From:
"Meryl Faulkner"
Date: 2008-09-18 20:30:14 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] What is best way to use lancet for BG? update on ferret with pink urethra
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I looked at the excellent article by Pam Sessoms on getting blood for
a blood glucose without restraining ferrets. I had success with one
ferret, but on ferrets 2 and 3 I had problems, so did not try 4,5 and 6.
Felicity - the success- has fairly soft pink toes and pads and I
managed to get a blood drop at first attempt while she drank the
ferretone. Ferrets 2 and 3 had apparently tougher or thicker skin, and
both jumped and I could not get a drop. My lancets for the Alphatrak
are individual and have a cover that removes. The tip is about 3mm
long. At the vet where I was originally shown how to do it (the vet
tech had another person help her hold the ferret)they used the front
paw and I think tried the center larger pawpad. I also could not
remember whether they went in from the side of the pad or head on at
90 degrees. I'm wondering how long the Freestyle lancets are when the
device is pressed, and whether I should have pushed the Alphatrak
lancet in up to the base(the sharp tip is about 3mm long), and was
just too tentative on the 2nd and 3rd ferrets. Or is it a skin
thickness issue?
I'd like to try again with a helper (which is how I've done it before
- although my housemate hates having to restrain them)but do I just
need to push on the lancet more determinedly? Is one of the toes
better rather than a central pad? Should I go in at right angles to
the bottom rather than go from the side?
On another topic, I discovered that Foster's pink urethra and slightly
bulgy rectum went away before we got to the vet. My housemate
suggested (and I think he's correct because I saw the same behavior
recently) that Foster is - well - humping the nylon toilet brushes in
our bathrooms. I think since Foster likes to drag things out and
remove them, what he's really doing is knocking the holders over,
pulling the brushes out(they are clean and dry BTW before they are put
back in the holders)and backing off,dragging them off between his legs
to various parts of the bathrooms. He's the only one of the six who
does this dragging,although the others tip the holders over to make
them go bang/crash at three in the morning (just to hear us humans
wake up and swear I'm sure). I've seen all of them drag and mark
objects on occasion, but didn't put two and two together in this case.
Meryl
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