Eye Enucleation Stiches

[KLH]

Hello everyone! I am a worried cat mom and was hoping to find some advice. (Pictures included) My cat recently had an eye enucleation that went well but the healing process has been rough. She had most of her sutures removed 14 days after her surgery, but they left the center most sutures in because it wasn’t completely healed yet. There had been a fair amount of drainage and they told me that was normal because they had to peal off a big scab and her eye was put under stress again. Well two days after she had the outermost stitches removed she went to bed and must have slept in the same position for a long time and the drainage had dried onto a blanket and when she got up it pulled off all the scabs that had formed and pulled out the last two stitches she still had in. I called her vet and they told me that as long as that there is no underlying tissue coming out of her incision site that it should be fine and that I just need to let the blood dry up and scab over and let it heal on it’s own. But I do not know how to tell if tissue is coming out and I’ve been to the vet so often that I feel bad taking her back in to ask. Any advice on how to tell if there is tissue coming out or if I should take her back in? The first picture with the pink blanket is the day after they removed some of her sutures. The second picture is after the scab and the last center sutures got pulled off.

 

[Kieka]

Did you send the photos to your vet?

I've never had a cat with that surgery but I've seen other after photos. Your look a little more gooey then what I've seen before. I'd feel better with the vet seeing the actual pictures.

 

[KLH]

Kieka,
I don’t know how to send pictures to my vet or if they even do something like that. I’ve been calling them and they don’t seem too concerned but it’s hard to describe to them what it looks like when I’m not even sure what I’m looking at or for.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I think that what I am seeing is just swelling of the lids, which you would expect after any trauma, even medically induced trauma, post-op. That said, I haven't dealt with this particular issue before. If you have an email address for your vet, simply attach the photos to an email. If not, I might consider taking her in to be checked. Bless her little heart, she's been through it, hasn't she? However, once this is done, and she's feeling herself again, she will adapt in no time flat.

 

[Kieka]

Kieka,
I don’t know how to send pictures to my vet or if they even do something like that. I’ve been calling them and they don’t seem too concerned but it’s hard to describe to them what it looks like when I’m not even sure what I’m looking at or for.

Ask your vet for an email address you can send the photos to. Most vets don't have a problem with giving out their email to send photos. My vet has a Facebook page and yelp reviews so I can also message them through either of those.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I agree with Kieka and Mamanyt1953 - first try sending the photos to the vet in email.
I am not a vet myself, but I think there could be more exposure of that wound & incision than should be happening, what with the formed scab and then the last couple of stitches also pulled out from the blanket-sleeping thing... any more rubbing or touching-to-surfaces of that wound and it could fully open up again. Your vet would know for sure if a few stitches are needed again, poor kitty!
Is she wearing a cone?

 

[KLH]

I asked if they had an email and they said no so I just decided to bring her in to visit the vet! They covered the cost of the visit so that was super nice. They told me that there is some tissue exposed but it looks healthy and adding one more sticth in would be harder on her than just letting it scab over and heal on its own. So it’ll take a longer time to heal and won’t look as good once healed but hopefully we won’t have anymore set backs!! It’s been almost a 4 month battle with her eye and I’m ready for to feel good again! The vet gave her another round of antibiotics and anti inflammatorys to help with the swelling so hopefully she’ll feel al little better. Thank you all for your advice! I’m glad I took her in and am not as worried anymore.

 

[Kieka]

Glad to hear you went in. Hopefully the extra stitch and medications will help ensure a smooth healing.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, good. I'm glad she is ok, and that your mind is at ease. There is NOTHING worse than sick pets or sick infants. They can't tell us what hurts, and we can't explain to them what is happening!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... They told me that there is some tissue exposed but it looks healthy and adding one more sticth in would be harder on her than just letting it scab over and heal on its own. So it’ll take a longer time to heal and won’t look as good once healed but hopefully we won’t have anymore set backs!! It’s been almost a 4 month battle with her eye and I’m ready for to feel good again! ...

So glad you went to the vet and checked her out!
Happy she didn't need to have more stitches put in!

 

[Petronille]

Hi there,

I'm dealing with enucleation recovery as well. I'm feeling very stressed out by the whole ordeal. I can imagine kitty is even more stressed

I'll be a wreck leaving him (with the cone of shame, of course) all day to go to work. My biggest fear is that he manages to get it off. How did that go for you?

I hope things settle down for your furbaby!

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

Hi there,

I'm dealing with enucleation recovery as well. I'm feeling very stressed out by the whole ordeal. I can imagine kitty is even more stressed

I'll be a wreck leaving him (with the cone of shame, of course) all day to go to work. My biggest fear is that he manages to get it off. How did that go for you?

I hope things settle down for your furbaby!

Greetings, I've scheduled an appointment for a non-emergency enucleation (To Enucleate Or Not) and I'm as stressed out about the whole thing as I imagine you were. How is your kitty doing? Any complications or issues? Thanks for any report, I've already read plenty of scary things online and it would be great to know that isn't the norm. Thanks!

 

[KLH]

Greetings, I've scheduled an appointment for a non-emergency enucleation (To Enucleate Or Not) and I'm as stressed out about the whole thing as I imagine you were. How is your kitty doing? Any complications or issues? Thanks for any report, I've already read plenty of scary things online and it would be great to know that isn't the norm. Thanks!

Hi there! I’m sure everything will go smoothly for your kitty and he or she will be much happier after the surgery, as my kitty was. Unfortunately we had many complications and very bad luck. They think she had underlying cancer that worsened with the stress of everything and her face began to harden, her eye opened back up, and she was no longer able to open her mouth. Unfortunately the best thing for her was to put her down, but we were by no means the normal case. I hope everything goes well for you and your kitty and I’m sorry I don’t have much good advice to give! Try not to stress too much! Good luck!

 

[di and bob]

I'm so very sorry to hear this.....that poor sweet little girl! The slow healing may have indeed indicated cancer. My heart goes out to you, may she RIP.....

 

[Antonio65]

I'm so sorry to read this, it must have been a painful period of time for all of you.
RIP sweet angel, you did not deserve this at all

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

Hi there! I’m sure everything will go smoothly for your kitty and he or she will be much happier after the surgery, as my kitty was. Unfortunately we had many complications and very bad luck. They think she had underlying cancer that worsened with the stress of everything and her face began to harden, her eye opened back up, and she was no longer able to open her mouth. Unfortunately the best thing for her was to put her down, but we were by no means the normal case. I hope everything goes well for you and your kitty and I’m sorry I don’t have much good advice to give! Try not to stress too much! Good luck!

Thank you for telling more of your story, even though it is such a sad one. Thank you for the kind words of support too. Cancer is such an evil thing, which is why I'm struggling with the tough decision to have my guy's damaged eye removed to prevent it even though he doesn't have any issues or signs of cancer now (and most likely won't develop it).

Your story is helpful in more ways than one, but especially in that it may reinforce the importance of not waiting for cancer to develop before having his eye removed—an option that has been offered in advice from other well meaning (and knowledgeable) people.

I would very much appreciate it if you could provide just a little more information—What was the issue that led your girl to need the enucleation in the first place? Thanks again for your help on what I'm sure is still a troubling subject.