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Has anyone ever taken their pet to an eye doctor?

LAJennifer

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Has anyone ever taken their cat or dog to an eye doctor? Wellington has a red streak in the iris of his left eye. He saw his vet last week and the eye pressure was normal, but he offered to refer me to an opthalmologist. Since the onset was sudden, we figured he scratched it - he had correlating scratch marks at the same angle on his left ear. I'm not sure it is improving, though I don't think it is worse. I was able to get a good picture today. You can see the streak at about 4 o'clock in his left eye.

Just wondering how invasive is the exam. Wellington is well behaved (amazing - since he is a former feral), but he gets very scared and usually urinates on someone.

wellington_016.jpg
 

kefira

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I haven't been to a veterinary ophthalmologist, but I just wanted to say that your boy is gorgeous! I love his blue eyes and his pink nose with the dark outline. I hope he heals quickly.

I had a kitty with a similar fear; I had a stash of puppy training pads for when he had to go to the vet. It so sad to see the little guys get so scared. Hugs to Wellington!
 

missy

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Hi LAJennifer, Wellington is beautiful. Is he in any discomfort?

I've never brought any of my furbabies to the veterinarian ophthalmologist but the exam should not be invasive and I urge you to go if your veterinarian recommends it. The ophthalmologist will look at Wellington's eyes with some instruments and hopefully make a diagnosis that turns out to be nothing to worry about or easily treated.

Did the vet say it looked like blood? What were his best guesses? Did he look with a slit lamp (Big magnifying instrument) as that needs to be done to visualize the front structures of the eye with enough magnification. Not invasive at all and a vet ophthalmologist will definitely do that.

Good luck and sending buckets of healing dust to Wellington!
 

JewelFreak

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What a gorgeous kitty! He should be a centerfold or January in a calendar of beautiful men.

I took my Siberian to a veterinary ophthamologist for a thorough exam -- Siberians are susceptible to junvenile cataracts. It is similar to a human eye doctor -- not at all invasive. They put drops in the eye, you wait a bit for them to work, then they peer in with a special light. Piece of cake. My dog sat quietly through the exam, which is rare for a talking, woowoo-ing breed with plenty to say all the time.

Wellington probably did get his eye scratched. Is he an indoor cat? If not, & he is getting in rumbles, you might consider turning him into one, for his safety.

I imagine that will heal up, though he might have a scar across the cornea, nothing to do about that. His vision would adjust anyhow.

If he were my cat, I'd wait a few days to see if it clears up. Keep watch for infection, dripping or oozing from the eye. That could be treated by a regular vet if necessary, but it looks perfectly healthy in your pic. I think he'll be ok. Give him a big fat kiss for me!!! :love:

--- Laurie
 

missy

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If Wellington got scratched in the eye and it doesn't appear to be healing he may need certain antibiotic drops- such as vigamox. Could you ask your general veterinarian to prescribe it prophylactically if you are not going to bring him to the ophthalmologist soon? The reason I ask is because you can minimize any corneal scarring this way. And if it is serious ie corneal ulcer you really need to start treating. Though I would hope your general vet could have diagnosed that as they do examine the eyes somewhat.
 

LAJennifer

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Thanks everyone - my PS furry loving friends are awesome!

JewelFreak - Wellington is indoor only. He had it pretty rough, living on the streets, when I met him. He was wary of coming indoors (I had to trap him) but now he wouldn't go back outside for millions of dollars. However, he is rambunctious and likes to rough house with my 13 year old, Seth. Seth is usually a willing participant, but since Wellington is 10 years younger and 4 pounds heavier, Seth sometimes takes cheap shots. I'm pretty sure it was Seth that scratched him. They love each other though, and are pretty inseparable. The day it appeared, the eye was a little watery, but that cleared up in a day and I got him in to see his vet the very next day. When I explained it to the vet his first thoughts were that it was an emergency, but when he examined him he changed his mind. He did get a good look and checked his eye pressure with a tanometer. The readings were perfect. There was no swelling, oozing or pain.

Wellington is FIV+ (kind of like being HIV+). The vet said one would never suspect he is an FIV cat, because of his excellent health and good teeth and gums. He feels we are many, many years away from aggressive treatment. However, the vet would like for him to lose 2 pounds. He is chubby.

He is a gorgeous boy, isn't he? He was cross eyed when he was outside - he doesn't even look like the same cat. It's amazing what a little love and nurturing can do.
 

LAJennifer

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kefira|1352626957|3303164 said:
I haven't been to a veterinary ophthalmologist, but I just wanted to say that your boy is gorgeous! I love his blue eyes and his pink nose with the dark outline. I hope he heals quickly.

I had a kitty with a similar fear; I had a stash of puppy training pads for when he had to go to the vet. It so sad to see the little guys get so scared. Hugs to Wellington!

Kefira - I had never thought about using puppy training pads. What a great suggestion! I'll give him a hug for you.
 

innerkitten

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He's beautiful! Amazing blue eyes. I took my blind cat to one and in my case it wasn't a great experience because they convinced me to try a surgery that could help him to see in one eye. He has scar tissue on both eyes from a virus he had as a kitten. So they were going to remove the scar tissue on one eye. We did it but I think T.C. was really traumatized by it ( even though he was knocked out during the procedure). Anyway the scar tissue grew back. He can see light and shadow anyway and is happy the way he is so I will never put him through something like that again.
 

Haven

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Wellington is gorgeous!

I've never taken our pets to an eye doctor, but I hope Wellington feels better soon.
 

LAJennifer

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Missy - you always give the best advice regarding furbabies. He is not experiencing any discomfort. It is blood - it is hard to see and the light has to hit it just right. There is a small spot that has pooled (super small) at the edge where the iris meets the sclera. That's most likely where the scratch/puncture happened, though there was no evidence of a wound on the surface. There is no fuzziness in the cornea and the iris isn't swollen. I know that it can take the body as long as 6 weeks to reabsorb the blood. I'm crazy - yesterday I downloaded a veterinary opthalmology text book and read the whole thing.

The vet is conservative and doesn't like to over prescribe, but I think some drops would be reasonable. I'll call tomorrow. Thanks again!
 

AprilBaby

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Stunning cat!!!
 

LAJennifer

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innerkitten|1352652554|3303357 said:
He's beautiful! Amazing blue eyes. I took my blind cat to one and in my case it wasn't a great experience because they convinced me to try a surgery that could help him to see in one eye. He has scar tissue on both eyes from a virus he had as a kitten. So they were going to remove the scar tissue on one eye. We did it but I think T.C. was really traumatized by it ( even though he was knocked out during the procedure). Anyway the scar tissue grew back. He can see light and shadow anyway and is happy the way he is so I will never put him through something like that again.

Innerkitten - I'm so sorry to hear that T.C. had a bad experience. It's heartbreaking to think of them experiencing any discomfort. I'm glad he is happy and comfortable now.
 

LAJennifer

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Haven|1352653047|3303368 said:
Wellington is gorgeous!

I've never taken our pets to an eye doctor, but I hope Wellington feels better soon.

Thanks, Haven. Wellington feels fine, he just wishes I would stop bugging him about it (I look at it a hundred times a day). I probably need a Xanax . . . or two.

The most difficult adjustment about moving to a new city has been finding new doctors (for us and the cats) - it really is a crap shoot. You just try to read reviews and make the best decisions you can. I have friend downtown that gets taken advantage of every time she goes to the vet. It is so disheartening. I've taken all 3 of my cats to the new vet I've selected and he has been great so far - and affordable. He really connects with the cats and knows just how to handle them. He put Wellington right at ease and was able to give a full exam without a single protest from Wellington.

I know you volunteer at shelters/rescues. Have you ever heard anything about Eye Care for Animals or Furnetic?
 

LAJennifer

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Here are some photos of Wellington when he was a feral outside (during my process of taming). He was a bit cross eyed and his eyes oozed with a red tinged liquid. He also had some serious battle scars.

picture_053.jpg
 

LAJennifer

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His eyes were pretty bad. This was March 2010.

picture_078.jpg
 

LAJennifer

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This is how he spends his time these days. He loves to watch Football, The Bachelor, and The Ellen Show.

picture_483.jpg
 

Haven

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AAAAH! I love the before and after shots of Wellington! That last one with him reclining on the sofa is CLASSIC. What a lucky boy he is, you did good by him!

I haven't heard of either eye doctor, no. Sorry! When we were in the city we took the cats to Blum Animal Hospital and liked them a lot. http://www.blumvet.com/ We had some terrible experiences with other city vets--one of our kitties needed emergency surgery for something that should have been extremely easy to identify by any vet, but with multiple visits to a cat clinic in two weeks none of their vets saw it. So, I feel for you!

Now that we're in the suburbs we take all of our animals to the vet my family used. They're a bit out of the way, even for us, so they would be very out of the way for you, but they're wonderful. http://www.lincolnshireanimalhospital.com/ If this current vet doesn't work out, or if you ever need something serious attended to, or if (heaven forbid!) Wellington needs surgery, I can highly recommend them. We've come home with many cones of shame from this vet! They've also been there for me for all of the hard end-of-life decisions I've had to make for my babies over the years.

Wellington is so lucky to have such a dedicated mama! I hope he's enjoying his football today. :cheeky: And here's hoping the Cowboys beat the crap out of Michael Vick later today!
 

aviastar

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I'm not in Chicago, but Eye Care for Animals (I think) is a big national company; that's the clinic we have been taking my parents' 10 year old German Shepard to for dry eye and pannis. The one here was recommended by our normal vet and they have been really nice, but I think it probably depends on what vets are working in your clinic, like with everything, some are better than others.

Our dog had developed serious dry eye and ulcers under his lids because of it; when he didn't respond to standard treatment we were referred to the opthamologist. We ended up having a surgery performed to repair his cornea, but unfortunately his dry eye is not really responding to any treatment. This clinic offers major surgery options that would mitigate the issue, but not fix it, so they certainly have the technology and the skill to do amazing things. Our experience there was friendly, fast, everything was timed well, and the staff were wonderful. The are not inexpensive, but they do work with a few companies to arrange for payment plans.

Honestly, if your (beautiful) kitty has been checked out by his vet, shows no signs of infection, worsening, or discomfort I'd wait it out for a bit.

Hope he feels better (and you do, too)!
 

JewelFreak

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LOVE Wellington, Jennifer! He's found heaven without having to bother to die.

I also can really relate to what you've been through & how much you love him -- I had a cat in very similar circumstances, dying in our backyard when we moved into our house. He wouldn't let me near him even to feed him, though he was skin & bones & bare patches from malnutrition -- I had to leave the food & go into the house before he'd eat. Pus oozed from his mouth, crusty stuff almost made him unable to open his eyes, and his walk was wobbly, ears tattered from fights, face scarred. Still, it took almost a year to get him to trust me -- he was too smart for a trap, must have encountered them before. Finally he let me pet him & I popped him into a crate & to the vet -- where they pulled the few teeth he had left, told me he had been a day from death. I named him The Bear because he became so cuddly & so big & fluffy. Took a long time & work to get him over his fear of being kicked. He had no interest in going outside either: "been there, done that." I thought I'd give him a few happy months & a nice funeral; he lived 11 wonderful, beloved years & died a very old man, in my arms. Here he is after becoming Master of the House:



The Bear had scars on one cornea that were visible & his vision was normal as far as I could tell. He also inflicted one on my puppy while teaching her that Dogs Must Always Respect Cats. This was 25 yrs ago when little could be done, but that dog never had any difficulty seeing. Like humans with floaters, I imagine the brain learns to filter it out & ignore it. I can tell you care enough to be vigilant, so keep watch but no reason to stress him out with a vet visit unless you see indications of problems. I think the blood will eventually absorb & he'll be good as new. He didn't survive on the street without good healing powers.

I have no doubt he loves you as much as you love him. Cats know that stuff & they never forget. You are both special!

--- Laurie

ETA: I really recommend Angie's List for vet & other references. Worth the 50 bucks/year. Sounds like you're so far happy with what you've found, but if you want to change, that is a great source for reliable reviews.

bear-o.jpg
 

Haven

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The Bear is beautiful, Laurie! What a wonderful thing you did to save him, and how well you were repaid for it!

We rescued all of our cats straight from shelters, but one of ours reminds me of these hearty guys. We named him Manny, but we call him Manny-Rough-and-Tumble because he was a bit haggard when we first brought him home. He has scars on his ears and nose, and his whiskers were all bent up. It was clear that he'd been in more than a few fights out on the mean streets of Chicago. When we first met him in the shelter, an employee pulled him out of his cage and plopped him on my lap where he proceeded to roll over onto his back, spread out and expose his entire belly, and fall asleep. Needless to say, we knew we had found our next furbaby.
 

innerkitten

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LAJennifer|1352656429|3303396 said:
This is how he spends his time these days. He loves to watch Football, The Bachelor, and The Ellen Show.

Awwww. That photo makes me want to pick him up and hug him!
 

innerkitten

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JewelFreak|1352658942|3303426 said:
LOVE Wellington, Jennifer! He's found heaven without having to bother to die.

I also can really relate to what you've been through & how much you love him -- I had a cat in very similar circumstances, dying in our backyard when we moved into our house. He wouldn't let me near him even to feed him, though he was skin & bones & bare patches from malnutrition -- I had to leave the food & go into the house before he'd eat. Pus oozed from his mouth, crusty stuff almost made him unable to open his eyes, and his walk was wobbly, ears tattered from fights, face scarred. Still, it took almost a year to get him to trust me -- he was too smart for a trap, must have encountered them before. Finally he let me pet him & I popped him into a crate & to the vet -- where they pulled the few teeth he had left, told me he had been a day from death. I named him The Bear because he became so cuddly & so big & fluffy. Took a long time & work to get him over his fear of being kicked. He had no interest in going outside either: "been there, done that." I thought I'd give him a few happy months & a nice funeral; he lived 11 wonderful, beloved years & died a very old man, in my arms. Here he is after becoming Master of the House:



The Bear had scars on one cornea that were visible & his vision was normal as far as I could tell. He also inflicted one on my puppy while teaching her that Dogs Must Always Respect Cats. This was 25 yrs ago when little could be done, but that dog never had any difficulty seeing. Like humans with floaters, I imagine the brain learns to filter it out & ignore it. I can tell you care enough to be vigilant, so keep watch but no reason to stress him out with a vet visit unless you see indications of problems. I think the blood will eventually absorb & he'll be good as new. He didn't survive on the street without good healing powers.

I have no doubt he loves you as much as you love him. Cats know that stuff & they never forget. You are both special!

--- Laurie

ETA: I really recommend Angie's List for vet & other references. Worth the 50 bucks/year. Sounds like you're so far happy with what you've found, but if you want to change, that is a great source for reliable reviews.

Sweet story. He's adorable.
 

LAJennifer

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JewelFreak - your story about The Bear made me cry. What a beautiful relationship you had. It is a special experience when a wild animal chooses to have a relationship with you.

Haven - thanks for the vet recommendations. Much appreciated! Who knows, maybe you will get to meet Wellington one day and give him a kiss. He loves the ladies!
 

Haven

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LAJennifer|1352745281|3304433 said:
JewelFreak - your story about The Bear made me cry. What a beautiful relationship you had. It is a special experience when a wild animal chooses to have a relationship with you.

Haven - thanks for the vet recommendations. Much appreciated! Who knows, maybe you will get to meet Wellington one day and give him a kiss. He loves the ladies!
I would love that! He looks big and smushy, my favorite kind of kitty.
 

missy

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LAJennifer|1352653572|3303373 said:
Missy - you always give the best advice regarding furbabies. He is not experiencing any discomfort. It is blood - it is hard to see and the light has to hit it just right. There is a small spot that has pooled (super small) at the edge where the iris meets the sclera. That's most likely where the scratch/puncture happened, though there was no evidence of a wound on the surface. There is no fuzziness in the cornea and the iris isn't swollen. I know that it can take the body as long as 6 weeks to reabsorb the blood. I'm crazy - yesterday I downloaded a veterinary opthalmology text book and read the whole thing.

The vet is conservative and doesn't like to over prescribe, but I think some drops would be reasonable. I'll call tomorrow. Thanks again!

Thank you LAJennifer. How is Wellington doing today? Thinking of him and hoping he is doing well!!
Btw, he is one gorgeous kitty. :love: Love the photos you posted and love that you rescued him!! :appl:
 

LAJennifer

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missy|1352745464|3304438 said:
LAJennifer|1352653572|3303373 said:
Missy - you always give the best advice regarding furbabies. He is not experiencing any discomfort. It is blood - it is hard to see and the light has to hit it just right. There is a small spot that has pooled (super small) at the edge where the iris meets the sclera. That's most likely where the scratch/puncture happened, though there was no evidence of a wound on the surface. There is no fuzziness in the cornea and the iris isn't swollen. I know that it can take the body as long as 6 weeks to reabsorb the blood. I'm crazy - yesterday I downloaded a veterinary opthalmology text book and read the whole thing.

The vet is conservative and doesn't like to over prescribe, but I think some drops would be reasonable. I'll call tomorrow. Thanks again!

Thank you LAJennifer. How is Wellington doing today? Thinking of him and hoping he is doing well!!
Btw, he is one gorgeous kitty. :love: Love the photos you posted and love that you rescued him!! :appl:

Hi Missy. Wellington is doing fine today. I got a better look at it today - I pulled the eyelid down and he looked up so I got a good look at it in the full sun. I can see individual blood vessels where the iris meets the white part of his eye. I think the "streak" that goes up to the iris is kind of like a reflection of that small area. There is still no swelling, discharge or cloudiness. I called 2 different "Eye Care For Animals" locations today and got a good feel for what the exams/tests would be like and what they would cost. $260 for the exam and the 3 main eye tests. Not bad. Reviews on yelp are mixed, though I think most of the negative reviews have to do with the cost of surgeries.

Wellington is a wild man today - running and jumping all over the place. Which, I'm sure, doesn't help his body to reabsorb the blood. He is not, however, wrestling with Seth. Maybe he learned his lesson there.
 

missy

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Glad he is doing well and seems A-OK! You are an attentive mommy for sure so I know he is in great hands! Continued dust for a speedy healing process with no adverse effects!!
 

LAJennifer

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Haven|1352745332|3304437 said:
I would love that! He looks big and smushy, my favorite kind of kitty.

He is totally smushy! Sometimes I call him Smushycakes. He answers to all his nicknames too . . . Pumpkin Head (because he has a huge head, shaped like a pumpkin), PumpkinSchmumpkins, Punkin, and Shmushycakes.
 

LAJennifer

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aviastar|1352658713|3303421 said:
I'm not in Chicago, but Eye Care for Animals (I think) is a big national company; that's the clinic we have been taking my parents' 10 year old German Shepard to for dry eye and pannis. The one here was recommended by our normal vet and they have been really nice, but I think it probably depends on what vets are working in your clinic, like with everything, some are better than others.

Our dog had developed serious dry eye and ulcers under his lids because of it; when he didn't respond to standard treatment we were referred to the opthamologist. We ended up having a surgery performed to repair his cornea, but unfortunately his dry eye is not really responding to any treatment. This clinic offers major surgery options that would mitigate the issue, but not fix it, so they certainly have the technology and the skill to do amazing things. Our experience there was friendly, fast, everything was timed well, and the staff were wonderful. The are not inexpensive, but they do work with a few companies to arrange for payment plans.

Honestly, if your (beautiful) kitty has been checked out by his vet, shows no signs of infection, worsening, or discomfort I'd wait it out for a bit.

Hope he feels better (and you do, too)!

Thanks, Aviastar. Your opinion on Eye Care For Animals is very helpful. I'm keeping a close eye (pardon the pun) on Wellington's condition. I will take him if it worsens. I hope he won't get too upset. I talked with 2 different Eye Care For Animals clinics today. I carefully explained his condition and his previous vet visit, and neither were like, "Oh, you need to bring him in right now." I didn't get a sense of urgency from either location - so I guess that's a good thing.
 

LAJennifer

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AprilBaby|1352653611|3303374 said:
Stunning cat!!!

Thank you, AprilBaby. I think so too, but I am a bit biased.
 
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