Still trying to get a drop

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Ziggymom, Dec 7, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Still having problems getting any blood to do a test. Watched about 20 videos. Read every article on the subject I could find. Beginning to think there isn't any blood in my cat's ear?! Any advice would be appreciated!
     
  2. Lau

    Lau Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2018
    I’m totally new to this but did you put a flashlight/cell phone light up to your cats ear to see where the blood vessels are? I was having trouble finding blood at first and used the flashlight and got it right away. Mind you I ended up hitting the vein and it bled more than I would have liked but it stopped pretty quickly with pressure and a Kleenex.
     
  3. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Yes, I can't find the spot at all without it. He has dark ears
     
  4. Becky & Baby Girl GA

    Becky & Baby Girl GA Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2017
    Are you using a warmed rice sock? I took a small sock & put normal rice in it & warmed it in the microwave for a few seconds. Massage the ear with it & it will draw the blood up to the tip. Good luck - also after a month I no longer had to use this as the capillaries grow.
     
    Joanne&TinySole likes this.
  5. Molly and Sammy

    Molly and Sammy Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2018
    A little neosporin rubbed onto the ear first helps the blood to pool into a drop! Good luck, it gets easier!!.
     
  6. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    I just made one so will try next chance I get.
     
    Becky & Baby Girl GA likes this.
  7. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Thanks, I'll try that.
     
    Becky & Baby Girl GA likes this.
  8. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    Are you free handing the lancet or using a device? I didn't know what would work best for us so I got just about everything and in the end, I free hand but what I find helps is to poke a 45 degree angle. Not straight on, etc. Try angling the lancet and instead of poking try "sliding".

    Hard to explain but instead of doing it really fast, slow it down a bit - from the time your hand moves to the time you pull the lancet back after the stick, either out loud or in your head say "bee-doop". Usually by the end of the "bee" the lancet is in and by the end of "doop" it's been pulled out.

    I thought that slowing down like that doesn't let any capillaries or the tissues in general instantly seize closed because it was "so fast". I dunno if that actually WORKS, or if it's all just the 45 degree angle but when I combine the two I'm A LOT more successful for some reason?
     
    Molly and Sammy likes this.
  9. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
     
  10. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Thanks for the suggestion. I will try everything . Am I supposed to go for the vein or beside it? I get conflicting info
     
  11. Becky & Baby Girl GA

    Becky & Baby Girl GA Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2017
    Go to the capillaries just on the outside of the vein.
    AE6ECEE5-DBE7-4039-834A-92A6DD3A6288.jpeg
     
  12. Becky & Baby Girl GA

    Becky & Baby Girl GA Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2017
  13. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Is the tip better or the side?
     
  14. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    Yeah I always do the outer edge. I hit the vein once and freaked, took a bit to stop the bleeding so don't want a repeat, LOL.
     
    Becky & Baby Girl GA likes this.
  15. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    I basically get nothing either way . Even doing the vein. Not enough to get on the test strip. Just tiny blood spot on fire of war. I'm really frustrated. I just gotta learn to do this. People are so much easier!
     
  16. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    Hm what gauge lancet are you using? If you can warm the ear, do the 45 angle, slow slide, then kinda "milk" the ear from the bottom up to the poke site you should be able to increase the size of the drop. Or you might have to do what I did in the first week, poke multiple times.

    For Fena at first she wouldn't bleed, so I'd poke 2-4 times in one concentrated area. That how I hit the vein on accident though. :blackeye: But beyond that, the extra pokes helped. I clustered them, kinda like an archery target?

    Or if your baby will allow it, you can hold a mini flashlight behind the ear - the flatter the better, lens/rim wise on it - so the light shining can help you see where to aim, or cluster.
     
  17. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    I already using a little flashlight, he had one dark ear and one white. Guage is 33. Made the rice sock. Right now he doesn't like me too much. Hiding under the bed.
     
  18. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    Ah 33 is too small for starting out. Can you get 26 or 28? Remember the lower the number the bigger the lancet diameter. The higher the number, the more narrow. Have you been offering treats...? Fena was growly with me today so I had to give some treats WHILE testing, instead of only after.
     
  19. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    I suspected as much about the Lancet guage. And yes, lot's of treats.
     
  20. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Went out and bought different Lancets in size 26. Will try next when next food/ shot is due.
     
  21. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    I had a friend from church come over and try to help me, and she was having difficulty getting a drop to test too. Bought different sized Lancets. Haven't tried just just. My friend was concerned with low blood flow as he has pale gums . Do you think he's possibly anemic? He's lost a lot of weight .
     
  22. Chris & China (GA)

    Chris & China (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2013
    Was the ear good and warm first? China's ears have been poked so much over 5+ years and during the summer, I think I could just look at them and they'd bleed, but in the winter, I have to really warm them first. It makes a big difference.

    It's pretty normal for them to lose a lot of weight when they're diabetic before they're diagnosed. If you look at China's Profile (in my signature) you'll see how much difference there was between when we started and several months later.
     
  23. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    My friend was a vet tech, and she is concerned he might be anemic. I did buy different Lancet of bigger gauge. Will try again soon. I used the rice sock, but it is cold weather here, and I'm always chilly. Poor kitty looks like a pincushion.
     
  24. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Finally had success with larger guage Lancet. Got it the first try. Yay!
     
  25. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    You go girl, awesome to hear! Fingers crossed or future success! :)
     
    Becky & Baby Girl GA likes this.
  26. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    Thanks!
     
  27. Darwin H.

    Darwin H. Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2018
    I use a 30 gauge lancet.
     
  28. Becky & Baby Girl GA

    Becky & Baby Girl GA Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2017
    Yeah!!! Great!
     
  29. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    Pale gums could be anemia or it could be some dehydration too - I've started always doing the "skin test" in addition to gum checks, since Fena's scare awhile back. I thought I'd been shoveling a ton of water into her but turns out, no for some reason, the vet wasn't even sure why.

    So now I pinch her skin lightly in different places - her scruff, between shoulder blades, to the sides of the shoulders, etc. like you were checking for shot sites but instead you wanna see how fast the skin "snaps back" as best you can.

    She's now up to 4 tablespoons water added to each meal, constant "refilling" of water too as they lick/drink it out of the food - plus 4 tablespoons per overnight serving and so far, so good. I dunno if it's doing anything but her numbers are even looking better so not sure...? She's down to 2.5 units Prozinc now and looking good.

    Mao, my dental baby (no diabetes) is up to 3 tablespoons water per meal as he'd been dehydrated before too but his BG numbers on blood work look awesome.

    I hear yas on their poor ears. :( I'm tempted to pick up some arnica gel/cream but not sure if it's OK for kitties? Its specialty is bruising, swelling, pain, etc. I use Vaseline to get the blood to bead, but when I compress with the cotton pad it inevitably rubs off so then I add a little smear of Neosporin since Fena does ok with it but I remembered arnica and thought... huh. Need to research that a little more.
     
  30. Ziggymom

    Ziggymom Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2018
    I talked to his vet yesterday and he was checked already for anemia and the test came back that it was good. I have started using the Neosporin as of today and it's helping me get a drop of blood instead of wicking into his fur. Thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I'm willing to do what ever it takes to be successful.
     
  31. Candy&Company

    Candy&Company Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2018
    Ooh good, onward and upward!! :bighug:
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page