Help--Cat with weepy eye.

History:

This cat was a male neighborhood stray. My neighbor and I used to feed
him if he showed up. One night last January he showed up with an eye
swollen shut and sneezing. My neighbor took him to the vet who
prescribed chloramphenicol ointment and also vaccinated him with the
normal cat vaccines. (My neighbor also had him neutered 4 weeks later
and now keeps him.) The sneezing and the eye swelling went down. (BTW,
my neighbor also had a female, indoor, vaccinated cat who came down with
mild sneezing when exposed to this cat but then recovered completely in
about a week.) Although the eye swelling went down and the sneezing
stopped, the cat has a persistent fluid (sometimes pinkish--blood?)
discharge from the affected eye. The cat does not seem to be in any
discomfort from this. He neither squints the eye nor rubs it.

Another trip to the vet and this time a course of terramycin ointment.
No improvement. A trip to another vet for a second opinion and another
,different antibiotic. No improvement.

Could this be a persistent virus? Would interferon help? How expensive
is it? As the condition does not seem to cause the cat any discomfort,
should it just be left alone unless it gets worse?

Opinions??

On May 27, 7:16 pm, w wrote:

Another trip to the vet and this time a course of terramycin ointment.
No improvement. A trip to another vet for a second opinion and another
,different antibiotic. No improvement.

Opinions??

How about going to a different vet for a second opinion? There is
something wrong with the cat's eye that maybe someone else may be able
to diagnose. I have had different opinions from three vets regarding
my calico who has an enlarged heart..it might be worth a try

On May 27, 7:57 pm, lovethepet wrote:
On May 27, 7:16 pm, w wrote:



Another trip to the vet and this time a course of terramycin ointment.
No improvement. A trip to another vet for a second opinion and another
,different antibiotic. No improvement.

Opinions??

How about going to a different vet for a second opinion? There is
something wrong with the cat's eye that maybe someone else may be able
to diagnose. I have had different opinions from three vets regarding
my calico who has an enlarged heart..it might be worth a try

Ooops...just realized that you already did that, sorry. Still, maybe
it will take a third opinion to figure it out.

On May 27, 9:16 pm, w wrote:
History:

This cat was a male neighborhood stray. My neighbor and I used to feed
him if he showed up. One night last January he showed up with an eye
swollen shut and sneezing. My neighbor took him to the vet who
prescribed chloramphenicol ointment and also vaccinated him with the
normal cat vaccines. (My neighbor also had him neutered 4 weeks later
and now keeps him.) The sneezing and the eye swelling went down. (BTW,
my neighbor also had a female, indoor, vaccinated cat who came down with
mild sneezing when exposed to this cat but then recovered completely in
about a week.) Although the eye swelling went down and the sneezing
stopped, the cat has a persistent fluid (sometimes pinkish--blood?)
discharge from the affected eye. The cat does not seem to be in any
discomfort from this. He neither squints the eye nor rubs it.

Another trip to the vet and this time a course of terramycin ointment.
No improvement. A trip to another vet for a second opinion and another
,different antibiotic. No improvement.

Could this be a persistent virus? Would interferon help? How expensive
is it? As the condition does not seem to cause the cat any discomfort,
should it just be left alone unless it gets worse?

Opinions??

That sounds a lot like a herpes outbreak. Sneezing, the eye problem,
and the
fact that he gets over it, then it recurs. Has the vet mentioned that?

Sherry

w wrote:
History:

This cat was a male neighborhood stray. My neighbor and I used to feed
him if he showed up. One night last January he showed up with an eye
swollen shut and sneezing. My neighbor took him to the vet who
prescribed chloramphenicol ointment and also vaccinated him with the
normal cat vaccines. (My neighbor also had him neutered 4 weeks later
and now keeps him.) The sneezing and the eye swelling went down. (BTW,
my neighbor also had a female, indoor, vaccinated cat who came down with
mild sneezing when exposed to this cat but then recovered completely in
about a week.) Although the eye swelling went down and the sneezing
stopped, the cat has a persistent fluid (sometimes pinkish--blood?)
discharge from the affected eye. The cat does not seem to be in any
discomfort from this. He neither squints the eye nor rubs it.

Hi,

You really do need to get a diagnosis in order to know how to treat the
inflammation which is causing the recurrent/persistent discharge. It could be
viral (herpes or calici) and it could be bacterial. There could be corneal
involvement, a problem with the eyelid which is irritating the eye, etc.
There are several possibilities. At this point and because none of the
treatments has helped, the best course of action would be to have him seen by
a veterinary ophthalmologist. They have more specialized
instruments/machinery and are more experienced in using specific tests with
which they can examine the eye more thoroughly. Knowing the underlying cause
of the discharge is crucial and in the long run will make this cat's life
easier as well as potentially preventing infecting other kitties.

Another trip to the vet and this time a course of terramycin ointment.
No improvement. A trip to another vet for a second opinion and another
,different antibiotic. No improvement.

Could this be a persistent virus?

Yes, herpes is certainly a possibility, but can usually be well managed long-
term and during flare-ups.

Would interferon help? How expensive
is it?

Depends on diagnosis. Would not use it without knowing what's going on. If it
is herpes, L-Lysine is generally used with excellent success.

As the condition does not seem to cause the cat any discomfort,
should it just be left alone unless it gets worse?

Persistent discharge is merely a symptom and a sign that something else is
causing it. Cats do not easily show discomfort or pain and just because you
don't see any overt signs of discomfort does not mean he is not experiencing
it. Even if there is none or very little pain, a continually tearing eye is
not comfortable. You should not leave something like this alone and I urge
you to seek a specialist's insight.

I hope some of this is helpful. It is good of you to remain involved in this
kitty's care.

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200705/1

On 30 May, 19:28, "paws2 via CatKB.com" u28812@uwe wrote:
w wrote:
History:

This cat was a male neighborhood stray. My neighbor and I used to feed
him if he showed up. One night last January he showed up with an eye
swollen shut and sneezing. My neighbor took him to the vet who
prescribed chloramphenicol ointment and also vaccinated him with the
normal cat vaccines. (My neighbor also had him neutered 4 weeks later
and now keeps him.) The sneezing and the eye swelling went down. (BTW,
my neighbor also had a female, indoor, vaccinated cat who came down with
mild sneezing when exposed to this cat but then recovered completely in
about a week.) Although the eye swelling went down and the sneezing
stopped, the cat has a persistent fluid (sometimes pinkish--blood?)
discharge from the affected eye. The cat does not seem to be in any
discomfort from this. He neither squints the eye nor rubs it.

Hi,

You really do need to get a diagnosis in order to know how to treat the
inflammation which is causing the recurrent/persistent discharge. It could be
viral (herpes or calici) and it could be bacterial. There could be corneal
involvement, a problem with the eyelid which is irritating the eye, etc.
There are several possibilities. At this point and because none of the
treatments has helped, the best course of action would be to have him seen by
a veterinary ophthalmologist. They have more specialized
instruments/machinery and are more experienced in using specific tests with
which they can examine the eye more thoroughly. Knowing the underlying cause
of the discharge is crucial and in the long run will make this cat's life
easier as well as potentially preventing infecting other kitties.



Another trip to the vet and this time a course of terramycin ointment.
No improvement. A trip to another vet for a second opinion and another
,different antibiotic. No improvement.

Could this be a persistent virus?

Yes, herpes is certainly a possibility, but can usually be well managed long-
term and during flare-ups.

Would interferon help? How expensive

is it?

Depends on diagnosis. Would not use it without knowing what's going on. If it
is herpes, L-Lysine is generally used with excellent success.

As the condition does not seem to cause the cat any discomfort,
should it just be left alone unless it gets worse?

Persistent discharge is merely a symptom and a sign that something else is
causing it. Cats do not easily show discomfort or pain and just because you
don't see any overt signs of discomfort does not mean he is not experiencing
it. Even if there is none or very little pain, a continually tearing eye is
not comfortable. You should not leave something like this alone and I urge
you to seek a specialist's insight.

I hope some of this is helpful. It is good of you to remain involved in this
kitty's care.

--
Message posted via CatKB.comhttp://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/cat-health/200705/1

I thought It was delivered well, you got your clear sighted message
across perfectly, & the information was precise too.

Magnificently correct.

S;o)