11 months ago I took my (then 7 year old) cat to our local vet to treat an eye infection and she was diagnosed with a spastic entropion and referred to an ophthalmologist for confirmation. Backstory: she has numerous auto-immune issues, severe food allergies (on a raw food diet) and IBD. We were given erythromycin for her eyes and assumed that once the infection cleared the condition would resolve and was likely caused by something in the environment, an allergy, or possibly an eye injury from scratching.
By the time we saw the ophthalmologist, the eye was fully opened and my cat was her old, playful and curious self but I kept the appt to make sure there was no corneal damage and I was told the specialist would perform eye pressure tests and all this other stuff and that I should allow 30-60 minutes for the visit. A bit inconvenient for sure but I figured money well spent for that type of care. The eye visit lasted maybe 5 minutes, the doctor had horrible listening skills, terrible bedside manner and the entire practice seemed all about the money. I was told she had a genetic entropion that was present from the time of birth (definitely not the case) and surgery ($1800) was necessary. Given the way I was treated and the direct transition to a "necessary" and expensive surgery on a cat that was in seemingly perfect health, I left frustrated.
One year later, my cat is now struggling again and was on erythromycin drops for 7 days and now Tri-optic ointment for the past 5 days and the eye isn't improving so my local vet is recommending we proceed with surgery and go to the specialist referenced above. I am coming to terms with the fact that surgery is needed and I appreciate my vet saying "we can do it, but if it was my cat, I'd go to the specialist".
So my question is, aside from the terrible bedside manner and clear focus on money, is it worth going to a specialist for an entropion in cats? I've seen dogs that look like stroke victims after entropion surgery because the doctor over corrected. I wouldn't want that to happen with my cat. Those of you with experience on this topic, do you feel it makes sense to spend 2-3x the money on a specialist or just go to a confident vet? Also, how was the healing process post surgery and how satisfied were you with the work done and the surgeon's ability to correct the entropion in an aesthetically pleasing manner? Today my cat is very uncomfortable and I want to fix that but not at the risk of permanent deformity or future problems. Thoughts?
By the time we saw the ophthalmologist, the eye was fully opened and my cat was her old, playful and curious self but I kept the appt to make sure there was no corneal damage and I was told the specialist would perform eye pressure tests and all this other stuff and that I should allow 30-60 minutes for the visit. A bit inconvenient for sure but I figured money well spent for that type of care. The eye visit lasted maybe 5 minutes, the doctor had horrible listening skills, terrible bedside manner and the entire practice seemed all about the money. I was told she had a genetic entropion that was present from the time of birth (definitely not the case) and surgery ($1800) was necessary. Given the way I was treated and the direct transition to a "necessary" and expensive surgery on a cat that was in seemingly perfect health, I left frustrated.
One year later, my cat is now struggling again and was on erythromycin drops for 7 days and now Tri-optic ointment for the past 5 days and the eye isn't improving so my local vet is recommending we proceed with surgery and go to the specialist referenced above. I am coming to terms with the fact that surgery is needed and I appreciate my vet saying "we can do it, but if it was my cat, I'd go to the specialist".
So my question is, aside from the terrible bedside manner and clear focus on money, is it worth going to a specialist for an entropion in cats? I've seen dogs that look like stroke victims after entropion surgery because the doctor over corrected. I wouldn't want that to happen with my cat. Those of you with experience on this topic, do you feel it makes sense to spend 2-3x the money on a specialist or just go to a confident vet? Also, how was the healing process post surgery and how satisfied were you with the work done and the surgeon's ability to correct the entropion in an aesthetically pleasing manner? Today my cat is very uncomfortable and I want to fix that but not at the risk of permanent deformity or future problems. Thoughts?
