Irritated Ears

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by scienceofcats, Mar 4, 2018.

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  1. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    Hey guys... so my sugarcat, Lola, has some irritation in her ear from pricking. What do you do to help it heal/not be so inflamed? I feel bad for her... that’s got to be pretty uncomfortable. Any tips are much appreciated :)

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Sean & Rufus

    Sean & Rufus Well-Known Member

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    Jan 10, 2018
    Don't have any advice on what to put on them, but My Rufus was pretty inflammed for the first couple weeks, and then at some point they get used to it. The inflammation should go down by itself.
     
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  3. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

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    Aug 17, 2016
    Sometimes my guy's ears look a bit like this but it subsides quickly. We've been at this a long time though. If you've tried using Neosporin maybe stop that to see if she's sensitive to it. It might add to the irritation. Maybe try some cool compresses - eg. wet some layers of paper towel in very cold tap water and squeeze out excess?
     
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  4. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    neosporin ointment with pain relief. switch ears or try the other side of the ear (the side by the center of her head as opposed to the outside edge).
     
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  5. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    It also looks like you may have hit the vein with that poke. Try poking closer to the edge... you don't wanna hit the vein.
     
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  6. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    I haven’t been using neosporin or anything. I will definitely try using a cold wet paper towel; maybe that will help.

    Regarding the pricking site, are you sure? My vet told me to aim for the vein. I’ve found I usually have a good blood drop that’s not to big if I score just the edge of the vein, rather than the centre, but yes, I did miss and get the centre that time. I find if I try the edge I don’t get enough blood for the meter. What do you advise?
     
  7. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

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    Best site is between vein and extreme edge. A prick to the vein hurts and can generate A LOT of blood. This photo is useful:
    upload_2018-3-4_11-37-25.png
     
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  8. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    Thanks for the advice! I will do that tonight. :)
     
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  9. Becky & Baby Girl GA

    Becky & Baby Girl GA Well-Known Member

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    Sep 15, 2017
    Oh no veins! It could make it a lot more unpleasant for them to hit the vein. It also tends to bruise it. If I were you I’d definitely try the neosporin with pain, I use the cream type. After each poke; I dab & rub a little on each side of her ear. She seems to like it! Go a little at first on one ear maybe to make sure Lola isn’t sensitive to it. Cold compress might help too, but I love the ease of the neosporin.
     
  10. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    My vet told me the vein too. She was wrong. Go to the outside of the vein. the sweet spot. You get enough blood and it doesn't bruise or hurt.
     
  11. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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  12. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    Alright, thanks for the advice guys. I will try this and report back.
     
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  13. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    Okay, it sort of worked - the first time, the drop wasn’t big enough. The second, it was just big enough after milking. To calm the ears down, I am using Vaseline after a cold compress.

    Do you guys have any suggestions, aside from the warm sock that I use already, to get it to bleed better the first time in that ‘sweet spot’?
     
  14. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    What size lancet are you using? 26 or 28 gauge lancets are recommended.

    After a few weeks the ears will grow more capillaries there and it will be easier to get a drop.
     
  15. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    I’ve been using Accu-Chek Softclix 28-gauge lancets. Would moving to a 26-gauge make a difference? Also, I’m thinking about buying another meter, as I realized that my Accu-Chek Aviva takes 0.6 μL of blood to do a test, whereas the Freestyle takes only 0.3 μL, aka half as much. Thoughts? I’ll post a separate thread for comments on different meters too.
     
  16. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Jun 8, 2016
    Ah no wonder. Yeah if you can, switch to a meter that requires a smaller sample. Mine only needs 0.3 and it's really easy to get that little bit.
     
  17. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

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    Aug 17, 2016
    I use a Freestyle Lite and like it - fast reading and needs only a very tiny drop of blood.
     
  18. scienceofcats

    scienceofcats Member

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    Feb 28, 2018
    Sounds good, will do. I figure, after the >$10,000 (not an exaggeration, amazingly) I’ve spent on Lola’s care over the past six months from various scares, what’s $100 for a meter and some strips? I’ll drop by the drug store tomorrow. :)

    Cool, I will get the Freestyle. Not that it matters, but I’m curious - are the strips more or less expensive than average?
     
  19. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

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    I'm in Canada and all glucose meter strips are expensive here. Human insulin is a lot cheaper though. I think US folks on FDMB have said they're relatively pricey there. The Walmart ReliOn brand is popular there and two models, Micro and Confirm, take a very tiny blood drop. I think those strips are $30+ US for 100.
     
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