were obscenely inaccurate)

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I did, and I failed miserably.
A certain angle/method* works wonders for me, but I didn't want to get too technical, because speaking from experience I think it is very meter/strip dependant.

* little on the back of the strip, the dip the side, then smudge the front all over it to pick up any blood that is hopefully left
(this is for AT 2.0 where the blood is soaked up on the side of the strip, yet seemingly still needs to interact with the back and front of the strip too. my other device soaked up blood without any issues - but the readings were obscenely inaccurate)

Whatever works right? I milk the ear until I get a good size droplet and I flatten the ear onto my nail to get the drop. There’s alway more than enough bliss when I do that so if I have to retest I don’t have to prick him again. And once it’s on my nail, I can relax and take the time to make sure I don’t inundate the strip with too much blood

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

I'm having the same issues with poking my baby boi's ears. I noticed there are certain spots that have better blood flow than others, and his seem to be everywhere else, but where the most common spots are What works for me is pressing the lancing device firmly down for a few seconds after the lancet retracted, to try and "push" the blood out of that little hole. Then I take the device away and let the blood bubble out for a few seconds, while I yank the strip into the meter quickly. Usually by then, there is enough there to collect and be recognised by the meter, but of course meters and strips have minds of their own, and sometimes I cannot get them to read even though we are bathing in blood. Sometimes I barely need to touch a drop and it reads instantly...

Regarding treats: I read somewhere on the interwebz (I believe it was on this forum actually) someone feeding their cat prawns/shrimps as post-poke treat. I gave it a go starting yesterday and oh dear god, it's a definite winner! My other two seems to hate shrimp, so it's all his, meaning even though it's something like £6.50 for a 450g bag, it will last quite a while. (Just make sure you boil them first, and take the tail and head off. I buy pre-cooked frozen ones from Iceland, but briefly boil them as well, just to be safe.) I do give tuna here and there too (tinned in spring water) and Lick-e-Lix, although I'm not sure how low carb the latter is. (They love it though, and it's easy to hide medication in that one, since I'm having to tend the other two with crushed up pills and stuff on the daily as well.)

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

If it helps any, it's been easier for me to put the strip in first, then use the lancing device or even do leave it dangling in the meter so all I have to do is nudge it in real fast if my hands are occupied. But my meter has a 2 min. wait to give you time to get the blood, not sure about yours.

You know you can use a sock instead and just tie the end of it right?

Yes, that's how I found out abt it, but I didn't have any old socks, so I used an old piece of a washcloth (have tons of those bc I tear those & dish towels up to use them to wipe cat mouths or corners of eyes or noses when needed, Lol).

 

[.:. in.active .:.]

If it helps any, it's been easier for me to put the strip in first, then use the lancing device or even do leave it dangling in the meter so all I have to do is nudge it in real fast if my hands are occupied. But my meter has a 2 min. wait to give you time to get the blood, not sure about yours.

Yeah that's exactly how I'm doing it - dangling, lancing, thumping it in when the droplet seems to be big enough. That 2mins failed me on numerous occasions... I've also learnt to prep extra strips handy just in case. Sometimes even though the meter doesn't register the blood sample on the strip and have to redo it, the strip still gives a "used" error code. Drives me nuts.

 

[Sandi and Toby]

What are you doing *after* you poke and test? I use either a cotton round wrapped around her ear or folded over toilet paper squares, and if I hold strong pressure on both sides of her ear after the poke, I never see any kind of wound or scab -- and I almost never can even feel one with my fingertips. I also only use my girl's right ear for testing, and I test 5+ times per day. Because of the angle in my profile pic, you can't see that she had over 50% of her left ear tipped, so I just never use that ear at all because I don't even really have enough ear to both hold and poke. But her right ear still looks perfect at all times. So if she will let you, try pressing it harder and longer after the pokey.

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

LC treats are usually freeze dried meat - PureBites, Orijen etc. Maybe try a different meat if she didn't like the chicken. 100% meat baby food is also fine - just make sure there's no onion or garlic. The other treats I've read about here are the Churu ones. Not sure which of those are low carb.

Yes, that's the one she tried Pure Bites. I thought I read somewhere it's best to get diabetic cats land meat over seafood, but not sure. I know she loves that Magical Dinner Dust that by Stella & Chewy so I hope it's LC bc often that's the only thing that will encourage her to eat. I know the #1 ingredient is cage-free chicken, then 98% meat, organs, and bone. Its also pea-free, lentil-free, and potato-free. They make other fre

What are you doing *after* you poke and test? I use either a cotton round wrapped around her ear or folded over toilet paper squares, and if I hold strong pressure on both sides of her ear after the poke, I never see any kind of wound or scab -- and I almost never can even feel one with my fingertips. I also only use my girl's right ear for testing, and I test 5+ times per day. Because of the angle in my profile pic, you can't see that she had over 50% of her left ear tipped, so I just never use that ear at all because I don't even really have enough ear to both hold and poke. But her right ear still looks perfect at all times. So if she will let you, try pressing it harder and longer after the pokey.

I hold a cotton ball behind it so I don't poke myself, then afterwards, I apply Neosporin with pain reliever with a q tip, but the bleeding is so slight, it stops shortly after, however I'm sure she feels them because she winces & even pulls away when I touch her ears sometimes. Now she's started crying out even when I give her the shot which is surprising, given the needle is not only thin (31g) but short and being that I regularly gave sub-q fluids & Adequan injections for years to my 3 oldest who passed of CKD 5+y ago with as you might know: a far longer & thicker needle!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Yes, that's the one she tried Pure Bites. I thought I read somewhere it's best to get diabetic cats land meat over seafood, but not sure. I know she loves that Magical Dinner Dust that by Stella & Chewy so I hope it's LC bc often that's the only thing that will encourage her to eat. I know the #1 ingredient is cage-free chicken, then 98% meat, organs, and bone. Its also pea-free, lentil-free, and potato-free. They make other fre

I hold a cotton ball behind it so I don't poke myself, then afterwards, I apply Neosporin with pain reliever with a q tip, but the bleeding is so slight, it stops shortly after, however I'm sure she feels them because she winces & even pulls away when I touch her ears sometimes. Now she's started crying out even when I give her the shot which is surprising, given the needle is not only thin (31g) but short and being that I regularly gave sub-q fluids & Adequan injections for years to my 3 oldest who passed of CKD 5+y ago with as you might know: a far longer & thicker needle!

You don’t want to use Neosporin with the pain relief. Only the regular ointment. Something in it is not good for cats

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

You don’t want to use Neosporin with the pain relief. Only the regular ointment. Something in it is not good for cats

Ok thanks. Well a few just said on here don't use Antibiotic ointment at all, some ingredient in it is toxic to cats so to use coconut oil but I have no idea where to find that where I live. Will ask.

 

[Angie & Celia (Cruz)]

You don’t want to use Neosporin with the pain relief. Only the regular ointment. Something in it is not good for cats

Did some research on it & even the regular Antibiotic ointment could be hazardous to them because of the ingredient, Polymyxin which someone mentioned on here, which can cause anaphylactic/allergic reactions in cats if ingested (like licking) & the pain ingredient in the other Neosporin is even worse for them I've read, so am looking into cat wound sprays at Petco because I need something fast bc I have nothing else. For now, just using Vaseline bc nothing hazardous about that online, but doesn't prevent infection or speed healing.

 

[.:. in.active .:.]

Ok thanks. Well a few just said on here don't use Antibiotic ointment at all, some ingredient in it is toxic to cats so to use coconut oil but I have no idea where to find that where I live. Will ask.

Where are you based? You can normally buy coconut oil in every grocery store, or if not, in an organic shop 100%. And of course, our beloved and go-to Amazon Prime never fails us either