HOW does your vet get blood??

Hind leg here

Originally Posted by MMC32879

I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience, I hope you cat is doing better. The symptoms you described, the limping, is what one of the symptoms the cat I read about had. The sign of the clot was the loss of use of the rear legs, I'm glad you were able to get her to a good vet in time. How is she doing now?

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Thank you for your concern. She is doing a lot better but she is still limping some on that back right leg. I'm just glad her personality returned to normal because seeing her hurting like that was so terribly painful to watch. I've started giving her cosequin to help repair her knee area. Hopefully it will be back to normal very soon. She's only 8 months old so I'm hoping her youth will allow her to heal quickly.

i know my reply is a couple months late(i havent been around much working alot...sorry) but i do have to get in on this one.....being a vet tech in an emergency hospital and previously in a day practice, the first thing you learn is to apply pressure and good pressure after a patient has been punctured by a needle. when i worked at the day practice we mainly used legs (front or back) to blood draws. Back legs were used most just in case something happened to the patient and needed to go to an emergency clinic later on we had not blown the front legs. Now that i work in an emergency vet hospital, the jugular is the preferred spot to "stick" an animal. The majority of the patients we see are so sick and their blood pressure is so low that the jugular is the best place to "stick" the patient. I am a huge believer in holding off until you can not hold off anymore. I make sure I hold off for at least 1-2 minutes after another tech has stuck an animal for blood.

I can not speak for every tech out there but I am a firm believer in the 2 stick rule and no poking and proding around, if i dont hit it on the first 2 sticks i hand off to somebody else. This "rule" prevents blown veins and trama.

Please dont fear the jugular stick, its quick, easy and a lot less stressful on an animal. If the vet needs to take blood just ask them to hold off the site for a good long time and blood draws should be ok.

Coco had it in the jugular at both the Er and my Vet.
She had a few blood test in the last 3 weeks.
Her neck is shaved and her stomach is shaved from the ultrasound and her tail is shaved from the bp test.
She looks terrible right now.
I guess Meekos must have been from the jugular also since its the same vet.

Mine does from the front leg.

Interesting that they used her tail for her bp test, my vet uses the front leg, which makes a lot more sense, I can't understand why they would use the tail.

You know the first time it was her left front paw.
I wonder if they did it on both her front paw and tail last time?
It was the top of her tail they used.

I can't understand how you would get a decent bp reading from teh tip of the tail, it is the furthest part away from the heart and didn't think it had the same amount of veins etc that they have in the leg.

I didnt either so I asked people in the crf groups and they said their vets do that also.
We prefer owners stay with their cat in one of our quiet exams rooms. After clipping the fur on the bottom of the rear foot (we also use the front foot and tail
Diagnosis of hypertension is ideally made following measurement of blood pressure. Various techniques and equipment are available and many veterinary clinics now have these facilities. The equipment used is often similar to that used routinely in people, with an inflatable cuff placed around one of the front legs or the tail. Measuring blood pressure only takes a few minutes, is completely pain-free and is extremely well tolerated by most cats.
The vet said they did it both ways so it is more actuate.

My Bosnian vet did it in the front leg and was usually very gentle so that the cat hardly knew. But here they won't do it without anaesthetic, and then do it in the neck. Unless it is a 'snap' test when they use a foot. The two kittens I am fostering for my daughter will be neutered next week and they will have their blood tests for rabies immunity done at the same time, to avoid two lots of anaesthetic.

I know this post is old...but I recently am struggling with the loss of my precious cat (5 months ago)...and she died two months after her visit to an emergency clinic on new years eve. Long story short the gave her back to us and she was a disaster. She was foaming at the mouth and so terrified. The vet said "sorry, we cut her neck, it happens, we arent professionals at shaving" which could have been a lie...maybe they had a hard time getting blood. Anyways her neck cut was large and she was 20 yrs old...needless to say she was foaming like a dog and layed dead for days later....but seemed to be ok a few weeks later. Anyways...she was old I get it, I cant even write about it as I am in tears. BUT I just cant believe I didnt yell or scream or sue that clinic....im so upset.