Tried Lancing the edge of his ear...he freaked out

[Tabi's Dad]

Thank you for all the info given to me in my first post.

I just bought the Freestyle Lite with 100 strips and lancets at Shopper's Drug Mart.

I tried one of his back toebeans, but couldn't squeeze enough blood out for it to register on the strip.

Then I tried the edge of his ear and he meowed, freaked out and ran away.

It's been a few minutes and he's back on the bed beside me, but he is now aware and eyeing the lancer and test kit.

I'm going to try his backpaw in a bit.

 

[Katy and Charlie]

When I first started testing Charlie, I had the hardest time. I would poke and poke and not get blood. Charlie would get so fed up with me, I would give up and try to test again later. I just wanted to say that it does get easier! You and Tabi will both get used to it! I was always scared to try the paws so I haven't done it there. The ears have been the easiest for me! Using a warm compress before poking always helped the blood flow better. Good luck! You'll get the hang of it.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Make sure wherever you try, you heat it up very well first. Heat brings blood into the area and up to the surface. Most of us made a "rice sock" (a sock with a little dry rice or oatmeal, tied off and microwaved for 10-20 seconds) to use to heat up the area. Make sure you test it on your wrist (like a baby bottle) before using it on your cat. We sure don't want to burn them!

You may need to "milk" the area some to get a little blood to move where you need it (where the "hole" is!). Apply gentle pressure a little bit away from the "hole" and apply a little pressure, working your way to the target.

Sometimes it helps to poke twice right in the same place.

As you poke more and more, new capillaries will grow into the area to "heal the wound" and it will get easier and easier. Promise!!

Make sure he gets a special treat anytime you test (even if it's unsuccessful). You want him to learn to associate testing with whatever special treat he loves (a little piece of chicken, tuna, freeze dried treat or even some extra brushing or play time..whatever he'd consider a good "reward")

Also, a lot of people don't understand how the meter works. You need to let the strip "do the work". Just barely touch the end of the strip to the blood. Don't flood it or put the blood on top of the strip. It will suck the blood into the machine. This Video shows what I mean (it uses a different meter but the idea is the same)

Cats respond best to routine. Pick where you want your "testing spot" to be and take him there as many times as you can, give his ears a little rub (or paws), give him his special treat. It doesn't take long for them to associate the "testing spot" with the treat and stop caring about what the silly human is doing with his ears/paws.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

When I first started testing Charlie, I had the hardest time. I would poke and poke and not get blood. Charlie would get so fed up with me, I would give up and try to test again later. I just wanted to say that it does get easier! You and Tabi will both get used to it! I was always scared to try the paws so I haven't done it there. The ears have been the easiest for me! Using a warm compress before poking always helped the blood flow better. Good luck! You'll get the hang of it.

That's exactly it. I'm poking him and there's a hole but no blood! Ok I'll try the warm compress method. Not now though, he is fed up with me lol. Thanks for encouragement.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

Make sure wherever you try, you heat it up very well first. Heat brings blood into the area and up to the surface. Most of us made a "rice sock" (a sock with a little dry rice or oatmeal, tied off and microwaved for 10-20 seconds) to use to heat up the area. Make sure you test it on your wrist (like a baby bottle) before using it on your cat. We sure don't want to burn them!

You may need to "milk" the area some to get a little blood to move where you need it (where the "hole" is!). Apply gentle pressure a little bit away from the "hole" and apply a little pressure, working your way to the target.

Sometimes it helps to poke twice right in the same place.

As you poke more and more, new capillaries will grow into the area to "heal the wound" and it will get easier and easier. Promise!!

Make sure he gets a special treat anytime you test (even if it's unsuccessful). You want him to learn to associate testing with whatever special treat he loves (a little piece of chicken, tuna, freeze dried treat or even some extra brushing or play time..whatever he'd consider a good "reward")

Also, a lot of people don't understand how the meter works. You need to let the strip "do the work". Just barely touch the end of the strip to the blood. Don't flood it or put the blood on top of the strip. It will suck the blood into the machine. This Video shows what I mean (it uses a different meter but the idea is the same)

Cats respond best to routine. Pick where you want your "testing spot" to be and take him there as many times as you can, give his ears a little rub (or paws), give him his special treat. It doesn't take long for them to associate the "testing spot" with the treat and stop caring about what the silly human is doing with his ears/paws.

Ok I'll make a rice sock!

I think he's scared of the sound the lancer makes. Is there a silent lancer on the market?

I did have him on his back and had squeeze snack for him going. Managed to lance his right backpaw, but couldn't milk enough blood for it to register.

I tried a test run on my fingertip (7.2 reading) and I see what you say when the tip of the strip does the work. I just wish I could get that same bead of blood from him that I got myself.

I'm going to bake a bunch of plain chicken breasts and he loves that, so I'll try that with him as his "reward".

Thank you.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Is there a silent lancer on the market?

Unfortunately, not that I've ever heard of. Some are quieter than others but I couldn't tell you which ones because I never used the lancet device. I just freehanded the lancet. When I tried the device, I couldn't see where I was poking well enough so it was easier to do it without the device. (I never used paws though. I always used the edge of the ear)

I just wish I could get that same bead of blood from him that I got myself.

How big of a sample size does your meter require? A lot of people think they need more than they actually do. The smallest size sample I've ever seen is 0.3 but I've seen some meters that required 1.5. Here's some examples of the various sizes:

 

[Wendy&Neko]

One thing that really helped me was a fine smear of Vaseline where I was going to poke. That way the blood welled up instead of diving down into the fur. Especially hard to find with black ears!

I had Neko (and any other cat I've tested) either sitting or lying on my lap, or lying on a bed or where they were comfortable. I free handed with the lancet too.

Lots of videos and hints in here Hometesting Links and Tips. (from the Health Links Forum Index FAQ Sticky Note)

@Chris & China (GA) He has the Freestyle Lite, so 0.3 microlitre blood drop size.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

@Chris & China (GA) He has the Freestyle Lite, so 0.3 microlitre blood drop size.

Yeah I thought I remembered they were trying to decide on a meter and finally went with the Freestyle but just in case I was remembering the wrong person, I wanted to give the extra information. Also, a lot of people don't truly understand how little blood is needed for the meter to get a test, especially on the meters that only require 0.3 or 0.5 microliters

 

[Katy and Charlie]

I free handed with the lancet too.

I second this. The lancet device never worked well for me so I just hold the little lancet and poke him in the ear.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

Unfortunately, not that I've ever heard of. Some are quieter than others but I couldn't tell you which ones because I never used the lancet device. I just freehanded the lancet. When I tried the device, I couldn't see where I was poking well enough so it was easier to do it without the device. (I never used paws though. I always used the edge of the ear)



How big of a sample size does your meter require? A lot of people think they need more than they actually do. The smallest size sample I've ever seen is 0.3 but I've seen some meters that required 1.5. Here's some examples of the various sizes:
View attachment 70279

This helps a lot. Now that I think of it, freehanding seems a lot more controllable as you can actually see the tip of the needle and how deep you are lancing. You're kind of just lancing and praying with the lancet. I tried the backpaws and can only get maybe a 0.1 by the looks of the chart you posted...and I'm stimulating and trying to milk the blood out.

The Freestyle Lite requires a 0.3 sample. I tried it out on my fingertip a few times and was able to get a reading instantly from a 0.6.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

One thing that really helped me was a fine smear of Vaseline where I was going to poke. That way the blood welled up instead of diving down into the fur. Especially hard to find with black ears!

I had Neko (and any other cat I've tested) either sitting or lying on my lap, or lying on a bed or where they were comfortable. I free handed with the lancet too.

Lots of videos and hints in here Hometesting Links and Tips. (from the Health Links Forum Index FAQ Sticky Note)

@Chris & China (GA) He has the Freestyle Lite, so 0.3 microlitre blood drop size.

Great advice! I will try some Vaseline to get the blood to well up. Thank you for the Hometesting Link.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

***UPDATE***

I've had to put the diabetes management on halt. Tabi hasn't had insulin since Sunday 7am. I can't get him to eat even 1/4 of a wet food meal. He just licks at it for a few seconds and then proceeds to try to bury it. After he didn't eat Wednesday morning, I immediately brought him to his vet. They gave him anti-nausea and an appetite stimulant via IV. The drew some blood for another blood test and took some urine which was very dark. The vet said his blood sugar range was a 4. He said 4 to 8 is the normal range and 4 is obviously on the low side. He also has some goop coming out of his eye which is also very red. They offered eye drops for $40, but I declined. I was sent home within 40 minutes of the visit with a $700 bill which I couldn't fully pay.

I was told to feed him anything that he will eat. I had some new shoes that I bought and hadn't worn, so I returned those so that I can use the money to buy him all types of different wet, gravy-based, fishy cat foods. I have bowls of cat food all over my apartment, which he seems to want to eat, but after a ravenous licks tries to bury them. The only thing he will eat are Churus. He finished 5 of them last last and 1 this morning. I bought a bottle of pure honey just in case he goes hypoglycemic.

Today he is doing better than in the last few days and his eye is clearing up. When I call his name he is attentive and stares right at me. He also does his "mmrrph" when I initiate petting him. This is something he wasn't doing in the last 5 or so days which was alarming to me.

My next step is to try "Rebound Recuperation Formula" which I purchased for $40 on Amazon, in an attempt kick-start his appetite. If that doesn't work, I also have feeding syringes of various sizes also coming today and I'll purrito him and force-feed a blended mixture of wet food and water.

Once his appetite has come back to normal, I'll resume his insulin and diabetes management. I will post an update.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Can you tell us which anti nausea medication they gave? I find ondansetron better than Cerenia for nausea, though the latter is good for vomiting.

Good luck with the food buffet.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

They gave him Emavert (Maropitant) 10mg/mL INJ and Subcutaneous Fluids <20lbs yesterday.

The vet called me at lunch today with the blood results and said his blood shows his pancreas is normal (whew!). They still want to do an ultra-sound, but I told them about my finances being drained and we are trying 2mg Mirtazapine which I just gave him 10 minutes ago. I knew he would hold it and spit it out as he does frequently with pills, but I made 100% sure to catch this and the 2nd attempt the pill went straight down the hatch. My first thought before ultra-sounds and hospitalization was Mirtazapine.

Now he's just lying down napping in front of me and I'm waiting to see if it kicks in. He has had Mirtazapine once in the past after being in the emergency vet for 3 days and it worked wonders.

I have a good food buffet for him in the works if it does take effect.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Maropitant is the generic for Cerenia.

For future reference, there is a version of Mirtazapine called Mirataz that is a cream that you rub on the inside of their ear. Much easier to give and it has less side effects than the pills.

 

[Tabi's Dad]

Ah Cerenia = Maropitant. Thanks is good to know for the future.

Mirtazapine = Mitrataz the cream

***Update***

It's been 1 hour after dosing him 2mg of Mirtazapine and he has eaten 1/2 of a 3oz container of wet food. He's actually eating the meat and not just licking the gravy.

It's a small step, but I feel relief...I've been putting food in front of him all week and each time he would turn away from it and it would get more and more defeating...

Also, his name is Tabi, because he's a tabby, but also because all of his paws are white and tabi in Japanese are traditional socks. I guess his English name would be Socks.