Eye Infection + Broke College Student = Predicament

Hello!

So my kitty, Jinx, has all the classic symptoms of conjunctivitis, swollen, kinda goopy & pink inside. The problem is that I have a large debt already at the vet from earlier this year (she had her *SECOND* life saving surgery in 2 years, completely unrelated to the first...oy! But I havent been able to pay off the last $600 of the $1400 bill).

Here's my question: What would y'all do in this situation? I cannot afford to take her in (moreover I can't afford to go there when I still owe them $600!), but I obviously can't afford to let something bad happen to her either. I have read some things on the internet about herbal/homeopathic remedies, but I definitely wanted to ask here before going down that road.

Thanks so much!!

If you still have a good relationship with the vet (ie - making payments or arrangements on your debt), I'd give them a call and explain the situation. Eye medications are relatively inexpensive, usually (where I work) under $15.00. You may be able to just pick up medications without an office visit.

If the eyes are oozing, you can wipe them with a warm damp washcloth.

When you talk to the vet, you might also ask about l-lysine if the conjunctivitis is a recurring thing (i.e. feline herpes virus). It's a supplement you can buy at most grocery stores or Walgreen/CVS type stores as a tablet or pill that you can mix into their food. It's wonderfully effective in preventing outbreaks or lessening them. If you use the search engine on this site, you'll find several threads with good info about it.

I hope Jinx feels better soon! I don't have anything to add advice-wise... except that you should look into buying a health insurance policy. You've already spent 10X what a policy would cost, and I haven't had to use mine yet (knock wood) but it's nice to know (also being a broke college student) that it's there.

I don't really know much about this but what about "pet meds dot com"? I know that no one would want their kitty (or themselves for that matter) to get the wrong medicine, but for the most part, eye infections are pretty straightforward, aren't they?

Oh! I just thought of something. In humans there are viral eye infections and bacterial eye infections. Maybe you could do a bit of research to see if you can tell a difference. And I agree that it's possible that you can get a prescription over the phone if you're on somewhat good terms with the vet!

Well so far, Jinx has faired well with just a warm wash cloth cleaning her eyes. I guess my biggest concern is that I do nothing at all because I can't go to my regular vet. I'm definitely going to try petmeds and also the pet insurance route. I had heard of it before, but only from my vet.

What a nightmare! Oh the things we do for our kitty-kids!

Any more insight? I searched the forums for "eye" and "swollen" but everything still seemed to suggest conjunctivitis.

P.S. I worked out a payment plan with the vet, but I'm behind and I'm currently working a side job to try and raise the money. Hopefully I can pay it off by the end of October. *cross your fingers*

I thought I saw the eye cream my vet usually gives me in the Drs. Foster and Smith catalog. It was pretty inexpensive.

Try using Lysine supplements. Comes in tablets, capsules, liquid and paste. You can do a search on it on the boards

There are *some* homeopathic remedies that work excellently, but you need to know what you're getting.

If it's possible, it's probably better to get her to a vet. Talk to them, they may be more understanding than you think

i could be wrong but dont you need a prescription to get that medicine online? i wouldnt count on any vet handing out medication without an office visit, that would be pretty irresponsible since they wouldnt really know what was wrong without an examination. if its a bacterial infection your kitties immune system should be able to handle it but you might want to try one of those herbal remedies to help it along and maybe alleviate some symptoms but you would have to be very careful and research the product thorougly before using it. and continue wiping the eyes. hope she gets better soon!

Just buy some cotton balls if you don't already have them. Boil a pot of water and, of course, let it cool completely. Dip a clean cotton ball into the sterilized water and simply clean his eye with it. Do this about 4 times a day. Keep the water sterile by either covering it, or re-boiling and re-cooling. This ALWAYS works for humans and for any of my animals when then had it. Good luck!

Teramycin, which if I'kmk not confused, is what they use to treat conjunctivitis, is very cheap. Maybe you can just order it?

Just, call the vet and ask if you can do that.