Recurrent Eye Infections - Not Bacterial Nor Viral

[sivyaleah]

Our 7 month old Maine Coon kitten has had recurrent minor eye infections which started a few weeks after we brought her home when she developed a kitten cold. That time, it seemed more related to the cold itself and it went away by me keeping her eyes cleaned daily.

The 2nd time, it required an antibiotic and terramycin for 7 days. It was responsive to this treatment and more or less looked much better for quite some time until a few weeks ago when it started up again. This time, it does not look as bad as the other 2 times at least, but clearly not normal. Brought her to the vet again and she ran a culture this time and had me apply the terramycin again for 7 days while we waited on test results. She did mention the possibility of it being viral - that up to 98% of kittens are exposed to the herpes virus, no matter where they come from or how well they were raised, which I find an astonishing and sad number. She also said that there's the possibility that it isn't bacterial or viral and might be something structural with the eye itself and mentioned seeing a specialist if the cultures come back negative.

FYI, it's just clear and kind of runny. Not thick or discolored. And she never seems bothered by it - no pawing at her face, scratching etc. The eyeball itself is clear and bright and her energy level is fine, so is her appetite. She looks healthy and behaves healthy. No stress in her life either, she has plenty of resources and overall is a cheerful, well adjusted kitten.

She left me a voicemail today (I'm at work and missed the call) - the cultures came back - negative for everything. She did say that it's possible it may still be herpes virus and that she was not shedding the virus when she took the sample and it could have been a false negative. But again, mentioned seeing a specialist if I wanted to go that route. Unfortunately, both of those doctors are quite a long distance from my home so I'm not very keen on making the drive but would of course if it seemed necessary. I called back but she was heading into surgery and she'll call me back later today/tomorrow to chit chat about all of this so that I can make an informed decision how to proceed. My vet did not notice any structural problems with Luna's eyes at all on her exam but since she isn't specialized said it wouldn't hurt to get a 2nd opinion - except on my wallet, of course

Anyway, wondering if anyone here has experience in feline eye issues other than bacterial/viral or, if viral (assuming it may be herpes and was a false negative test result) how you manage that over the long term as I know that it is chronic and can flare at any time.

 

[She's a witch]

Did they check if her tear duct is not blocked? It’s a simple test when they administer colored ointment to see if it’s coming out the right way. If it is, it could be unblocked but unfortunately the procedure has to be repeated as they tend to get blocked again, so I decided not to perform it on my cat as most likely it would need to be repeated yearly. I just deal with it by wiping it with the cotton pad regularly and keep him away from cold. In my boy’s case probiotics with l.acidophilus really help to stop his eyes from watering too much (it’s also effective in managing my girl’s FHV flare ups), but periodically, in a cold weather, it’s not always enough and he will still have a watery eye.

Edited: have you asked the breeder if any of her cats have herpes? That would help assessing if that’s the case with Luna. There’s also very good test for herpes using PCR method but it’s expensive.

 

[sivyaleah]

Did they check if her tear duct is not blocked? It’s a simple test when they administer colored ointment to see if it’s coming out the right way. If it is, it could be unblocked but unfortunately the procedure has to be repeated as they tend to get blocked again, so I decided not to perform it on my cat as most likely it would need to be repeated yearly. I just deal with it by wiping it with the cotton pad regularly and keep him away from cold. In my boy’s case probiotics with l.acidophilus really help to stop his eyes from watering too much (it’s also effective in managing my girl’s FHV flare ups), but periodically, in a cold weather, it’s not always enough and he will still have a watery eye.

Edited: have you asked the breeder if any of her cats have herpes? That would help assessing if that’s the case with Luna. There’s also very good test for herpes using PCR method but it’s expensive.

The PCR was done when I was there. She ran every possible bacterial/viral culture possible. And yes, it was very costly! When I made the appointment, she didn't even realize how expensive it was until I walked in the door and was hesitant to tell me LOL.

As for the breeder. Well. That's not going to work. I've discovered she's quite hands off once the cat is..handed off. I did speak with her once to let her know that Luna had been diagnosed with coccidia when we brought her home (she had no symptoms but tested positive so of course, had to be treated). She was appreciative to have that information, said she would test the others in her cattery and the call went ok, but was short.

A couple of months later, I sent her a nice email with an update and photos which I thought she would like to see - never heard back from her. I follow her on Facebook and sometimes comment on pix, but she never writes back other than one time giving me a "thumbs up". I don't think it's me - she does the same to other people also except it seems for people that she clearly has an actual relationship/friendship with. So, it's really a business with her and that's that.

I did have issues communicating with her in general the whole time I was waiting for Luna so it's not surprising. When we picked Luna up I remember her telling me she wasn't one of those breeders that bonded deeply with her kittens; it was easier for her emotionally not to - she does not even name them because of that. So, yea, no point trying unless I want to buy another kitten from her.

Anyway - I finally connected with our vet as I was writing this. I'm bringing Luna in Tuesday to have her tear ducts looked at - she said she won't charge me for that since it takes only a minute to do. She's pretty sure that will show up negative also but may as well rule it out before I decide to run off to a specialist. Which, I'm on the fence with at the moment since it's a bit of a drive and being winter and me working full time, won't happen fast anyway. It's not an emergency situation but one I'd like to figure out for sure. Even if it turns out to be just something simple like allergies, still want her to be as comfortable and healthy as possible.

 

[CatLover49]

Our 7 month old Maine Coon kitten has had recurrent minor eye infections which started a few weeks after we brought her home when she developed a kitten cold. That time, it seemed more related to the cold itself and it went away by me keeping her eyes cleaned daily.

The 2nd time, it required an antibiotic and terramycin for 7 days. It was responsive to this treatment and more or less looked much better for quite some time until a few weeks ago when it started up again. This time, it does not look as bad as the other 2 times at least, but clearly not normal. Brought her to the vet again and she ran a culture this time and had me apply the terramycin again for 7 days while we waited on test results. She did mention the possibility of it being viral - that up to 98% of kittens are exposed to the herpes virus, no matter where they come from or how well they were raised, which I find an astonishing and sad number. She also said that there's the possibility that it isn't bacterial or viral and might be something structural with the eye itself and mentioned seeing a specialist if the cultures come back negative.

FYI, it's just clear and kind of runny. Not thick or discolored. And she never seems bothered by it - no pawing at her face, scratching etc. The eyeball itself is clear and bright and her energy level is fine, so is her appetite. She looks healthy and behaves healthy. No stress in her life either, she has plenty of resources and overall is a cheerful, well adjusted kitten.

She left me a voicemail today (I'm at work and missed the call) - the cultures came back - negative for everything. She did say that it's possible it may still be herpes virus and that she was not shedding the virus when she took the sample and it could have been a false negative. But again, mentioned seeing a specialist if I wanted to go that route. Unfortunately, both of those doctors are quite a long distance from my home so I'm not very keen on making the drive but would of course if it seemed necessary. I called back but she was heading into surgery and she'll call me back later today/tomorrow to chit chat about all of this so that I can make an informed decision how to proceed. My vet did not notice any structural problems with Luna's eyes at all on her exam but since she isn't specialized said it wouldn't hurt to get a 2nd opinion - except on my wallet, of course

Anyway, wondering if anyone here has experience in feline eye issues other than bacterial/viral or, if viral (assuming it may be herpes and was a false negative test result) how you manage that over the long term as I know that it is chronic and can flare at any time.

What was the name of the culture??Or was that the name..(Culture)

 

[sivyaleah]

What was the name of the culture??Or was that the name..(Culture)

I have no idea. I trust my vet to run the right ones - been using her for years. I'm sure if I ask them to email me a copy tomorrow they'd be happy to do so.
Edit: they did it for all major bacteria and viruses - the usual culprits. There were several samples taken, at least 4-5 swabs done.

 

[She's a witch]

What was the name of the culture??Or was that the name..(Culture)

Different labs have different name for PCR tests but they are mostly referred to as Feline Respiratory PCR Panels, and depending on the lab, they mostly consist of herpes&calici virus, chlamydia, bortadella, mycoplasma.

 

[sivyaleah]

Different labs have different name for PCR tests but they are mostly referred to as Feline Respiratory PCR Panels, and depending on the lab, they mostly consist of herpes&calici virus, chlamydia, bortadella, mycoplasma.

Ok then, it was the PCR Panel - the vet confirmed that when we spoke earlier.
I know it included herpes, chlamydia, mycoplasma calici for sure because we had discussed those.
And again, all negative

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Even if it turns out to be just something simple like allergies, still want her to be as comfortable and healthy as possible.

My cat has allergic bronchitis (asthma), and also has feline herpes (tested positive via PCR when she was young). Plus being on Pred long-term, at certain times of the year she does get some of the eye symptoms either for allergies or minor herpes issues. A few months ago, we got an air purifier and I would say it has really helped her (and the humans) with a lot of the possible environmental allergens.

 

[sivyaleah]

My cat has allergic bronchitis (asthma), and also has feline herpes (tested positive via PCR when she was young). Plus being on Pred long-term, at certain times of the year she does get some of the eye symptoms either for allergies or minor herpes issues. A few months ago, we got an air purifier and I would say it has really helped her (and the humans) with a lot of the possible environmental allergens.

We have 2 air purifiers already - really good ones at that (Rabbit Air). One in bedroom which does the entire upstairs and one in our living/dining room area which does the downstairs (both do up to 750 sf). I have allergies to pretty much everything (including kitties!) and since we got those, at least indoors, I'm a heck of a lot better. But she's low to the ground which I'm not lol - I bet we could be more diligent about using the Swifter which might help. She does have a way of finding hidey places that we forget exists (behind the TV is probably a big culprit now that I think of it).

 

[stephanietx]

It could very well be airborne allergies as well as herpes. I have a herpes kitty who has airborne allergies and many times her eyes are watery. Talk to your vet about possibly using a daily antihistamine and age appropriate dose.

 

[sivyaleah]

It could very well be airborne allergies as well as herpes. I have a herpes kitty who has airborne allergies and many times her eyes are watery. Talk to your vet about possibly using a daily antihistamine and age appropriate dose.

I will absolutely ask her. I'm going back Tuesday. She does sneeze sometimes, like once or twice a day and not even every day so maybe that's connected.

 

[sivyaleah]

Following up. Had the tear duct test today. Seems there is a slight blockage on one side, although that does not really address the sneezing situation. Also today, her eyes looked more inflamed than previous visits. On the good side, she's now 9.1 lbs LOL. Not even at the 8 month mark yet.

The vet suspects she may indeed have the herpes virus and the test was negative since she was not shedding the virus at the time she took the sample. It just would make sense given what's going on.

She said that they could try to flush out the tear duct which requires her to be under anesthesia and see if that clears things up but, still feels having a specialist handle that makes more sense since they will be best equipped to fully ascertain if the blockage is due to some kind of structural issue with the formation of the head itself, not just the tear duct. If it is, there are other methods where they can adjust her eyelid position for instance which would also help alleviate the causation of these recurrent infections.

Anyway she said I can continue using the Terramycin for now as needed. And our older one is due for her bi-annual next weekend so I'd like to get that out of the way. But it's looking like a visit to the specialist is becoming more of a reality now - still not critical, we don't have to rush to that, but certainly on the near horizon.

 

[She's a witch]

yeah, my uneducated guess would be herpes... You could try some herpes symptoms remedies to see if it changes anything, most people use L-lysine and it seems to work in many cases despite some alleged evidence that it shouldn't be helping... It helped my cat in her herpes symptoms until it stopped helping. I now use probiotics with l.acidophilus and it does great job at relieving symptoms both of my FHV&FCV kitties. One of them have a chronic watery eye and the probiotics stops it completely as long as I give him the full serving. These are pretty much harmless supplements but if they help, that could be an indication that it's indeed herpes.

 

[sivyaleah]

yeah, my uneducated guess would be herpes... You could try some herpes symptoms remedies to see if it changes anything, most people use L-lysine and it seems to work in many cases despite some alleged evidence that it shouldn't be helping... It helped my cat in her herpes symptoms until it stopped helping. I now use probiotics with l.acidophilus and it does great job at relieving symptoms both of my FHV&FCV kitties. One of them have a chronic watery eye and the probiotics stops it completely as long as I give him the full serving. These are pretty much harmless supplements but if they help, that could be an indication that it's indeed herpes.

Lysine, had no effect for us. I was using it for months and Luna kept getting the infections, kept sneezing. Current research points to it being a placebo effect; that it's a coincidence when it "works"; infections running their natural course not the L-lysine itself. My vet agrees with this research but also says it's worth a shot for anyone who cares to try it and if they think it's working well, good for them.

I do think probiotics are useful though. I used them for our older boy who passed earlier this year for his kidney disease and I saw a marked improvement in his kidney values when we put him on it. Of course, with CKD things always continue to slide downward but I do think the probiotics were helpful in the long run for him especially in helping him keep food down. I also know that it helps me personally when I take antibiotics to help with side digestive effects I get from them. My dentist is a big proponent of suggesting her patients start using them prior to surgery and until all medications are finished.

It did not occur to me to try this for Luna's situation but now that you mention it, this seems like a good idea. Which one are you using specifically? Dosage? How are you administering it?

 

[She's a witch]

My vet mentioned to me l.acidophilus as one of the remedies for herpes symptoms (because there are some findings that it helps to treat URI in human children, and they sort of translate that to cats) but I wasn’t paying much attention to it until I read on this forum that it was effective in someone’s case.
First I started with Renew Life for humans and sprinkled the content of the capsule on their wet food, they didn’t mind it at all, even my picky cat. I think I used one capsule for two cats and it was enough to help. Then I moved to powder form to better control the amount given and experimented with the dosage, and for most of the year even a dash of the new one (linked below) once a day was making huge difference, which was good news as I had a theory that too much of this caused slight constipation. But last week I decided to increase the amount to almost half a spoon (provided in the packaging) in each meal as I moved to the colder apartment and my boy started to look as he’s been constantly crying, the bigger amount helped (after several days) and their poops are still ok, so maybe my theory was wrong and something else was constipating them..
anyway, they’ve been getting it for a year now everyday and my rather sick-ish FHV girl didn’t have a single flare up, not even sneezing and her extensive bloodwork never looked better (although they’ve also been given raw for majority of their meals so it also could have contributed to her general well being, she was a cat with recurring mystery issues before that). My FCV boy with blocked tear duct has occasional watery eye and it’s to be expected, but it’s nothing comparing to what he was experiencing in his pre-probiotics life.

Renew Life - Ultimate Flora...
Pet Ultimates Probiotics for Cats...
Edit: so the Renew Life seems to be out of amazon hence the broken link, here’s the picture of it:

 

[stephanietx]

You might ask the vet about an antihistamine as well. We give our kitties the generic equivalent of Claritin which is Loratadine. We also give probiotics and colloidal silver. More than anything, the colloidal silver has helped the most.

 

[sivyaleah]

You might ask the vet about an antihistamine as well. We give our kitties the generic equivalent of Claritin which is Loratadine. We also give probiotics and colloidal silver. More than anything, the colloidal silver has helped the most.

I asked about an antihistamine but she's pretty confident it's not allergy related at this point being as one of the tear ducts clearly is at least partially blocked.

As for the colloidal silver how are you administering it? Orally? Topically?

Topically it does have some use in low dosages and those items are regulated by the FDA such various surgical equipment, creams, bandages, etc. It can be used topically for cats as a mild anticeptic, for burns and opthalmic uses but NEVER give this to a cat orally. Or a person. This is unregulated material.

There are no legitimate scientific studies that support the efficacy of it's use in humans - let alone in animals. None. In fact, it's use can be extremely dangerous. It is known to cause kidney damage and seizures, can effect the absorption of antibiotics, and cause brain and nerve damage. And, there's a condition where it can build up in the system and turn you blue. Yep, turn you or the cat blue.

I'm not about to use something that has zero research on it just because anecdotal stories from people say it works for them. I need scientific data. So, nope, not using that.

 

[stephanietx]

We give it to our kitties in their wet food. It's the only thing that we have found to be effective to treat Hannah's snotty sneezes. She still sneezes, but it's not like it was before. Hannah has a history of high levels of pseudomonas and colloidal silver has been shown to effectively treat it.

 

[sivyaleah]

We give it to our kitties in their wet food. It's the only thing that we have found to be effective to treat Hannah's snotty sneezes. She still sneezes, but it's not like it was before. Hannah has a history of high levels of pseudomonas and colloidal silver has been shown to effectively treat it.

How has it been shown to be effective? What research? Or is it anecdotal? If so couldn't it just be a coincidence?

 

[stephanietx]

I googled "silver + pseudomonas" and got a lot of research articles.