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.
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.