Cat Suddenly Completely Blind :'(

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wombat

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This morning, my moggy started bumping into things, like he couldn't see. He was fine just last night. We took him to the vet and he confirmed that my moggy is now completely blind :bawling:
He has to go for an MRI and will have to be under anaesthesia for 20-30 minutes. I'm really worried about the anaesthesia. How safe is it, and how safe is it for a cat with controlled stage 1 CKD?
This came completely out of the blue. I am hoping and praying it isn't the C-word. The doctor said it could be inflammation, he's seen lots of cases of that.
 
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FeebysOwner

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I am sorry to hear this! Did the vet say anything about giving him something to help relieve the inflammation in the meantime. If there is pressure on the eyeballs, that can cause sudden blindness - and I would think there would be either a steroid or anti-inflammatory the vet could offer just to help out.
 
white shadow

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wombat -

Steroids will do nothing for pressure inside the eye....read on.

Sudden blindness is most often caused by high blood pressure.....have a quick read: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide - Blindness

And, here's the 'best' treatment: Hypertension - Amlodipine Best Treatment......and, in there, you'll see this:

Amlodipine and Blindness

If your cat is blind because of hypertension, there is an approximately 50:50 chance of the retinas re-attaching and your cat regaining some sight if treatment with amlodipine is started quickly enough (usually within three days of detachment). Strangely, I have never seen this major advantage of amlodipine mentioned in the veterinary literature, but Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook says "some vision may be restored in about 50% of cases of blindness secondary to hypertension." Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine says "We can treat a cat’s high blood pressure with a drug called amlodipine, which may allow a retina to reattach itself, and the cat can get some of its vision back."
[my emphasis]​

The fact that you did not mention this means that your Vet did not.....and that is really concerning. Food for thought for you.

I'd urge you to take the cat in ASAP - bring these two references with you, insist that the Vet read them, then insist that the blood pressure be measured - if they do not have the equipment, then find out who does. Then, if the BP is high, you may have to insist that they start the cat on that drug. There is very little risk of side effects with it, so, even if there's any question about the BP, it's safe to use. [There are all kinds of professional Veterinary references and links in those links - so, don't take any 'guff' about 'stuff on the Internet'. That website has received commendation by international Veterinary specialists - have them look at the bottom of the homepage.]

Here's some info on what to do if the Vet is obstinate: If the Vet Refuses to Treat.

The point is, the earlier treatment is started, the greatest chance there is for vision recovery.

I think that, with all that's going on, you should consider joining the specialized online community that's sponsored by the Tanya site author. Information about that and a link to it is here: Tanya's Support Group. (if you want to do that, post back and I'll give you a couple of tips before you sign up)

Keep us posted (there's lots more but, you're probably already overloaded!).
.
 
denice

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My CKD cat who is at the same stage as yours had anesthetic for a dental. She came through just fine. That was actually when she was diagnosed. Her numbers were off in the pre-surgery blood work and the vet got a urine sample while she was under. I am glad I got the dental when I did. She had a good cleaning and x-rays to make sure there weren't any issues with her teeth. It was better doing it then then having to do it after the CKD progressed further.
 
Jem

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My cat went blind because of high blood pressure due to his CKD. He did get his vision back the first time, but did eventually loose is vision shortly before he passed away. I would really look into his blood pressure, because if you get it down fast enough the vision can come back.
 
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movinintime

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This is correct. Our cat had I-131 radiation treatment for Hyperthroid back in '12. She was put on Amlodipine due to high heart rate of 300 during the treatment back then. Been on it daily ever since. She takes 1/4 of a pill of 2.5mg Amlodipine daily. Ask your vet re this?
 
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wombat

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Hi White Shadow. Thanks. I forgot to mention it, but my vet did check his blood pressure and it was normal. He also ordered some blood tests and they came back normal. That's why they want to do an MRI.
white shadow said:
.
wombat -

Steroids will do nothing for pressure inside the eye....read on.

Sudden blindness is most often caused by high blood pressure.....have a quick read: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide - Blindness

And, here's the 'best' treatment: Hypertension - Amlodipine Best Treatment......and, in there, you'll see this:

Amlodipine and Blindness

If your cat is blind because of hypertension, there is an approximately 50:50 chance of the retinas re-attaching and your cat regaining some sight if treatment with amlodipine is started quickly enough (usually within three days of detachment). Strangely, I have never seen this major advantage of amlodipine mentioned in the veterinary literature, but Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook says "some vision may be restored in about 50% of cases of blindness secondary to hypertension." Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine says "We can treat a cat’s high blood pressure with a drug called amlodipine, which may allow a retina to reattach itself, and the cat can get some of its vision back."
[my emphasis]​

The fact that you did not mention this means that your Vet did not.....and that is really concerning. Food for thought for you.

I'd urge you to take the cat in ASAP - bring these two references with you, insist that the Vet read them, then insist that the blood pressure be measured - if they do not have the equipment, then find out who does. Then, if the BP is high, you may have to insist that they start the cat on that drug. There is very little risk of side effects with it, so, even if there's any question about the BP, it's safe to use. [There are all kinds of professional Veterinary references and links in those links - so, don't take any 'guff' about 'stuff on the Internet'. That website has received commendation by international Veterinary specialists - have them look at the bottom of the homepage.]

Here's some info on what to do if the Vet is obstinate: If the Vet Refuses to Treat.

The point is, the earlier treatment is started, the greatest chance there is for vision recovery.

I think that, with all that's going on, you should consider joining the specialized online community that's sponsored by the Tanya site author. Information about that and a link to it is here: Tanya's Support Group. (if you want to do that, post back and I'll give you a couple of tips before you sign up)

Keep us posted (there's lots more but, you're probably already overloaded!).
.
Click to expand...
 
fionasmom

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I was going to second the high blood pressure problem because I did have a cat go blind from that several years ago. He was an older street stray who ended up having other issues as well. However, if that is off the table and you feel confident that the vet is correct in his assessment you might have to consider the MRI. I have never had an issue with an animal and anesthesia including a high risk older dog. Not trying to spend your money, but if you are really concerned about the anesthesia you can go to a specialty vet clinic where they are prepared for any eventuality. This might depend on where you live and how convenient that might be though.
 
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movinintime said:
This is correct. Our cat had I-131 radiation treatment for Hyperthroid back in '12. She was put on Amlodipine due to high heart rate of 300 during the treatment back then. Been on it daily ever since. She takes 1/4 of a pill of 2.5mg Amlodipine daily. Ask your vet re this?
Click to expand...

My cat had a seizure and I noticed her eyes got blurry. Took her to the vets and they thought it had something to do with the brain. But to there surprise it was high blood pressure, not sure how much of her sight came back but she did ok for the longest time. I myself think just like people if you are on a medicine for a long period of time things start to happen. We can speak up and animal can't. so my cat ended up bleeding internally somewhere and I do think it was from taking the medicine to long and like i said if she could of talked she could of told me she didn't feel good and we would of put her on something to counter act the meds. She was 20 when she passed away and i do think i would of had her for a few more years.
 
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