First time drawing blood from a cat today!

[Chickerdoodle13]

The vet tech I work with at the rescue couldn't come in today and needed someone to draw blood for a snap test for a new cat we just got in. She asked me last night if I could do it and I wasn't sure, but told her I could try. I watched some videos (I have seen it done a million times before, but never did it myself) and decided to give it a shot today. I taught one of the other helpers how to hold the cat and missed two times on the first leg (dang vein kept rolling!) so I tried the other leg and got it on my first try! I didn't even blow the vein and was able to pull plenty of blood.

I'm so happy that I just needed to shout it out somewhere! Most people don't understand why I am so happy about successfully pulling blood from a cat! I've only ever done birds before. I am very lucky that the people at the rescue have so much faith in my skills! I am truly learning so much there.

 

[justbugged]

Congratulations!!! It's a great skill to have.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I actually thought it would be much more difficult. I would love to learn how to draw from a jugular. That's something I would not do on my own though.

 

[redhen]

Great job, CD!!

 

[Sherry]

Way to go!!!! Those darn cat veins are the worst to roll on you.

For a jugular you almost always have to have someone to hold for you...

you'll master the jugular stick in no time!

 

[AinaWGSD]

Good job! Did you draw from a front leg or a back leg? Phlebotomy is so exciting. I'm helping to teach some of my coworkers how to draw blood and place IV catheters, and it's always fun to see them light up when they get it. They're usually quite chipper for the rest of the day, all because they found one little vein. There's just something super satisfying about finding that bouncy little vein and hitting it with a needle and getting the blood. On the flip side, it can be infuriating when you can't find the vein, or when you finally do get the vein and the cat moves and blows it. And then there are those animals who are just so fat, or whose blood pressure is so low, that you just have to poke and hope that they're anatomically correct. Jugulars are very satisfying, probably because the volume of blood is so much bigger and they go so much faster. I must admit though, I'm not very good at cat jugulars yet.

 

[FlaRocky]

I prefer to do the jugular, quick and easy. Best to have holder and cat bag, alcohol hair until wet and smooth laying. I can feel jugular better that way, and most of the time just 1 stick and done.

Maye

 

[turney31]

Congrats!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Thanks guys!

Quote:
I did it in the back leg, only because that is where the video I watched showed how to do it. The cat was a dump was still so sweet the entire time I was trying to get blood. I can imagine some cats make it very, very, VERY difficult! (Like, probably, most every other cat we have at the rescue! LOL)

 

[carolinagirl58]

Congratulations! I am not sure I could do a blood draw on a mammal because I hate needles. I can draw blood from my koi pretty well though and that's pretty hard! On a koi, there is only one vein you can use (only one that's big enough) and it's located deep in the fish, tucked up right below the spine. You have to go in perfectly straignt, aiming for the spine. When you hit bone, you have to get the needle to slid down below the bone and you will be in the vein. It's a whole lot easier if the fish is sedated first.