just tested his blood with a glucose meter (I just got the meter today at Walmart), it wasn't too hard, I didn't use the lancet thingy, i just poked his ear myself, but I think his ears will get beat up after a short time (yes? no?). Spike's glucose was 410 about 5 hours after 1 unit of Lantus this morning. I'll keep testing today, to see how he is/to see how it changes through the day.
The other thing that I am confused about is, my vet said to try to get him to 2 meals a day (to coincide with the Lantus shot) but he was a grazer and he gets really bloated feeding him 2 big meals 2 times a day. Is it bad to feed him between shots? the vet said I could leave dry food out for him in between, but can I actually feed him 3 or 4 smaller wet food meals and is it okay to feed him some wet food between shots. Gosh, I will try to find a better vet, I am so confused and didn't get enough guidance from my vet. Thank you all very much! so appreciated! best Mary (spike's mom)
Spike_Kitty...this WILL be confusing for you because I am in the same boat. I've seen 4 or is it 5 vets now about Morrigan and I am still having problems. The vets will mostly all say one thing..."don't test so much". Most vets do not agree with the amount of testing that most members here do. Who is right and who is wrong? I'm not sure but, I do know that I wouldn't have caught some fairly lower numbers had I not tested at least pre-shots. (I'm doing a balancing act between what the vets say and what is protocol in here so, it's tough for sure!)
Morrigan is also a "grazer" and 5 vets (including an ER and Internal Med Vet) have said, "let her graze". The idea behind a vet's idea of giving 2 meals per day only are to ensure that the cat is hungry enough to eat pre-shot. Insulin only works properly if there's food in the system. It has to have something to work on...which is food. If a cat is NOT eating at all...no shot. So, that's the theory behind the 2 meals per day. It's to ensure that the cat is eating pre-shot.
I don't have all of the answers and am NOT as experienced as many members here but, I'd say (from what I've read in here), eating in between is ok to do. Morrigan will not eat 2 big meals a day. She doesn't eat enough unless it's spread out over the day. I measure out her food for the day and spread that out over the day. As long as she's eating that amount per day and has eaten something decent prior to giving her the insulin, I am told that's ok. You might try measuring out Spike's food allotment for the day and giving him several portions of it throughout the day, saving some for pre-shots. This way, you know that Spike is eating something pre-shots and is getting a full allotment of food per day.
As for his ears....well...yes....they will get a bit raw. What some people do is to put on some Polysporin (has Vit. E) and rub it in. Most use just Vaseline though. To start off, you might want to ensure that you have 2 tests (both pre-shots) and perhaps, one or so, mid-cycle +4, +6, or +8 (usually, lowest will occur between +4 and +6 but, every cat differs). Get some "spot checks" in other words. There's no need to test incessantly or do mini-curves every day as some people do...UNLESS...you see those numbers WAY down into "trouble territory" (i.e.: hypo). Then, you'll need to test more often to ensure that he's not going hypo.
By the way, every vet's instructions will differ somewhat from another. MOST vets do NOT advocate testing as often or shooting as low as what happens in here. This is a very specific protocol/method that is being followed in here. It's EXCELLENT but, it also can confuse you silly because vets are NOT following this protocol and finding one who does, is pretty hard to find world wide. Keep in mind that a vet isn't necessarily going to give the same advice that is happening here. That doesn't make them wrong...it just means that they're not following the same protocol that is being followed by this group.
And, any changes that you make food wise, should be done with caution. Like Critter Mom has said, until you know how Spike reacts to the insulin, you won't know what is causing what. Keep him on the same diet for now, get some numbers, then SLOWLY (for glucose levels as well as digestive upsets) introduce canned foods or whatever you can. For Morrigan, canned foods didn't work out. No matter what I did, she'd end up with colitis so, we had to compromise with the m/d kibble prescription formula and dose up to that. She went through 5 or 6 rounds of Flagyl/Metrodinazole before she was back to normal. I can't try it again now for fear of the upset again. So, don't feel badly if you can't get Spike onto the proper foods right away or if, at all. Just do what you CAN do reasonably. There are lots of cats in here who are not eating what is recommended by the protocol in here but, it can't be helped. Kitty has a mind of their own and different health and digestive issues as well. Work with what works for Spike. And, it's just my opinion for now but...if you can talk to your vet and get help...stay put for now. If you can't talk to your vet when you need to and have questions or if your vet isn't explaining anything to you....then, you might want to try to find another vet who will talk to you more and explain. You may have to ask more questions and be insistent upon getting answers. I had to do that with 5 or 6 of them. My vet may not have a lot of experience with FD but, he consults with an internal med vet for me to get questions he can't answer, answered. And, one vet in his practise, has a diabetic dog so, she's usually a good source too for him to consult. They WILL go seek out answers if you question. If not....then, yeah...time to move on. It's not too late to move/change if you're not getting good help with this. Just don't expect ANY vet to follow THIS particular protocol. Most do NOT. You're going to have to work between the 2 and decide what works for you and Spike.
Most of all, RELAX a bit. One step at a time! Rome wasn't built in a day!
HUGS and well wishes!!!!!!
) diagnosed Saoirse's diabetes refused to give me any information on home blood glucose monitoring and for the first couple of weeks of her treatment I had to dose her 'blind'; it was one of the most frightening experiences I've ever been through. I was angry as well as scared and I moved Saoirse to another vet practice - one with a better handle on feline diabetes and which supports home testing. I really empathize with how scary things must be for you at the moment. 
)
(I also have a 17 year old non diabetic with CKD who needs to eat often)