Poor little ears

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Carrie & Trouble

Carrie & Trouble

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I am getting frustrated...I had to poke Trouble 10 times before I drew blood this morning. I looked at the chart/diagram for the right place to poke and have been using a warmed cloth in a baggie to get the circulation going. I can see the pokes from the time before and even the day before. I feel so bad! I am using a pen to inject and the lancets are 30 gauge. Any advice please before his evening shot! If you could describe the best spot to get blood that would be great!
 
My Em was notorious for not wanting to bleed. I would free hand it, use a cloth behind the ear so I wasn't fearful or timid about possibly hitting my own hand, and then I would poke three times very close to one another to help the blood flow. I also quite often aimed for the vein when she wanted to leave.

Connie
 
Carrie,

Try a baby sock with rice in it. Warm it in the microwave. Warm both ears - distracts my kitties. Then poke the ear with the sock behind where you will poke.

Connie's suggestion of three pokes close together is a good one. You might try to find a 28 or 29 gauge lancet. You won't need them for long. Most cats "learn" to bleed in pretty short order.

Any other questions???

Love to help...

Claudia
 
Definitely a really good ear massage helps us - make sure the ears feel really warm to the touch before you go at them with a needle. Luckily my boy has decent veins, but on the days when I have trouble, I try to get the juiciest part of the vein (once warmed up) on the outside of the ear about 1/4 of the way up.
 
Thanks for the help. I guess I have been on the track of smallest gauge is best...makes sense to use a little larger gauge to get blood. Do your kitty's ears look sore?
 
Maui has black ears so I never saw the marks or bruises I made, heck half the time I couldn't see the blood!

If you get neosporon with pain relief or any topocal ab ointment you can massage that on ears after poking. It will hhelp keep the bruising down

And its best not to thinlk about the bruising as its necessaryu in order to get the cat healthy. Besides the cat really doesn't care or notice it all he knows is that you are upset. And you don't need to be

I fouind poking freehamnd worked best and I held the lancet at an upward 45 degreeish angle. You may find thjat works well for u.too
 
Hilary is absolutely right. Even if they look sore, you've gotta test. Luckily (again) my boy is pretty flexible with test sites too - I've even gotten enough blood from the front/inside vein a couple of times when the outside vein was worn out (poor things!). Try as many sites as you need to to find a good spot & then you'll have your 'go to' place. Again - practice makes perfect. You can do it. :) We're all rooting for you!
 
Carrie & Trouble said:
I looked at the chart/diagram for the right place to poke
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The right place to poke can be different for everyone. That "sweet spot" picture? That area never worked for us. The capillaries run all around the edge of the ear--experiment to find the spot that works the best for you. For Boo, it was always his left ear on the edge nearer the top of his head.
 
Hi,

Cattro also had bruised ears for weeks and weeks after me poking her ears. She was very good and I was very careful, having been shown in the vet's office and also looking at utube and reading up on it. When I mentioned this to my (then new) vet, he told me that it's possible to test on the pads of the feet. (he did have a DVD somewhere but couldn't find it at the time. ) This has proven to be a godsend for me and Cattro. Some people wash and dry the area first, but I just wipe and poke. I also use a very small torch to light up the area while doing this - Cattro lies still so I just rest the torch nearby - and I also use the see-through cap of the lancet which, when pressed back onto the beginnings of a drop of blood, draws the blood up and creates a larger drop that is more easily tested, sort of a vacuum effect. I also used to warm her feet up beforehand if possible: fleecy blankets, hot water bottles [yes, with all the safety precautions that go with these] worked well for us. At first she wouldn't let me test her front feet but after 14 months she is fine with all her feet, but hind feet easier. (not sure how much feeling she has in them, she is 21 years old! )

Good luck,
Kay
 
I had trouble too, until Gator gave me the magic secret! #3 was key for me. I was pulling the clicker away to soon. ohmygod_smile Now, I say Thank you Gator instead of one-kitty-kitty. :-D

I also put Prudence in her cat bed. I'd pick her up and put her in my lap, so I could test her at my desk. This way everything was in front of me to reach.

1) What size/gauge lancets are you using? I recommend 28g for the beginners - it is even what we use to this day. Anything smaller doesn't *cut* it, pun intended.
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2) Exercise all patience in getting that little ear warm. If you place the rice sock on the back of the ear and your palm on the back of the ear then you should feel the ear go from cool to warm on your palm. This should take a while - 30 seconds at least.
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3) When you press the "go" button on the "clicker" count one-kitty-kitty. This sill help you so you do not prematurely move the clicker. So "go" then one-kitty-kitty then move it.
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4) Other tips - here are some links to other tips I've given:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=6727#p67873
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5192#p51480
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5769&#p66955
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Hope this helps!
 
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