Please help

I am new to this site and so far having a difficult time navigating it.
Fairly newly diagnosed 4 yr old male. I have had no problems with giving him his injections, but I am having difficulty trying to take his blood. Of course he is not to keen on this procedure as it is new to both of us. I am finding it very difficult to "poke" him in the right place AND get enough blood for the reading. I have tried the ear and tried the paw pad, but I don't seem to get enough blood for the meter to read. So far all I have succeeded in doing is freaking us both out. I have watched a ton of you tube videos about the ear testing and really didn't find anything very helpful or with demonstrations on the paw pad.
Can someone please help?!

 

I had trouble at first too. Are you rubbing the ear (warming it up) before?

 

Honestly until today, watching all those videos, I wasn't aware that I was supposed to. I definitely will on the next attempt. Thank you for your reply. We have tried this several times and I think I am just apprehensive about trying again (and a little anxious). I do know that this has to be done.

 

It’s tricky! But you got this and remember you’re doing everything you can <3

 

Hi Pamela, I am new to all this too. My girl was diagnosed the 20th of this month. You are brave. I can do the shots too, but have yet to get the meter and try to get blood. I watched a lot of videos on You Tube. This is difficult, but I am so thankful for all the people who have done this before us. Our babies rely on us to get them healthy and maybe you and I together can help each other. Good luck.

 

Hi Pamela, the best advice I can give you is not to give up. The more you test, the more capillaries build up in the area, and it becomes much easier to get blood. You can use either the inside area of the ear or the outside, we used the inside because it was lighter and I could see the blood drop better. Get a lightweight sock and put some rice or even some oats in it, warm in the microwave for a few seconds. Test on your inner wrist like milk from a baby bottle. I warm both ears, and around Idjit's head and under his chin, he would start purring and that made it easier. Use a very thin smear of petroleum jelly on the site, it helps to bead up the blood drop, and be sure to treat whether the test is successful or not. Relax as much as you can, our cats can sense that anxiety and nervousness, it's helps to sing actually. Be consistent, test in the same place, in the same way. Have you seen this diagram for the sweet spot?

 

Hi Pamela........what sized lancets are you using? In the beginning sizes 26 or 28 are better as they are a bit bigger.
Also after you prick the ear, try milking it up towards the prick a couple of times. Humming as you do it helps to keep you and kitty calm.

 

Hello Pamela and welcome! What meter are you using? Some require more blood for testing than others. I believe the Relion Confirm needs the smallest amount of blood.

Im also new to this journey and have had some frustrations in getting the blood sample. Damn you E-7! It does get easier. Treats and praise definitely help - now my guy actually comes over voluntarily to the testing spot for his tests.

Hang in there and try not to get frustrated - cats will pick up on your frustration. Warming and rubbing the ear helps a lot. And I've heard the larger lancets help but I've been using the ultra thin 30ga lancets with good results.

Good luck to you and your sweet kitty!

 

You've already got good suggestions so I'll just say Welcome!

You'll get used to finding your way around, it's just a bit different than things like facebook.

From the main page, click on 'Feline Health' and post any questions you have there - lots of other sugarcat parents await!

 

Welcome! I'm sorry you're having trouble getting blood. Gertrude absolutely hates it! When we were at the vet learning how to home test, the vet couldn't get a vein, so they just kept poking and poking at her ear. Then they moved to the lips. Because of this, I think Gertrude is traumatized. Now whenever we home test, she gets super violent and it's hard to get a reading.
I would definitely suggest warming the ear before you poke. You can put rice in a sock and warm that up. (Make sure the sock isn't too hot!!)
Also talking to your kitty/humming can help calm them down. I also give Gertrude a couple treats before and after we test.
Use a flashlight!! Shine a flashlight on the back side of your kitties ear. You'll be able to find the blood vessels so much easier. I've also noticed that if you rub the edge of the ear, the blood vessel kinda rises a little bit. It's easier to tell that you're poking the right spot.
Lastly, I say, get it done as quickly as possible. The more you mess around trying to get the reading, the more their BG can rise from stress.
What meter are you using? As said above, some meters require more blood.

 

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. The first week it can be tricky to get a sample until the capillaries start to grow. If you are using a human meter and the lancets that come with it, instead get 28 gauge lancets.