Has anyone ever taken their pet to an eye doctor?

[LAJennifer]

Just want to update this thread.

Wellington went to Eye Care For Animals a few days ago and he did great! He is diagnosed with Anterior Uveitis (inflammation) in his left eye and was given 2 different eye drops that he gets twice a day. Improvement was almost immediate and he is taking his eye drops like a champ. He was a very good patient and the visit was not stressful or invasive at all. They checked his eye pressure (both eyes still in the normal range), did a stain for injuries (found none) and looked in his eyes with a bunch of different scopes and lamps. His eye sight is not affected and he didn't have a headache. All great news!

The redness was blood vessels on his iris - they had gotten gradually worse, but it was hard to see unless he was sitting in a sunbeam. Last week it looked kind of bad so I called his vet and got the referral.

In 75% of cases of Uveitis, a cause is never found. It is somewhat common in FIV+ cats (and Wellington is FIV+), but the eye doctor doesn't think it is a factor in his case. It is more likely that Herpes is the cause. He had full blood work at his regular vet a few months ago - and everything is perfect. We were able to rule out diabetes, corona virus, FIP, and FeLV as causes for his eye inflammation. So, Herpes seems likely since he had issues with that eye while he was an outdoor feral.

Like most cases of Uveitis, treatment with the drops will probably be life long. The inflammation is some kind of wacky immune response to something (or nothing) and the drops suppress this immune response. He goes back for a re-check in 3 weeks.

I was really afraid of getting bad news, but that turned out NOT to be the case. So happy!

ETA: The cost was not so bad. For the exam, pressure test, stain, and both medications - total was $307.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LA, I missed this thread earlier. Our dog (Byron) had anterior uveitis and was given steroid eye drops for a time. Unfortunately in his case, he had blood-filled cysts that burst and caused his retina to detach. We were working with 3 ophthalmologists in the Boston area, but there are only 3 canine surgeons in North America who will operate in the posterior chamber and we drove to 2 of them. We had his retina re-attached as fast as we could, but unfortunately he never regained vision. He's now blind in both eyes.

It sounds like your diagnosis is pretty positive. The fact that the pressure is normal in both eyes is a great sign. And the steroid drops can be continued for life if necessary. This was a major concern for me (before Byron's retina detached) because I know steroid eye drops are not a long-term solution for humans. Byron's ophthalmologists assured me that canines aren't negatively affected by long-term steroid drop use like humans and I'm assuming that is the case for felines as well.

Lots of luck to you!

 

[JewelFreak]

I didn't realize Byron is blind, NEL. What a load for you! How is he handling it? I'm so sorry! I've missed hearing from you, seems like ages.

Here's wishing for beautiful Wellington's continued health! I still giggle at his getting upset & peeing on the vet -- some doctors make me want to do likewise.

--- Laurie

 

[kgizo]

Wellington is lovely and I'm glad you are both happy with the opthalmologist visit outcome.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I didn't realize Byron is blind, NEL. What a load for you! How is he handling it? I'm so sorry! I've missed hearing from you, seems like ages.

Here's wishing for beautiful Wellington's continued health! I still giggle at his getting upset & peeing on the vet -- some doctors make me want to do likewise.

--- Laurie

I know, I feel so awful that he had to suffer through his eye issues in addition to the GME. He seems to be coping surprisingly well. He lost vision in his right eye before the GME started (2010) and he didn't lose vision in his left eye until last year. It was literally the week he started walking again after about a year of physical therapy.

 

[LAJennifer]

LA, I missed this thread earlier. Our dog (Byron) had anterior uveitis and was given steroid eye drops for a time. Unfortunately in his case, he had blood-filled cysts that burst and caused his retina to detach. We were working with 3 ophthalmologists in the Boston area, but there are only 3 canine surgeons in North America who will operate in the posterior chamber and we drove to 2 of them. We had his retina re-attached as fast as we could, but unfortunately he never regained vision. He's now blind in both eyes.

It sounds like your diagnosis is pretty positive. The fact that the pressure is normal in both eyes is a great sign. And the steroid drops can be continued for life if necessary. This was a major concern for me (before Byron's retina detached) because I know steroid eye drops are not a long-term solution for humans. Byron's ophthalmologists assured me that canines aren't negatively affected by long-term steroid drop use like humans and I'm assuming that is the case for felines as well.

Lots of luck to you!

Hello, NEL. I appreciate your input very much and I'm sorry to hear hat Byron has lost sight in both eyes. Were there any signs leading up to the cysts bursting? I admire your commitment to Byron - he is very lucky to have you as a mom.

I am happy with the diagnoses because I had prepared myself (emotionally) for much worse. The drops are Prednisolone Acetate and Flurbiprofen (NSAID). I am amazed at how quickly they have cleared up the inflammation - he has his baby blues back! I'm happy that he doesn't have to take an oral steroid. I belong to an FIV+ support group, and there are many cats on there that have to.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LA, it's so good to hear the drops are working! Can you get them through your regular pharmacy or do you have to order them from the vet? Oddly, I still have a half-used bottle of pred acetate in the bottom of my purse. So glad that it's going well and that you don't need oral steroids or a steroid injection in the eye.

Initial symptom for us was just some very minor cloudiness around Byron's iris--it looked like it could be the beginning of glaucoma. We noticed it while hiking on a Saturday and he went to our regular vet the following Tuesday. He was referred to an ophthalmologist at that point and then we saw 2 small bubbles of blood in front of his iris. At that point, his IOP was increasing--I think normal pressure for a newf is under 10, but his was closer to 20 (it later would spike up to 60, which damages the retina). Anyway, the small blood cysts in front of the iris were not alarming, but the pressure indicated something more was going on. We ended up doing a bunch of procedures (the retina re-attachment, steroid injections, laser eye surgery, etc.), but nothing worked.

So glad everything is going well on your end! I know how frustrating it is to feel helpless, but it sounds like you've got this under control!

 

[LAJennifer]

I still giggle at his getting upset & peeing on the vet -- some doctors make me want to do likewise.

--- Laurie

Ha ha. Well, he has stopped peeing on the doctors - but he now pees in the carrier every single time I take him. I can tell when he does it - it is as soon as I'm strapping the carrier to the seat belt in the car. I have taken Kefira's advice, from earlier in this thread, and now line the carrier with puppy training pads. I clean it out and put in fresh pads while he is being examined. This particular time, he pooped on the way home. Lucky me.

He was an angel while being examined. He complete goes limp and plays dead. The vet tech checked his heart rate and said it was very relaxed - he said usually cats' hearts race while being examined. The tech said, "he's pretending he isn't here." I have a zen kitty.

 

[LAJennifer]

Wellington is lovely and I'm glad you are both happy with the opthalmologist visit outcome.

Thank you, Kgizo. Wellington and I appreciate your good wishes.

 

[LAJennifer]

LA, it's so good to hear the drops are working! Can you get them through your regular pharmacy or do you have to order them from the vet? Oddly, I still have a half-used bottle of pred acetate in the bottom of my purse. So glad that it's going well and that you don't need oral steroids or a steroid injection in the eye.

Initial symptom for us was just some very minor cloudiness around Byron's iris--it looked like it could be the beginning of glaucoma. We noticed it while hiking on a Saturday and he went to our regular vet the following Tuesday. He was referred to an ophthalmologist at that point and then we saw 2 small bubbles of blood in front of his iris. At that point, his IOP was increasing--I think normal pressure for a newf is under 10, but his was closer to 20 (it later would spike up to 60, which damages the retina). Anyway, the small blood cysts in front of the iris were not alarming, but the pressure indicated something more was going on. We ended up doing a bunch of procedures (the retina re-attachment, steroid injections, laser eye surgery, etc.), but nothing worked.

So glad everything is going well on your end! I know how frustrating it is to feel helpless, but it sounds like you've got this under control!

I certainly hope I can get his scripts at my pharmacy. Eye Care For Animals charged me $46 for the Prednisolone Acetate (it is a 15 ml bottle). The other prescription, is Flurbiprofen (NSAID). The gave me 2 bottles for $46. These bottles are much smaller, so I am inclined to believe he may not need them long. Though the Prednisolone will probably be life long. At what dosage - I don't know.

 

[NOYFB]

How is Wellington doing?

BTW, we didn't have much luck with Dr. Andy in diagnosing Peanut's pooping outside the box/diarrhea/constipation issue. He tested negative for parasites, and we weren't offered any kind of of explanation. So...we are having Your Pet's Wellness come today to do a house call. I will let you know what I think of them, in case you are ever interested in having house calls for Wellington.

 

[LAJennifer]

How is Wellington doing?

BTW, we didn't have much luck with Dr. Andy in diagnosing Peanut's pooping outside the box/diarrhea/constipation issue. He tested negative for parasites, and we weren't offered any kind of of explanation. So...we are having Your Pet's Wellness come today to do a house call. I will let you know what I think of them, in case you are ever interested in having house calls for Wellington.

Hi LilMisfit.

Wellington is fine - so far, so good. Giving him the eye drops can sometimes be a bit tricky in the evenings. He has ants in his pants and I don't want to restrain him because then he would never let me do it. The mornings are easy because he is sleepy and cuddly.

I'm sorry to hear that about Peanut. Poopy issues are never fun. Did he start when EQ got sick, or after you got Tinkie? If it was after Tinkie's arrival, perhaps he caught the kitty diarrhea corona virus from her (lots of cats have it). Electra had that as a baby and had diarrhea for a year. What helped was supplementing with Acidophilus and plain, purina cat chow in the blue bag. I know it is not a quality food, but the doc wanted her on something very bland and suggested the cat chow. It worked.

Has Peanut ever been territorial with his litter box? Maybe adding another one would help. I think the home visit is a GREAT idea! The doc should be able to identify any behavioral/territorial issues by seeing him in his own environment. Sending lots of *dust* your way. Let me know how that goes.

How is Tinkie coming along?

 

[LAJennifer]

LA, it's so good to hear the drops are working! Can you get them through your regular pharmacy or do you have to order them from the vet? Oddly, I still have a half-used bottle of pred acetate in the bottom of my purse. So glad that it's going well and that you don't need oral steroids or a steroid injection in the eye.

I hope I can get them from my regular pharmacy. Do you have an idea about how much they cost at a regular pharmacy? At the very least, I'm going to ask for a prescription. I've checked online, and the price at drsfostersmith.com is about half the price of what I paid a the eye doc. If you know of any other good sites, please let me know.

 

[LAJennifer]

Another update. Wellington went for his re-check on Wednesday. The eye looks great, however his eye pressure was up. The doctor thinks that all the cellular debris, that was formerly floating around, is now clogging his ducts. She started him on an anti-glaucoma eye drop (dorzolamide 2%) with another re-check in 3 weeks. His new regimen (for now) is the anti-glaucoma twice a day, and the other 2 drops once a day.

I don't think he has glaucoma, but she said it can sneak up on cats fairly quickly so she wants to prevent it. His pressure was in the low 30's, up significantly since he started the anti-inflammatories 3 weeks ago (his pressure was 1. I feel lucky that he is so cooperative when I give him his drops. He knows the drill by now and doesn't mind at all - he raises his head for me, opens his eye wide, takes the drop, turns to give me a kiss, and then purrs. Sweet boy! He truly is a gift.

PSA regarding Pet Meds- The doctor gave me prescriptions for all of his drops and told me to go to Costco. She said they would be way cheaper than CVS, Walgreens, etc., because they buy in bulk. Also, you do not need to be a Costco member to use the pharmacy. His new drop was $56 at the vet's office so I took the prescription. I called CVS - $56.59. I called Costco - $18.04.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LA, so sorry to hear the pressure is up, I know that can be scary. But the good news is that you caught it early, so at least you got on the anti-glaucoma meds ASAP. I hope it is just the debris settling and that the pressure goes back down to normal very soon.

Also, how sweet that Wellington is such a good boy about his meds!

We never got Byron's drops from Costco, but we got all of Byron's chemotherapy drugs from Costco at our neurologist's recommendation. He said the same thing about them being cheaper than any other pharmacy and also said that the pet pharmacy couldn't even match Costco's price without taking a loss on the drug costs. Going through Costco literally saved us thousands of dollars that year.

 

[Smores84]

Hi,

Since the anterior uveitis has been treated with steroids, the "cellular debris" that your vet is talking about should be clearing.
The pressure rise may be from the prednisolone drops; it is not uncommon to develop a steroid response weeks after starting this med.

It's great to hear that Wellington is doing well!

 

[AGBF]

I didn't realize Byron is blind, NEL. What a load for you! How is he handling it? I'm so sorry! I've missed hearing from you, seems like ages.

I have also missed hearing about Byron and Bosun, NEL. I am very sorry that Byron is blind, but glad that he is alive. Griffin is not yet four, but had some weird stuff with a kidney go on a couple of years ago. Now he had ataxia and since I do not know the cause, I am very worried about that. One problem with Newfs is that one cannot carry them to the car when they are sick. At least I cannot! I send my love to your dogs and to Wellington.

Deb/AGBF