Skinny ears and paw testing

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Vyktors Mum

Vyktors Mum

Member Since 2011
My friend has recently started fostering a diabetic kitty called Lulu. She has no prior experience with an extra sweet kitty so is on that steep learning curve we all face in the beginning. She has got a meter and strips so it’s time to start testing. The first problem is that Lulu has extremely skinny ears. Her sister is being fostered with her and, to compare, she has ears that are around three times thicker than Lulu’s. The vet has said that Lulu’s ears are too delicate for testing and suggests she do paw testing instead, if she wants to test.

So my questions are - does anyone know if there is a correlation between ear thickness and damage, i.e. if the ears are very thin is there likely to be more bruising or other problems?

Can we have some tips for paw testing please, I have never paw tested so am unable to help with that. Do you heat the paw pad before testing? How deep does the lancet need to go? Do you need to clean the pad after, is there an infection risk? Does it matter which pad you jab e.g. the ‘finger pads’ or the big part? Any tips you have could be helpful.

I also note that Lulu is likely to be uncooperative. She’s still young and frisky (17 mths) and has only come into my friends care recently so they don’t have the trust bond yet. She is still quite squirmy for shots so I don’t imagine she’s going to be very pleased about testing.

Thank you for any assistance you can offer :cat:
 
Serryn!! It is great to see you! I was only thinking about you the other day!
How are you ?

I haven't heard anyone say anything about ears being too skinny (thickness) to test.
I think I would try and see if they test OK.
If you put a cotton wool swab behind the ear to brace it and then hold it firmly after testing, I think that would be worth while trying. The worst that could happen would be you would go right through the ear, which does happen sometimes to some cats. Certainly not ideal and you could stop if that happened.
When you put a torch behind the ear can you see where the veins are easily, and just try and miss those.

I have no experience with paw testing but there a a few people who do it here. I can't think offhand who they are but I'm sure someone will chime in with an answer.
I will tag @Wendy&Neko, she may know.
In the meantime I will try and remember who does paw testing.

With the testing is she open to bribery and corruption with treats?

So good to hear from you again!
 
Hi Serryn! I too was thinking of you recently, how spooky is that! New Cushings kitty on the high dose forum is why.

Anyway, I don't have quite the memory Bron thinks I might, though I do remember there are some paw testers here, just not who.
 
@Bron and Sheba (GA) @Wendy&Neko after watching the paw testing video and not hearing an outcry from here of beans having problems with thin eared kitties she’s going to try the ears first lol. That paw testing has to be way harder than ear testing with a squirmy kitty that you’re still trying to build a bond with, also that deep freehand with the lancet nearly made her vomit :woot: The popularity of paw testing around here also speaks volumes.

This 4kg kitty is already on 4 units and has a little pot belly so stay tuned Wendy ... I am so impatient to start getting some numbers to make sure she’s safe and start understanding what’s going on inside her.

In good news, Lulu is getting better with her injections thanks to treats with play sessions where they make a tent and pretend jab her with a pen :) my friend is getting better at them too lol. It bodes well for her being susceptible to being tested for treats ...
 
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