Haws Syndrome?

[blumarine916]

On Friday I noticed my cat Meimey looking a bit strange and realized it was her third eyelids that was partly covering her eyes. I looked up found that it was Haws Syndrome. She had bit of soft poop since Friday. Since the vets are closed due to the holidays, I gave her some boiled chicken with pumpkin.

Meimey is also acting normal. She ate her food as usual, even finished the pumpkin mix and is her usual lazy, playful self. Her poop looks better today, no longer looking like soft-serve. I also took her to the vet who suspected some gastrointestinal issues and gave her a dose of deworming pills to see if the issue will be resolved.

I also have another cat and she’s fine.

Has anyone had experience with this? How long will it take for the haws to recover? Did you need to do anything else aside from the deworming medication?

 

[di and bob]

Third eyelid means they are not feeling well. Mine get it when they had Feline Herpes and the eyes went on to become goopy. They haven't had it since I keep them inside now and give them DMG to build up their immune systems. You might give some probiotics since it may be GI related, it wouldn't hurt. I get DMG on Amazon and the bottle lasts a long time. I mix it in a lickable treat every morning.

 

[blumarine916]

Third eyelid means they are not feeling well. Mine get it when they had Feline Herpes and the eyes went on to become goopy. They haven't had it since I keep them inside now and give them DMG to build up their immune systems. You might give some probiotics since it may be GI related, it wouldn't hurt. I get DMG on Amazon and the bottle lasts a long time. I mix it in a lickable treat every morning.

My cats are fully indoors. How long did it take for the eyes to heal back to normal?

 

[di and bob]

With feline herpes, about two weeks.

 

[daftcat75]

I’m surprised the vet didn’t send you home with eye drops. When the third eyelid is up like that, she’s going to have trouble blinking and the eye can dry out and get scratched. Call the vet back and ask if s/he think she needs eye drops until it resolves. I think in Krista’s case, it took a few weeks. I don’t remember because she also had a number of other more important issues at the time (inflamed liver, ruptured eardrum, and multiple tooth extractions. That was a rough month for her. )

 

[blumarine916]

I’m surprised the vet didn’t send you home with eye drops. When the third eyelid is up like that, she’s going to have trouble blinking and the eye can dry out and get scratched. Call the vet back and ask if s/he think she needs eye drops until it resolves. I think in Krista’s case, it took a few weeks. I don’t remember because she also had a number of other more important issues at the time (inflamed liver, ruptured eardrum, and multiple tooth extractions. That was a rough month for her. )

She doesn’t seem to be touching or rubbing her eyes as I can see. According to what I’ve read, the issue is self-limiting and no treatment is required. Maybe that’s why the vet didn’t prescribe any eye drops. But I will call them to check.

I often see your thread about Krista. I just want to say you’re a very strong person to be able to handle so much and Krista is very lucky to have you.

 

[daftcat75]

She doesn’t seem to be touching or rubbing her eyes as I can see. According to what I’ve read, the issue is self-limiting and no treatment is required. Maybe that’s why the vet didn’t prescribe any eye drops. But I will call them to check.

I often see your thread about Krista. I just want to say you’re a very strong person to be able to handle so much and Krista is very lucky to have you.

The third eyelid is supposed to glide across the eye whenever they blink. When it's stuck up like that, it doesn't clean and lubricate the eye like it is supposed to. This can lead to the surface of the eye drying out. When that happens, anything that gets in her eye can scratch the cornea. Yes, Haws will usually resolve itself. But in the meantime, you have to provide artificial tears to keep the cornea from drying out. Please double check with the vet about this.

Krista passed last summer. I want no condolences. They only yank me back to that day I'm trying to forget. Or at least move past. If you want, you can browse the Remembering Krista thread in the Crossing the Bridge forums. I'm sharing from the hundreds (thousands?) of photos I have of her. Mostly the last two years. I took a lot of pictures in her last two or so years when her health was faltering, knowing that one day those would be all I have. It's such a blessing to have so many pictures and memories. It helps me remain connected with her.

 

[blumarine916]

Just an update. The boiled chicken and fish with pumpkin has really helped to solve the soft poop issue. I’ve been feeding it to my cats since Saturday. Poop is back to normal now. I guess I’ll wait for Meimey’s eyes to go back to normal.

 

[blumarine916]

It’s been about 3 weeks. Meimey is no longer having soft stools but her haws have yet to go back to normal. She’s still behaving normally. I read it could take up to 16 weeks

To my shock, I notice my other cat Meffy’s eyes are turning the same way too. It’s on/off. Sometimes the haws are not there. I may be over worried and she’s just sleepy. She’s not having any toilet issues for now and I’m not sure if she’s eating less since she usually doesn’t eat much. She’s also behaving normally but it’s been really hot here lately. Should I be concerned?