Question for professional testers

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Kristina & Charlie :)

Member Since 2013
I want to try and use only the lancet to test Charlie. I have been using the pen and its kinda hit or miss. I literally poked him like 6 times tonight and am starting to feel like a bad mom. confused_cat :cry:
I just couldn't get a dot!!!
Any-who, here is what I have gathered so far...
Go in at 45 degree angle.
Make 2 small holes in the "sweet spot".
Are there any tricks that will make my life easier!?
I'm just scared I'll give him an ear piercing nailbite_smile cat(2)_steam
Wish me luck folks!!
 
I test free-hand with just the lancet. I put my finger behind the ear and can feel when I've poked into but not through the ear. It just takes time to work out your technique. I also used a safety razor and thinned the hair on his ear at first. I could see better when I had actually got blood. I also milked the ear a bit. If you are using a sharp lancet, it really down't take much pressure to draw blood.
 
I would definitely not call myself a professional, but I had a hard time testing Joey's ears at first. I found that a baby sock filled with rice warmed in the microwave for 20-25 seconds (not too hot!) to warm his ear helped significantly.
 
I'm not a 'professional' either, but do consider myself an extremely keen amateur! ;-)

I use the pen, and I wonder if the reason you're not having success with it is that you're not putting pressure behind the ear (with your finger or a piece of cotton wool or tissue). The lancet needs something to resist otherwise you're just pushing the ear away instead of pricking through it. Even after all the tests I've done over the past 6 years I still sometimes make this mistake when I am tired or not really concentrating.

You'll soon get the hang of this. Honestly. You have the will and determination to do it and you will find a way! :smile:

Eliz
 
Yes, you will get the hang of it, it's just like anything new, it takes practice. I would use a lancet freehand too, gives more control I think. My tip is to use a clean facial wipe, cut into a smaller piece, folded over a couple of times and warmed under the hot tap or held against a cup of hot coffee for a bit of necessary warmth - more manageable than a 'rice sock' somehow.

Best of luck - you will soon be a 'professional'!
Diana
 
I had a hard time with this the first few days, even poked through the ear once.

Here's what works for me and Louie and a picture of how I hold her ear:

I never use the lancet device either. I just poke with the lancet directly.

-Do your testing somewhere where you have good light.

-I hold the cat on my lap, so she's laying down on my knees, butt facing me, head facing out.

-I rub the chosen ear for a minute or so...Louie like this and just lays there. I used to use heat but after a week or so, didn't need to use it anymore. Just rubbing works now.

-I poke on the back side (fur side) of the ear, as close to the outside edge as I can get without going into the bit of fur that hangs off the edge of the ear. You are only going to be about a millimeter from the skin edge of the ear. Just a lancets breadth from the edge.

-smear a little vaseline or ointment on both sides of the ear where you intend to poke then smooth it out and wipe off excess. This will help you see where the fur edge stops and skin begins and help the blood bead instead of running into the fur.

-I put a cotton ball inside the ear, and smooth the ear down around it, it should cup around the ball and I hold it inside the ear wth my left middle finger.

-I ge the cat and ear situated, before I poke, I put the strip in the monitor so it comes on and is ready to go and I don't have to fumble with it. Then I grab the lancet and do the poke.

-Don't stab at the ear from way above, hold the lancet almost on the ear before you give a quick little poke.I don't do the two little pokes, just one.

-You might not see the blood right away - just squeeze the ear a bit between your finger and thumb. Or use your lancet hand thumb or fingernail to scrape up the ear vein from bottom up and see if you can draw up some blood.

-If you don't see it after a few sexonds of this, do another poke. After squeezing on the ear, the blood should come quick on the second attempt.

-Once you do get a bead of blood, don't let go of the ear...put down the lancet, grab the monitor and touch the end to the blood drop...it should suck it right up. Don't use the strip by itself then put it in the monitor..you'll get an error because the monitor thinks you're putting in a used strip.
 

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Thanks everyone! All your tips are super helpful! I'm sure It'll start to work out soon. I know I hate it when I get a small drop and then it just kinda blends with the hair and my precious drop is gone!!! :evil:
Lol.
I'll be practicing.
 
You can poke him on the inside of the ear too, and that's ow i did it at first--though I think it's a little more difficult to position the cat/hands/lancet for that. But a lot less hair in the way and easier to see the vein, and get close to it.

dont let go of the ear until your drop is big enough.. just squeeze and release a few times..this is when the cat wants to shake its head ;-0

What size lancets are you using? I'm using the ReliOn "thin" which are 26 and despite the name, the thickest ones they make. They give you a sample pack of the thinner ones with the meter that i havent used yet.

i tried the relion lancing device but could never get it to work..even at the longest needle setting i couldn;t get it to give me any blood --even on myself.
 
I will call myself a professional tester since I've probably tested close to 60 cats - there was a hoarding situation locally and over 35 cats had to be tested in one evening, but I've also trained folks and have several FDs.

I realize my advice differs from most, but I use the lancet device at no angle, for new kitties I place it on the highest setting, put my finger behind the ear firmly and push the button. I prefer the One Touch lancet device for untrained ears and switch to the Delica after a few weeks.

Once I use the lancet and get a small droplet I usually let kitty shake his/her head. For me it seems to get the blood flowing. After the shake I milk the spot from above and below until a droplet is large enough. If I have a squirmy kitty I put the droplet on my fingernail and test it, if not I put the strip right on the ear.
 
As other have said make sure you firmly backup the ear when your prick. I use a cotton cosmetic pd between the ear and my finger. Do not be afraid to go though the ear. I use a lnecet pen but have found out that not all pens are equal. I use the one that came with my One-Touch meters, the big pen.
I consider myself a professional. As rough estimate I have tested between 10,000 and 20,000 ears.
 
tuckers mom said:
I realize my advice differs from most, but I use the lancet device at no angle, for new kitties I place it on the highest setting, put my finger behind the ear firmly and push the button. I prefer the One Touch lancet device for untrained ears and switch to the Delica after a few weeks.
Click to expand...

I use the lancet device, as well. When first starting out, you do need the device on a higher setting, but for cats whose ears have "learned to bleed," I've found the "highest" setting needed is the lowest setting, otherwise you poke through the ear and don't get enough blood (or too much blood and Kitty feels it), and this is true of all my lancet pens. And Tucker's Mom is absolutely correct: the pen must be flat and not at an angle. My favorite lancet pen is the AccuChek FastClix because you don't have to uncap or replace the lancet every time (they have these barrels that contain 6 lancets and you just "click" it to the next lancet). The downside is that the hole where the lancet comes out is off-center (it's actually a good thing that helps with aiming, but that's only after you get used to it being that way).
 
A lancing device cannot be used, ever, at an angle. That lancet hardly comes out and I have always used a low setting, not high. Reading Larry's response make me do some math here. It does add up over the years how many times we have tested on ears. I only did Mishka's for the 9 yrs.1/2 years I have been testing her every single day and I only did the math with a minimum of 4 pokes a day. It adds up to 13,868 pokes minimum just on her and only on her right ear. Never used vaseline, neosporin, just poked and applied pressure. No vet would be able to tell what ear I have used.
 
LOL!!
Thank you all!
There are some awsome tips here and I will be trying them all to see what works. I have the relion Micro, and have only found the 30g lancets. I wanted to try and find a 29, as some people have said that may be a little better. Warming the ear is makes my life easier, but Charlie is still learning what it means to be Wilfred Brimly Jr ( you know, the Quaker Oats guy... I loved how he said "Diabeetus" LOL)
He is starting to back away from me a little when I try and test him...so we will just ride the wave, and I will do my best...

Thanks again to Charlie's Angels.
 
Not sure if it was mentioned or not -

put petroleum jelly (vaseline) on the ear before you poke - this will bead up the blood drop on the jelly - so it doesn't soak into the fur and give you time to sip it up - either onto your nail or with the strip.

and I always poke from the inside ear to outside - and pierced Maui so many times, I promised that I would give her a nice pair of earrings to wear! ;-)
 
and be sure to pick out a nice set of earring for the cat! I pierced another hole in my own ear and putting in an earring on behalf of Maui! Of course that is what I tell her! :lol:
 
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