Hi Everyone,
WOW I am really blown away by this forum! This is my first time here so let me introduce my family. I have a tribe of 7 cats, including 1 6 week old kitten. My cats are rescues of various ages. In the past year, I have lost 3 babies, 2 young cats due to cardiomiopathy and Claude who was 16 from kidney failure.
Okay- I have a 10 year old Abyssinian who I have only had for a year. Thursday I brought her in to the vet because she was sounding congested and throwing up clear bile. They checked her out (did radiographs and such) and said she probably has a low grade infection that will go away. Her congestion and throwing up stopped.
So, a couple days later and her eye is leaking- and she never has leaky eyes. It is clear/yellowish and I have been wiping it for her. She is alert, eating well and watching the birds. I noticed this evening that her 3rd eyelid is swollen and hanging down a little.
I am bring her in to the vet the day after tomorrow (Monday) b/c she is getting a lump (benign but they are removing it to test it more) removed. So, they could check her eye out then.
I have lots of experience with cats, so I know not to let anything go, and i know money isn't an issue but is this something I should bring her in on emergency this weekend (like tonight or tomorrow)?? Is this something very serious that can't wait until Monday?
thanks! -Wendy
my angie has a leaky eye
Re: my angie has a leaky eye
Welcome, Wendy......
You can try to apply cool compresses to her eye a few times a day to help reduce the swelling and irritation. If your vet gave you oral antibiotics for the initial infection, call first thing in the a.m. to see if you can continue it until you can get her seen. If clavamox or amoxicillin, you can probably give it now, use the same doseage as was prescribed earlier this week (am assuming it was 1 ml twice daily, or, 62.5 mg tablets, one twice a day).....but I'd rather you confirm this with your vet.
If you think this is unrelated and may be a foreign embedded object, try flushing the eye once or twice to see if it improves. You can simply use an eyedropper with room temp or slightly cool water, and apply a drop or two in the eye, let her be for a moment, then do it again.
Ideally, if bloodwork was not done last week, please opt for it now. In a 10 year old kitty with a secondary infection, you truly want to know the source, and if it is associated with a primary disease potential. Start with a full geriatric profile if possible, and talk to your vet about including urinalysis and thyroid function testing. Any secondary bacterial infection can exacerbate a health condition, so you want to determine there is no underling health problem (i.e., kidney disease, heart disease, etc).
As for timing, call your vet first thing in the a.m.....if the situation worsens before then or your vet is not available, don't hesitate to contact an emergency vet. Watch for any other signs of illness, such as decreased appetite, fever, vomiting, lethargy, painful abdomen, diarrhea, etc., in which case, ER vet promptly.
You can try to apply cool compresses to her eye a few times a day to help reduce the swelling and irritation. If your vet gave you oral antibiotics for the initial infection, call first thing in the a.m. to see if you can continue it until you can get her seen. If clavamox or amoxicillin, you can probably give it now, use the same doseage as was prescribed earlier this week (am assuming it was 1 ml twice daily, or, 62.5 mg tablets, one twice a day).....but I'd rather you confirm this with your vet.
If you think this is unrelated and may be a foreign embedded object, try flushing the eye once or twice to see if it improves. You can simply use an eyedropper with room temp or slightly cool water, and apply a drop or two in the eye, let her be for a moment, then do it again.
Ideally, if bloodwork was not done last week, please opt for it now. In a 10 year old kitty with a secondary infection, you truly want to know the source, and if it is associated with a primary disease potential. Start with a full geriatric profile if possible, and talk to your vet about including urinalysis and thyroid function testing. Any secondary bacterial infection can exacerbate a health condition, so you want to determine there is no underling health problem (i.e., kidney disease, heart disease, etc).
As for timing, call your vet first thing in the a.m.....if the situation worsens before then or your vet is not available, don't hesitate to contact an emergency vet. Watch for any other signs of illness, such as decreased appetite, fever, vomiting, lethargy, painful abdomen, diarrhea, etc., in which case, ER vet promptly.
..........Traci