What Happened?!

[wizegrl00782]

Hello all! Its been so crazy around here! Kids are sick, still haven't caught my kitty Comet & now this morning I discovered something wrong with my kitty Tux's eye what do you think happened? Is it a serious issue that needs dealt with ASAP? It's Sunday so the vet's office is closed & hubs has to work. Looking at her eye its watery but doesn't look swollen. I wonder if she got into a tussle with something? Can it wait til the vet opens tomorrow morning? She's the sweetest cat! I would hate to see something bad happen to her!

 

[Jem]

Is her third eyelid always exposed like that? or is it just because you snapped the picture during a "wink" because of the watery eye?
If the eyelid is staying exposed, there is something irritating her eye or third eye lid. It could simply be a hair or spec of dirt, or something could have scratched it or poked her in the eye. It could also be an infection of some sort, but of course the vet is the only one who will know for sure.
Personally, I would wait, and watch it closely. Especially if she is not displaying any other signs of distress. I would try to keep it clean (around the eye not the eye or third lid), but bring her in first thing Monday morning.
You might be able to get some eye drops from the pet store (non steroid and non antibiotic) just a plain saline solution eye drop, to help with irritation, if in fact there is something in there that is stuck under her third lid.
And of course, if you see any change for the worse, from now until Monday morning, an emergency visit may be needed.
That's what I would do, but that's just based on one picture and my own experience with a swollen third eye lid from one of my cats. It was (the vet thinks) a claw poke from another cat. It healed up with a prescription of eye drops, and we only brought him in after noticing that his watery, exposed eye lid (much like your picture) did not go away after a day and a half and started swelling slightly, so off to the vet we went. He came out perfectly fine.

 

[wizegrl00782]

Is her third eyelid always exposed like that? or is it just because you snapped the picture during a "wink" because of the watery eye?
If the eyelid is staying exposed, there is something irritating her eye or third eye lid. It could simply be a hair or spec of dirt, or something could have scratched it or poked her in the eye. It could also be an infection of some sort, but of course the vet is the only one who will know for sure.
Personally, I would wait, and watch it closely. Especially if she is not displaying any other signs of distress. I would try to keep it clean (around the eye not the eye or third lid), but bring her in first thing Monday morning.
You might be able to get some eye drops from the pet store (non steroid and non antibiotic) just a plain saline solution eye drop, to help with irritation, if in fact there is something in there that is stuck under her third lid.
And of course, if you see any change for the worse, from now until Monday morning, an emergency visit may be needed.
That's what I would do, but that's just based on one picture and my own experience with a swollen third eye lid from one of my cats. It was (the vet thinks) a claw poke from another cat. It healed up with a prescription of eye drops, and we only brought him in after noticing that his watery, exposed eye lid (much like your picture) did not go away after a day and a half and started swelling slightly, so off to the vet we went. He came out perfectly fine.

Thank you for your reply! Her third eyelid is never exposed like that. She was fine yesterday when I fed her. Then she went outside. She came upstairs to see me this morning & thats when I saw her eye like that. Shes acting like her normal self tho. Cuddling with me & keeping that bad eye closed alot. I do have some antibiotic ointment. Could I put some around the outside to keep infection away? I will definitely flush her eye. I have regular eye solution. Shes certainly staying inside until shes all better! Lol. I will definitely call my vet up first thing when they open tomorrow morning.

 

[Jem]

I'm not a vet so I can't answer you on the antibiotic ointment, I would hate for things to get worse should you use it. And some ointments are not safe for cats, especially if they ingest them. Which she will do, as I'm sure she is still cleaning her face. But a plain saline eye drop solution should at least keep it relatively clean. Saline is pretty much what natural tears are made of, but if you find it makes her uncomfortable in any way, I would stop, and just let her natural tears try to keep it lubricated.

Is it still just tears coming from the eye? Or has she started to produce any eye "gook" or pus?, if she's producing more than just tears, bring her in.

When I was asking about her third eye lid, what I meant was, is it staying exposed right now, even if her eye is open. If she's an outdoor cat, anything could have got in her eye. If the eye lid is staying "out" even with the eye open, chances are there is some sort of swelling/inflammation/irritation...
And yes, definitely keep her indoors until this is all cleared up.

 

[wizegrl00782]

I'm not a vet so I can't answer you on the antibiotic ointment, I would hate for things to get worse should you use it. And some ointments are not safe for cats, especially if they ingest them. Which she will do, as I'm sure she is still cleaning her face. But a plain saline eye drop solution should at least keep it relatively clean. Saline is pretty much what natural tears are made of, but if you find it makes her uncomfortable in any way, I would stop, and just let her natural tears try to keep it lubricated.

Is it still just tears coming from the eye? Or has she started to produce any eye "gook" or pus?, if she's producing more than just tears, bring her in.

When I was asking about her third eye lid, what I meant was, is it staying exposed right now, even if her eye is open. If she's an outdoor cat, anything could have got in her eye. If the eye lid is staying "out" even with the eye open, chances are there is some sort of swelling/inflammation/irritation...
And yes, definitely keep her indoors until this is all cleared up.

I have noticed a wee little bit of gook coming out. Like a yellowish green color. Yes her third eyelid is still exposed when her eye is open but when she closes her eye you can't see it. When i last checked on her her eye is still watering so i think I'll leave it be

I'm not a vet so I can't answer you on the antibiotic ointment, I would hate for things to get worse should you use it. And some ointments are not safe for cats, especially if they ingest them. Which she will do, as I'm sure she is still cleaning her face. But a plain saline eye drop solution should at least keep it relatively clean. Saline is pretty much what natural tears are made of, but if you find it makes her uncomfortable in any way, I would stop, and just let her natural tears try to keep it lubricated.

Is it still just tears coming from the eye? Or has she started to produce any eye "gook" or pus?, if she's producing more than just tears, bring her in.

When I was asking about her third eye lid, what I meant was, is it staying exposed right now, even if her eye is open. If she's an outdoor cat, anything could have got in her eye. If the eye lid is staying "out" even with the eye open, chances are there is some sort of swelling/inflammation/irritation...
And yes, definitely keep her indoors until this is all cleared up.

Her eye is still watery so i think I should leave it be til she sees the vet tomorrow morning. I did notice like a wee bit of a yellowish gunk in the corner but nothing else right now. Yes the eyelid is staying out when her eye is open. Shes just chilling out on top of her kitty tree now :-)

 

[Jem]

Not sure if this would help or hinder in your case, but I was once given the advice to apply a warm saline compress to the eye (she will close it, so you won't be touching the eyeball) for a few minutes then gently wipe the outer eye goop away. It seemed to help my guy, I did it a few times a day.
Yellowish goop means an infection has probably already set in. Be sure you get to the vet on Monday, don't let them book you for later in the week. And if your vet won't see you tomorrow, try somewhere else.

 

[wizegrl00782]

Not sure if this would help or hinder in your case, but I was once given the advice to apply a warm saline compress to the eye (she will close it, so you won't be touching the eyeball) for a few minutes then gently wipe the outer eye goop away. It seemed to help my guy, I did it a few times a day.
Yellowish goop means an infection has probably already set in. Be sure you get to the vet on Monday, don't let them book you for later in the week. And if your vet won't see you tomorrow, try somewhere else.

Thank you for your help! :-) i will definitely do what you suggest. Oh yes if my vet can't get me in tomorrow (which they r good about getting me in quickly) i will certainly take her somewhere where she'll be seen immediately. Shes a very special kitty to me & I would be so upset if something happened to her! I love all my kitties of course but she holds a special spot in my heart

 

[Jem]

Well good luck with everything, I would love an update on how she is doing when you get back from the vet.

 

[wizegrl00782]

Well good luck with everything, I would love an update on how she is doing when you get back from the vet.

Sure thing! Once I get back home & have her settled in i will definitely give an update!

 

[wizegrl00782]

Update!

Tux's third eyelid got torn & its infected pretty bad. So what the doc said he'll do is give her antibiotics & see if that heals on its own. He was kinda amazed to see that lid torn like that. It almost went into the cartilage. No damage to the cornea. He thinks the tear should heal on its own. Hope & pray it'll heal on its own. Otherwise they would have to surgically stitch it very carefully. So tonight i start her on the antibiotics & they gave me probiotics too. Next week she goes for a check up. Praying all will be ok with her eye! :-)

 

[Echy]

Update!

Tux's third eyelid got torn & its infected pretty bad. So what the doc said he'll do is give her antibiotics & see if that heals on its own. He was kinda amazed to see that lid torn like that. It almost went into the cartilage. No damage to the cornea. He thinks the tear should heal on its own. Hope & pray it'll heal on its own. Otherwise they would have to surgically stitch it very carefully. So tonight i start her on the antibiotics & they gave me probiotics too. Next week she goes for a check up. Praying all will be ok with her eye! :-)

Thank goodness, we are praying with you.
Be sure to keep us updated!

~Echy

 

[Margret]

Margret

 

[1 bruce 1]

Update!

Tux's third eyelid got torn & its infected pretty bad. So what the doc said he'll do is give her antibiotics & see if that heals on its own. He was kinda amazed to see that lid torn like that. It almost went into the cartilage. No damage to the cornea. He thinks the tear should heal on its own. Hope & pray it'll heal on its own. Otherwise they would have to surgically stitch it very carefully. So tonight i start her on the antibiotics & they gave me probiotics too. Next week she goes for a check up. Praying all will be ok with her eye! :-)

Oh wow, the lid was torn, but no damage elsewhere? As bad as the torn eyelid is, it's good news no other damage was done.
I had to rush off one day, got halfway down the lane, realized I'd forgotten my wallet and floored the truck in reverse back to the door.
In the 20 seconds that took me, Baby Girl greeted me at the door with a shut eye that was running a faucet down her face. I grabbed a cloth, wet it, and wiped it and when it opened I saw "it"...this weird hunk of cat hair (about the size of a pencil eraser) floating around on her eye lens. I got it out and her eye was fine. But yep, eye problems can happen so suddenly and be kind of scary when you don't know what's going on.

 

[wizegrl00782]

Oh wow, the lid was torn, but no damage elsewhere? As bad as the torn eyelid is, it's good news no other damage was done.
I had to rush off one day, got halfway down the lane, realized I'd forgotten my wallet and floored the truck in reverse back to the door.
In the 20 seconds that took me, Baby Girl greeted me at the door with a shut eye that was running a faucet down her face. I grabbed a cloth, wet it, and wiped it and when it opened I saw "it"...this weird hunk of cat hair (about the size of a pencil eraser) floating around on her eye lens. I got it out and her eye was fine. But yep, eye problems can happen so suddenly and be kind of scary when you don't know what's going on.

Awwe! Glad to hear your kitty was fine! I was quite shocked when the vet showed me the torn eyelid! He was amazed too cuz he never seen anything like that before. They dilated her eye to make sure the cornea & all that was ok...and thank God her eye itself is fine! shes doing good now & just being her typical feline self! i will definitely keep everyone updated! Thanks for the support!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Awwe! Glad to hear your kitty was fine! I was quite shocked when the vet showed me the torn eyelid! He was amazed too cuz he never seen anything like that before. They dilated her eye to make sure the cornea & all that was ok...and thank God her eye itself is fine! shes doing good now & just being her typical feline self! i will definitely keep everyone updated! Thanks for the support!

I'm kind of amazed myself that the eyelid was torn and no damage to her cornea or even the eye rim was noted. One lucky little cat, and you're one lucky owner!
Please do keep us updated.

 

[Margret]

It certainly does sound like an unusual injury. I guess it's just Murphy's law in action - anything that can go wrong will go wrong, no matter how unlikely, some time, somewhere.

Margret

 

[1 bruce 1]

It certainly does sound like an unusual injury. I guess it's just Murphy's law in action - anything that can go wrong will go wrong, no matter how unlikely, some time, somewhere.

Margret

We had a dog like this.
Random asteroid falls from the sky? It'll hit you on the head, buddy.
Random bee sting in a crowd of 100 dogs and 1,000 people? Sorry man, here's a benadryl while we rush to the vets.
Someone wants to throw a ball at their team mate and you're on the sidelines? Whoops, they missed. Poor guy. Here's an asprin while (sigh) off to the vet again...

I swear some people and pets are born with a "kick me!" sign on their back.
All we can do is intercept when we can.
This dog, I tell you...
-he had multiple fractures from freak accidents.
-he had random allergies unseen to the allergy specialist that treated him.
-his back was injured during a routine x-ray, not by the vets, just by HIM and Murphy law...
-he had multiple organ problems and was a true tiger through then all. Never whined, never complained.
-suffered a sprain that the vet couldn't diagnose completely because he was stoic during her routine exam/manipulation to find the hurt. She never found the hurt.
-passed out cold multiple times due to heart failure
-died in our arms.

These little Murphy's Law guys are the best of the best.
If you want to pull your hair out, pull out a few strands, then cherish the rest. They're tough little things.

 

[Margret]

When I was a kid we had a Siberian Husky, one of the first in the state of Colorado. Because the vet had never treated a Husky before, he didn't realize how close they are genetically to wolves, which means that they need extra distemper vaccinations. My mom wanted to breed this dog, but during the pregnancy she got distemper and lost the entire litter, as well as her ability to get pregnant again, as well as her eyesight.

Huskies tend to be roamers; it's very hard (darn near impossible) to keep them fenced or chained. Before the distemper this dog would jump the fence to roam around the neighborhood, and always came home, until the day that she disappeared. But she was friends with all the schoolkids in the neighborhood, and one day a couple of them rang the doorbell to ask about her, and, more importantly, to tell my mother that they'd seen her in a run at a local vet's office (not her vet). My mother went there, and sure enough, this vet had seen her running loose and stolen her because he realized what a valuable dog she was - he wanted to show her (I've no idea how he planned to get past the fact that he didn't have any papers on her - my mother had those). My mother threatened to call the police and got her back.

Huskies also like to run. Also before the distemper, my folks would take her along when they went to the mountains on fishing trips, and would let her out to run alongside the car on back roads. She also loved fish. One day my dad caught a trout and as soon as he took the hook out, but before he'd killed it and put it in his creel, she stole it and swallowed it whole. Talk about a tummy-ache! Totally ruined the fishing trip for her. Didn't keep her from craving trout, though.

We used to stay in some family-run rental cabins whenever we went fishing. The woman who ran them also raised chickens, prize chickens. This dog was chained up, broke the chain, and chased and killed all the chickens. We were informed that we were welcome to come back only if we left the dog behind.

One time on a fishing trip she encountered a porcupine, very painfully. It was nowhere near a vet's office, so my dad used pliers to remove the quills, with my mother holding the dog. She was angry about this, so she went looking for another porcupine to take out her anger on. But she had learned to be wary of porcupines, so this time she found a dead one. And you know how that turned out for her.

After the distemper, she still roamed, until the day she encountered a car on the nearest four-lane road. My mom rushed her to the vet, who did emergency surgery, and she survived, but this time she also lost her eyes; the vet had to remove them as they'd been damaged too badly. My mom told me that she thinks they'd been causing pain for a long time, because the dog seemed much happier after the surgery. After that experience she roamed only in the neighborhood, on the little two lane streets, with slow cars and drivers watching out for children and pets, but she still roamed. Every kid in the neighborhood thought she was their dog. We'd visit and they'd introduce us to her, by name (the correct name!), and show us her bed and her dishes!

She finally had to be put to sleep at a ripe age, due to cancer, but she had a long and very eventful life, full of love, and she never lost her zest for life or her curiosity.

Margret

 

[1 bruce 1]

Margret , Huskies are cats in dog suits.
Times back then were different, but the idea (today) that a vet would take an un-papered/pedigreed dog to breed is nuts....and today is only a little nuts.

 

[Margret]

Margret , Huskies are cats in dog suits.
Times back then were different, but the idea (today) that a vet would take an un-papered/pedigreed dog to breed is nuts....and today is only a little nuts.

Ah, that explains why I like cats so much!

She was a wonderful dog. She was older than I was; most of those incidents are family stories, not things that I actually remember personally. In my memory she's always blind. Her death was my first great grief.

I've truly never understood about the vet who stole her; the idea that he could show/breed her with no papers has never made sense, but I guess there are crazy people in all professions. He may have had some notion of forging some papers for her, I suppose. I'm just glad the school kids saw her, recognized her, and went to inform my mother what had happened to her. I know that she wasn't happy at the vet's, being confined to a run, and if my mother had been unable to get her back I would never have known her.

Margret