from a vet tech pal:
"Hi MC, Nope, the info is not accurate. You need 3 drops of blood to do a Snap test and the easiest way to get it is with a 1cc syringe and 25 Ga. needle. We usually use one of the back legs for this, but with small kittens we use the jugular. Using a lancet will almost always give you one only one drop of blood, which is only enough for testing blood glucose, and getting that drop is not always as easy as it sounds. Even for professionals. The test for anemia, a PCV or hematocrit, uses a lot more than a few drops of blood. We get this by using only a 25 Ga. needle, no syringe. The needle slips easily into a vein (usually!) and you remove the needle once the hub is about half full of blood. The blood is then transferred to a small, thin tube. In order to get enough blood for a hematocrit from an ear you would have to use a lancet multiple times, or be working on a cat with a bleeding disorder."
> The thing is, I believe you only need ONE blood drop to do the SNAP test, > and you can pull that using a lancet on the ear flap, just like if you > wanted to do a blood glucose reading for diabetes. So... no vet needed,
no
> vet tech needed, anyone can be taught to use a lancet on the ear to get a > blood droplet. The problem is that everyone's always still doing things
the
> hard way because it's habit, and no one wants to use modern technology
and
> methods. There is NO NEED to draw blood from a vein for tests that only > require a drop of blood, this includes the test for anemia, and any SNAP > tests.
-- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
