Welcome! The first week is a total roller coaster. You're not alone. I'm still a newbie, but I can promise you it gets so much easier. I can't give any advice on dosage, but I can suggest adding some wet food in a little at a time with the dry food to get him used to it. Keep moving up the wet/dry ratio of food once he gets used to it. You can try adding a bit of tuna juice over the wet food as well to entice him further. Another option would be to crumble some dry food over the wet and see if he will begin eating it. Once he does, then you can remove the wet food. Wet food really is the best for them. My girls didn't approve at first either and I went through so many different kinds that were low carb. Please check out the food recommendations on here for some ideas.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=79683&hilit=binky+food You will want to find a food he likes that is below 10% carbs, although I have seen several of the more experienced folks on here that recommend 7%-8% at most. We opted for Fancy Feast Classic (Pate varieties only- NOT gravy because it is high carbs). My cats decided they liked that much better than the premium brands. It was a compromise I was willing to make and it has worked out well. They like it and mom's happy with the carb levels. We were on Lantus for about a week and a half and are already on a trial of going without the insulin. It seems as if my kitty has gone into remission. nailbite_smile I honestly believe most of it was due to the dry to wet food change.
One thing the more experienced folks on here will tell you is to make sure you keep an eye on the glucose levels when you change from dry to wet because it's possible that the dose you are giving of insulin will be too high after the change which could be trouble for the kitty if he goes hypoglycemic when you aren't around or are not testing. Some have seen the glucose levels come down 100 points on just a food change alone!
As for the testing... It's frustrating. No lie! My kitty has black ears too so I totally understand. I began using a 26 gauge lancet in the lancet device with a clear tip. It made it so much easier to see where I was poking. 30 gauge that comes with the device is typically too small and won't draw enough blood. 26 or 28 gauge works well. Also, be sure to warm the ear every time and try to get the very edge of the ear toward the top. you can also try to do the inside of the ear so you can see a little better. Once the ears get used to being stuck, they will "learn" to bleed. Within a week or so, you'll notice they bleed a lot easier. If you poke and you don't see blood at first, massage from the base of the ear to where you poked. It should push some blood out. Lots of hugs to the kitty and maybe some low carb treats for each poke, successful or not. I've heard you can put a tad bit of vaseline on the ear to help the blood bead up, although I haven't tried it. It took me three days to get the hang of it. After that, I could get her first time every time. You will too, just keep at it. :smile: You will want to test before you feed and shoot insulin in the AM and the PM for sure. It will be super helpful if you can test often at least the first few days to get an idea of your kitty's cycle and how the insulin is working. Every couple of hours would be great if you can do it. Where are you located? There may be someone near you that can help you with your testing.
My kitty lost soooo much weight as well. Just keep food out for him, but make sure he is eating at shot time. That's a biggie. When you get the glucose under control, the eating will chill out a little bit and he will put some weight on. I thought my girl would never put on weight, but she is already filling out nicely.
I'm sure someone else will stop in soon and give you some more information. I just thought I would give you the few tips I could offer. Just hang in there and keep with it. I promise it will be second nature within a few days.
Lastly, the folks on this board are truly amazing, helpful and supportive. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away. :mrgreen:
