prick vein or no?

Hi,

Out of curiosity, when testing, do you normally aim for the actual marginal ear vein, or the space on the outside of the ear?

I see conflicting info on the web,

Thanks
Odiesmom

 

I try not to hit the vein because then I get way too much blood and it takes longer to stop the flow. Those times are the ones where I wind up cleaning blood off the cabinets, the floor and myself. I aim for the space between the vein and the edge. There's a picture somewhere that shows where to aim. It labels the area as the "sweet spot" I think and shows a gray oval area, which is where you aim.

I apply pressure just above where I plan to poke, which causes the blood to stop flowing so when you poke you get the bead of blood without needing to milk the ear. The blood flows from the outside base of the ear, up and over the tip and down the inner edge. If the ear is warm when you do this, you get a pretty perfect sized droplet and it only takes a quick pinch to the poked site to halt the flow. I try to pinch the poke site while the meter counts down but usually Tugger is ready for his treat and has no more patience for that

Hope that helps =)

 

The goal is to get the spot between vein and edge. Not to hit the vein rather to come close. Hope that helps. There is a piC I can attach later. Called the sweet spot.

 

I am so glad to see this question posted. I was also trying to aim for the vein and Tank would squirm and wiggle. He seemed to be sore and pretty upset with me. After aiming for the sweet spot, it's faster and I have a less stressed cat. Treats have helped tremendously. Now when Tank hears the glucometer thing beep, he will come running from his sleep spot because he knows it's treat time!

When I searched the Internet for help on where to aim, I found a youtube video of someone poking the cat's foot (one of the toe pads). Tank would NOT have liked that very much AT ALL.

Thanks for this website. I am so happy to have found y'all.

Chris and Tank

 

See the reason I ask is because when I get the sweet spot, it's hit or miss whether I get any blood and Odie is much more likely to flinch and try to run away as if I hurt him.
If I do the vein, it's quick and he doesn't even move.

Odiesmom

 

Just do what works best. If you go for the vein, you'll get more blood (probably too much) and more bruising. However, one poke probably makes a happier cat than two. Eventually, their ears learn to bleed better and you can change it up a bit.