Ear Lancing Help

Hi all,

When I first began home testing, my vet showed me how to draw blood by poking Junior's hind paws. It's been pretty easy but I feel bad for bruising his paws and for potentially creating paw infections.

So ever since I joined the board I've been trying to learn how to lance Junior's ears and I'm having the hardest time. Conceptually I get it (THANK GOD for YouTube!) and it sounds so easy: warm up the ears, find the sweet spot, poke, milk it, get the reading, feed treats.

Here are my challenges:
- Junior won't sit still for very long. He likes facing me, probably to see what's coming.
- Moves his head around alot. When I do get blood, he'll shake his head and blood splatters all over, making my room look like a murder scene
- Been free hand lancing. AlphaTrak lancer is set at the deepest setting and I'm not getting any blood. So either I'm missing the sweet spot or I've drained every drop of blood
- Junior is a biter. I've been bit so much this week I think I can see my thumb bone!

I live by myself and don't have someone here to distract while I poke and would love to master this before we start messing with his dosage. Any advice? I'd love to make this a bonding time between me and kitty but so far the bond we have is his jaw locked onto my left hand.

Thanks!
Bonnie

Hi bonnie ..

This is what we do with mocha, when it was time to test her, we would set her on a counter facing away from us .. we would be behind her, with her left side butted up next to our right side, probably hip height if that makes sense? We would kinda lean ourselves over her with our right arm on her right side .. so she was trapped and had no where to go .. The whole time we talked or sang to her to somewhat distract her .. We would rub the edge of her ear and if it was extremely cold, we would warm up a rice sock .. but anyways, the meter (we used relion from wal mart) was all set to go with the strip in it, but not fully inside, the lancer had a lancet it in, cocked and ready to shoot .. once her ear was warm enough we stuck the strip in the rest of the way and poked on her ear .. usually it was bleeding pretty good by this time but if not a gentle rub would get it going ...

I hope that makes sense and can help you out a little ..

I know some people on here use the burrito method (wrapping kitties up in a blanket) but that would not work for mocha .. she was to feisty!

Champ doesn't even flinch when I check his BG anymore. I've even done it while he was sleeping and he would open an eye and then go right back to sleep. First thing, VERY IMPORTANT, make sure the ear feels very warm. If not you need to warm it or it just won't bleed. I filled a sock with uncooked oatmeal (you can use rice also), tied the top in a knot, and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds. I hold the sock to his ear for a minute to warm everything up. Before starting anything, I always have everything ready, just like Mocho's bean...I have the meter ready with a strip part way in, the lancet ready, and a cotton ball. I also have his food ready...if it's a full meal, that's in the bowl; if it's a snack, usually some chicken breast I put in his bowl. I set the bowl down, put the cat in front of it, as he starts to eat I get behind him, hold his right ear with my left hand with the cotton ball on the inside of his ear, poke the outside edge of his ear (very close to the edge), set down the lancet, press on the ear lightly from both sides of the poke, continue to hold the ear with the left hand, pick up the meter with the right, and get my reading. I only do the pokes on his right ear because he doesn't like me to do it on the left. If you use one ear exclusively, it will bleed very easily after a while, like it's been trained to bleed. True story. And I think maybe the nerve endings become immune to the poke. Good luck! If you just can't get the ear thing going, if the paws are working for you, keep doing it, just vary the spot you use and the paw you use, and put some Neosporin on it so you don't have to worry so much about infection. Champ doesn't like his feet touched at all, so I don't even go there.

After awhile with Kushi, she started biting. So now I give her a treat BEFORE and after I lance. Now she will jump up on her stool and start purring when its time for her test. Hope this helps and good luck! :smile:

When I first started poking Simon, it was very difficult to get any blood. I kind of sit on my knees behind him with both knees on either side of him pressing against his body so he is a little constricted. I am not pressing hard so it is not painful for him -- just a slight pressure. Then I rub his ear and get it warm and have everything ready to go. I also sing when I poke Simon and it seems to calm him. I like using the lancet pen because free-handing it seemed to bother Simon more. If you look at your cat's ear under a light, you will see the red veins better on his ears. You have to try different areas on the ears because some areas bleed better than others. For example, on Simon's left ear, I poke him a little away from the edge of his ear but on the right ear, it works better if I poke almost on the edge of the ear. Also, he bleeds better near the tip of the ear or near the bottom of the ear and not so much in the middle. You can also try wrapping him in a blanket so he can't move around. I think others have tried that approach and it works for them.

I was so frustrated the first few times I tried to get blood, that I almost gave up. If you don't succeed the first few times, stop for a little while and then go back. No need to get everyone stressed. Also, make sure you always give a treat after the poke. Good luck and if you just can't do it, stick with the paw. Whatever works best for you and your kitty.

The sock of rice has worked really well but the problem has been Junior keeps moving his head. It's as if he's trying to ask, what's this in my ear? What's this in my ear? And when I remove it, he's all, where did it go? Where did it go?

But thank you for all your tips! I feel more confident that Junior's ears will be poke-able! I will try the different positions. I also like the idea of giving treats before as well as after. Treats had been kept to a minimum because I was afraid they would affect his BG. It might not be a bad idea to bump it up while I learn how to do this better. For the key pokes like pre shots I think I'll stick with the tried and true paw but for the spot checks I'll practice on the ears.

Thank you again!
Bonnie

ps. The singing will definitely not work. Junior literally runs away when I sing. Being on American Idol is not in my future.

Hi Bonnie. Checkers is also a head shaker. I always wear glasses, not just to see, but to keep him from shaking lood in my eyes, as it does get on my glasses.
I just tell him how wonderful he is, while holding his head securely, as I'm leaning over him.
I've just learned that I have more control over him, if he's on the edge of the kitchen counter. I can hold him against my body.
Good luck :smile:

Just one more comment...if you give him food and then immediately do the poke, right when he starts eating, the food won't have time to get into the blood stream and affect the BG number. For the AMPS and PMPS pokes, I'll give him his regular food, but for the in between pokes, I give him chicken breast (it can be raw or cooked, not ground tho) because it's 100% protein and won't affect his BG.

I've also found that a Vulcan death grip on Gabby's ear prevents the dreaded ear flick!

When I started testing Enana it was very difficult! She would not stop moving, fidgeting, freaking out...etc. I dont give her treats, but she always get in her box (shoe box) and I put her on my lap (granted that she is a tiny cat) and I just play with her and pet her around the ears and neck. Then I put the cotton ball under one ear and I poke. She doesnt flinch anymore. I call her, she gets in her box and I test her

It gets easier

Hi Bonnie,
I learned that blood flows down from the tip of the ear. So if you put pressure somewhere in mid-ear, just below where you want to poke, you create a dam and the blood drop will bead up better. Also, put a little vasoline on the ear first. This helps the blood to bead up. Try to position yourself behind Junior so he can't see what you're doing. And, as Sienne says, maintain a good grip on the ear. I hold the ear with my thumb (pressing to make the dam on the outside of the ear) and middle finger (on the inside of the ear, holding a gauze pad). After I get the reading, I wrap the gauze pad around the poke spot to staunch the blood and keep the ear from bruising. We do the tests on the couch, near the arm of the couch, so there is nowhere for Rusty to go. I had trouble testing him at first, but we got used to each other. Rusty gets a freeze-dried chicken or turkey treat after the test. We have gotten to the point where he comes to his test site at the "usual" hours and waits for me to show up!!!

I prefer using the lancet device to poking free-hand. it seems to be faster and less painful. I like the Accu-Chek Soft Touch lancet device the best of all the ones I've tried.

Hope this helps. Have a great weekend, and good luck!

Ella & Rusty

i have punkin face away from me while on my lap

death grip on ear with left hand while poking with right hand

when i put the meter up by his head, i rest it against his head - the whole thing - so he feels it solidly and isn't looking for it. you can do that when you're not testing to desensitize him to it. then when the blood drop is there, just swivel it around to touch the drop and suck it in.

put the neosporin ointment with pain relief on the edge of his ear maybe 15 minutes early - fairly thickly - then wipe it off before you test. it'll goo up the test strip if you don't wipe it off - but i do find punkin doesn't seem to even feel it much when i've put that on. i also put it on at night after we're done to let him recover overnight. that stuff really does help.

if you're desperate, burrito the sweet kitter. we burrito-ed punkin for about 2-3 weeks and he eventually gave up. when they're burrito-ed with a beach towel at least the only part that's free to move is his head - so fewer moving parts make it easier. you can look on youtube for burrito instructions. just make sure you get it tight over the front legs - they're like independent crazy arms if you don't have them tight! :lol:

i totally would go from behind so he can't bite you!!!!

oh yeah, and if you burrito, you can position the kitter between your legs (i sit on the sofa) with his head on my left leg, facing away, and if i had to i swung my right leg over his body to hold him still.

thank God there was no candid camera on me! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Bonnie...you've gotten lots of great advice all of which we use. Only one thing to add...be sure you get the Neosporin pain relief OINTMENT, not the cream. It will soften the ear some and also help pool the blood. Little Gracie does not move her head unless she hears something but I will often hold her head in my hand, too, if there's alot going on. Good luck!!

Hi all,

This is all FANTASTIC advice since my last comment! It's nice to know that your cats started out as wriggly as Junior. I swear, those videos on YouTube made me wonder if they doped up their cats! Just to keep it real, maybe I should post a video up of my attempts (esp my take on the Vulcan death grip!). Then again, that might scare off some first time home testers.

Thank you all again and hopefully I can master this soon!
Bonnie