smokey&Molly
Member Since 2013
I am new to testing my cat but before I tried it, I watched lots of youtube videos and read lots of articles and looked at pictures of just how to prepare the ear.
It was hard to get blood by warming my cats ear as suggested. He also did not like it.
I went to the vet and they showed me a way to do it that worked much better.
the vein that goes from the bottom of the ear all the way up the edge to the top, has a pressure point on it.
You put some pressure on the vein at the bottom and you will see the vein fill up with blood. You don't need to do it too hard. You will see it fill up without warming or anything else being done. Don't prick and forget to hold slight pressure on the vein.
Its like when your doctor puts a rubber tie around your arm to constrict blood flow in order to take your blood test. I get a lot of blood tests on myself, so this method from the vet made total sense.
it worked really well and was much easier to get a sample compared to the warming. I got very little blood doing the warming.
I also switched to using a 25 gauge needle to do the pin pricking because for me it was more precise and I could see better and handle the needle better than the lancets. I didn't like the lancets. The 25 gauge needles are also cheaper than the lancets. You need a vets rx to get the needles. I use one needle per session. Some vets use the needles as well to get the testing. You can see more because the needle is longer than the lancets and it is a fine needle and doesn't seem to hurt much. Visibility is much better and I feel control is better using the needle.
The vet also told me to take vaseline (just a little) and wipe it over the vein area so you could see the vein better. This did work well for seeing the vein. I had two people so we also shined a light under kitty's ear while he ate tuna.
Our first curves went pretty well, but it took two pricks usually for me to get it right since it was my first time and kitty moved and I was scared. But he did amazing for a cat that doesnt like being bugged. We got good readings.
The vet tech told me not to put pressure on the spots after pricking, but that was not good for my cat because he got bruised after all day of curving. They then said, hold pressure on the prick with a cotton so he doesn't bruise which I will do next time. I think that was the only problem with our curve for the first try.
But it was stressful because I do not have a calm trusting cat. God bless Smokey. I prayed to Jesus every time before we tried to test him. It was the only way I think I could have made it.
Smokey in on lantus and high protein food and seems to be doing well so far in the process. I do not like the home testing because of the stress it put on my cat and me, but he seems to be ok but happier when I leave his ears alone. Hope this information might help some people with the pressure point. makes sense medically and it did for for my cat where the warming didnt and he didnt like it.
It was hard to get blood by warming my cats ear as suggested. He also did not like it.
I went to the vet and they showed me a way to do it that worked much better.
the vein that goes from the bottom of the ear all the way up the edge to the top, has a pressure point on it.
You put some pressure on the vein at the bottom and you will see the vein fill up with blood. You don't need to do it too hard. You will see it fill up without warming or anything else being done. Don't prick and forget to hold slight pressure on the vein.
Its like when your doctor puts a rubber tie around your arm to constrict blood flow in order to take your blood test. I get a lot of blood tests on myself, so this method from the vet made total sense.
it worked really well and was much easier to get a sample compared to the warming. I got very little blood doing the warming.
I also switched to using a 25 gauge needle to do the pin pricking because for me it was more precise and I could see better and handle the needle better than the lancets. I didn't like the lancets. The 25 gauge needles are also cheaper than the lancets. You need a vets rx to get the needles. I use one needle per session. Some vets use the needles as well to get the testing. You can see more because the needle is longer than the lancets and it is a fine needle and doesn't seem to hurt much. Visibility is much better and I feel control is better using the needle.
The vet also told me to take vaseline (just a little) and wipe it over the vein area so you could see the vein better. This did work well for seeing the vein. I had two people so we also shined a light under kitty's ear while he ate tuna.
Our first curves went pretty well, but it took two pricks usually for me to get it right since it was my first time and kitty moved and I was scared. But he did amazing for a cat that doesnt like being bugged. We got good readings.
The vet tech told me not to put pressure on the spots after pricking, but that was not good for my cat because he got bruised after all day of curving. They then said, hold pressure on the prick with a cotton so he doesn't bruise which I will do next time. I think that was the only problem with our curve for the first try.
But it was stressful because I do not have a calm trusting cat. God bless Smokey. I prayed to Jesus every time before we tried to test him. It was the only way I think I could have made it.
Smokey in on lantus and high protein food and seems to be doing well so far in the process. I do not like the home testing because of the stress it put on my cat and me, but he seems to be ok but happier when I leave his ears alone. Hope this information might help some people with the pressure point. makes sense medically and it did for for my cat where the warming didnt and he didnt like it.
