Eye inflammation not getting better

[NewKitty18]

All three of our cats have been dealing with a URI. One of them developed bad eye irritation and our started her on meds. After a few days without improvement we took her to the emergency vet who switched the meds, checked for corneal damage, and sent her home in an E collar. She finished the five day course of antibiotics yesterday and is still on eye drops. Her eyes still look bad. We had been taking the collar off for a few minutes to clean it but she immediately starts rubbing and irritates the tissue around her eyes.

our regular vet can’t get her in for another week.We may take her back to the emergency vet tomorrow.

Why would her eyes still be such a mess after more than a week of treatment? The current eye ointment is neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and dexamethasone. Is there anything else we should be doing? We’ve realized we can’t take the collar off at all, but she’s miserable.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I would certainly tell your vet that the emergency vet switched her medication. I would also ask about the possibility of a referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist, if there is one near enough to make that possible.

 

[NewKitty18]

Our regular vet got the reports from the ER, so they have that update. An ophthalmologist is a good idea. I’ll check to see if there’s one nearby with any availability. The vets here are massively overwhelmed.

 

[sivyaleah]

I also suggest seeing a specialist. Our younger one had a problem with chronic weepy eyes when she was a kitten. Most likely, she has the herpes virus - she tested negative but that could just mean she wasn't shedding the virus when they ran the test.

We went to an opthalmologist who concurred with the possible herpes and found out she actually had chronic dry eyes. Kind of counter-intuitive to what you'd think since her eyes were kind of goopy. Gave her a specific eye drop for us to administer for a couple of weeks which worked to lubricate and also repairs the dry cornea/lens and thankfully, after that it cleared up.

She still gets some dry gunk in the corners of her eyes but nothing major to warrant a visit. They ok'd me just wiping it away with a warm cloth or even a finger if it came off easy - which it always does.

There are so many possible eye problems that sometimes a regular vet isn't well versed enough to diagnose them (could even be an ingrown hair that is irritating the eye). Sounds like you your vet has done what they can so may as well take the next step.

 

[t c c]

All three of our cats have been dealing with a URI. One of them developed bad eye irritation and our started her on meds. After a few days without improvement we took her to the emergency vet who switched the meds, checked for corneal damage, and sent her home in an E collar. She finished the five day course of antibiotics yesterday and is still on eye drops. Her eyes still look bad. We had been taking the collar off for a few minutes to clean it but she immediately starts rubbing and irritates the tissue around her eyes.

our regular vet can’t get her in for another week.We may take her back to the emergency vet tomorrow.

Why would her eyes still be such a mess after more than a week of treatment? The current eye ointment is neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and dexamethasone. Is there anything else we should be doing? We’ve realized we can’t take the collar off at all, but she’s miserable.

If you have colloidal silver on hand, don't forget that you can use it in eyes.

 

[sivyaleah]

If you have colloidal silver on hand, don't forget that you can use it in eyes.

This product is unregulated and can potentially cause harm. It's usefulness is only anecdotal, there's no proof it helps in animals for any reason.


Colloidal Silver

• Colloidal silver can cause serious side effects. The most common is argyria, a bluish-gray discoloration of the skin, which is usually permanent.
• Colloidal silver can also cause poor absorption of some drugs, such as certain antibiotics and thyroxine (used to treat thyroid deficiency).
• The FDA also warned in 1999 that colloidal silver isn’t safe or effective for treating any disease or condition.
• The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have taken action against a number of companies for making misleading claims about colloidal silver products.

Furthermore:

• Topical silver (used on the skin) has some appropriate medical uses, such as in bandages and dressings to treat burns, skin wounds, or skin infections. It’s also in medicines to prevent conjunctivitis (an eye condition) in newborns. However, there are no legally marketed prescription or over-the-counter drugs containing colloidal silver that are taken by mouth.

 

[neely]

I highly recommend consulting with a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist. They are specially trained to treat and recognize health issues with the eyes. You can check the closest location on this site: Ophthalmologist Search — ACVO Public

Here is an Article that discusses eye problems in cats and might have some helpful information for you:
Eye Problems In Cats: What Every Owner Needs To Know – TheCatSite Articles
Good luck, please keep us posted on your progress.

 

[di and bob]

I have used boric acid to treat eye infections.

 

[t c c]

This product is unregulated and can potentially cause harm. It's usefulness is only anecdotal, there's no proof it helps in animals for any reason.

I really wish people would stop with these old wives remedies and just go to their vet and ask their suggestions before treating with potentially harmful items.

Colloidal Silver

• Colloidal silver can cause serious side effects. The most common is argyria, a bluish-gray discoloration of the skin, which is usually permanent.
• Colloidal silver can also cause poor absorption of some drugs, such as certain antibiotics and thyroxine (used to treat thyroid deficiency).
• The FDA also warned in 1999 that colloidal silver isn’t safe or effective for treating any disease or condition.
• The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have taken action against a number of companies for making misleading claims about colloidal silver products.

Furthermore:

• Topical silver (used on the skin) has some appropriate medical uses, such as in bandages and dressings to treat burns, skin wounds, or skin infections. It’s also in medicines to prevent conjunctivitis (an eye condition) in newborns. However, there are no legally marketed prescription or over-the-counter drugs containing colloidal silver that are taken by mouth.

I have personal, firsthand experience of saving my dog's life with colloidal silver.

 

[betsygee]

MOD NOTE: Some posts in this thread have been edited because of tone or personal comments directed at other members. Let's keep the conversation civil. If you feel a post is inappropriate, please flag it for moderator review instead of responding in the thread.

 

[NewKitty18]

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the responses and suggestions. I’ve been trying to find an ophthalmologist but they’re all scheduling oht to March right now. I think tomorrow I will bring her back to the emergency vet because i know that they can consult with an ophthalmologist by phone.

Unfortunately she’s now getting a bit of crusty discharge, which makes me think that she needs a different antibiotic than what she’s currently on. I’m not comfortable using anything not prescribed by a veterinarian.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

When in doubt, stick with what the vet prescribes. At the same time, don't be afraid to question your vet about which antibiotic they are using, and why. Many even welcome this.

 

[NewKitty18]

Spoke with emergency vet who had seen her before. She said based on symptoms is sounds more like allergies at this point (itching leading her to rub at her eyes), though I'm not clear on why she would develop allergies immediately following a URI. Can that be a trigger?

She's seeing our regular vet on Tuesday and in the meantime we're keeping her on a milder antibiotic ointment without steroids, starting her on zyrtec, and keeping the cone on. Overall her eyes are a lot better, but there's still some discharge and the moment we take the cone off she rubs at them and they get inflamed again.

 

[NewKitty18]

This is what her eyes look like currently. Definitely better than they were, but you can see that the third eyelid is still inflamed and extended (it was WAY worse before) and she's still having some eye discharge.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, my. That does look a lot like "allergy eyes." Hek is on Claritin for hers, and does wonderfully. The thing about allergies is that they can develop at any time at all, even in a cat who has never had them before (people, too, for that matter). The URI would not have caused it, I don't think, but they easily have just appeared at that point. One of those weird coincidences.

Yes, I do believe in coincidences. For there not to be coincidences would be TOO big a coincidence!

 

[NewKitty18]

Finally got her in for an exam with our regular vet. Hedy is totally healthy aside from her eye irritation, which is ongoing. She’s been on Zyrtec for about four days without improvement. The vet said there’s no damage to the eyes and no obvious source of the inflammation. We’re going to continue the Zyrtec, switch to a new eye drop that’s a triple AB and steroid, and she’s goi by to be on an oral steroid for a while. The hope is that the steroids will knock the irritation back. And she needs to keep wearing the cone, though we got a blow up one that seems to bother her less.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Sounds like a decent plan in place. IF that doesn't do the trick, I'd ask him about environmental allergies.

 

[NewKitty18]

Wow, steroids can be amazing. She still has a few days of taper left and we’re crossing our fingers that the inflammation doesn’t return. She is thrilled to have her donut off.