Self-taking your ferrets blood glucose

[Deleted]

I've had some frustration with getting blood from both of my ferrets at my vet clinic. No one seems to be able to pull blood reliably from my ferrets. Their veins roll pretty bad. Another Dr I talked to gets it easily, but he's the one who's about a 4 hour drive from me. He uses the blind-stick method that catches where the jugular veins meet. For that, you really need proper training and I don't have a vet nearby who can do that. My vet is way too intimidated to just wing it. A wrong move would be very very dangerous.

I came across this article and a few others nearly identical to it. Anyone do this? It sounds pretty intimidating. But the alternative is cutting my ferret's nail too short at the clinic (the only sure-fire way to get blood) and I simply cannot bear that idea because I know it will hurt like the dickens.

www.ferretuniverse.com/health/home_glucose.asp

Anyone do this? Or else, how have you observed your vet getting blood? My vet has tried the inside leg and the jugular sticks. We really need to be able to monitor my girls' insulinoma :\ Don't want to be driving to that other Dr every couple weeks.

[Sherry]

I have heard of people doing this with good success. My vet clips the nail for test results. It does only seem to bother them for a moment, thank heavens. Same the one time I accidently clip Zeus' nail too short.

[Deleted]

Aw... I've only done it twice before, and only once did it bleed at all. Even then it wasn't enough to where I could've gotten blood. He was so traumatized he would get squirmy and scared every time I'd turn him on his back and try to touch his feet

[Sherry]

Oh, poor buddy Another method I'd heard about was getting it from the end of the tail. Basically you massage the tail toward the tip several times while they are busy with tone on a table, then prick the end, and squeeze up the blood.
Again, no personal experience with that.

[Deleted]

I've also heard using the ear

[acodlin]

We did this with one of my cats, used the foot pad.. worked on him but i'm not sure how well it would work on a ferret. I suppose its worth a try? it surely would hurt less than clipping the nail too short.

[sherik]

My vet uses the ear. She scratches on the top near the little blood vessels and it works great. I usually use the pad on their feet.

[Deleted]

Maybe someone on here can post a home video of how they take a ferrets glucose?

[Deleted]

Ooooh a video would be great! I did see an article with pics.

www.unc.edu/~pjdutche/bloodsugar/

The ear thing is interesting. Where on the ear? Anywhere you see a vein? Does your vet use a needle and draw it or just use what beads up?

[miamiferret2]

i used to take it from the toe pads.

[Deleted]

Did you use that Freestyle monitor?

[miamiferret2]

i have this one.
but i bought thinner lancets. and i'd take blood from his toe pads. he was an old ferret he lived over 8 years so his toe pads were calloused. by i would clean his toe with alcohol, my husband would hold him, then i'd squeeze the toe a little to get the blood into it and i'd stick him with the lancet. he barely felt it. sometimes he wouldn't feel it at all.

www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-true2go-blood-glucose-monitoring-system/ID=prod4199459-product

[sherik]

The ear thing. She just pricks/scratches on a little vein and wait for the blood to bead up, it doesn't take long. Then you just have to apply pressure to stop it from bleeding.

[Deleted]

I have nothing to add, I just wanted to say that this was a good topic to post, I was wondering the same thing!

[jadewolf]

My vet uses a needle to prick an ear vein. I'm not that coordinated, and also I only have lancets, not needles. Plus, I found I'd stick *through* their ear and into myself! And after all that, often I couldn't get enough blood from the ear.

I've resigned myself to pricking a toe pad. One of my babies never even notices, and my little girl Cassie fought and wriggled like mad. I hadn't even thought of the nail idea! Interesting.