Another eye problem- sorry it's Christmas eve and we're nursing it

katalyst

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Ok, first of all, I realize you guys will all tell me to take him to the vet. It's christmas eve and mine's not open, although I did get in touch with the on-call vet who gave me some instructions.

My sweet male obviously catted around the wrong crowd, because I found him early this morning with two small gashes around his eye. One bigger one just above the right eye corner and a teeny one just below it. His eye is soo swollen! It's not draining, and it's not really goopy anymore. (It was at first, but I cleaned it with some eye drops.) I also applied antibacterial ointment to the outside, and they are scabbing up fine, no bleeding or draining.

But the inside, I gotta tell you, is a mess. The 'extra lid' is swollen across his eye, and he rarely opens it (not that I blame him.) Although when I can see his eye, it looks ok like he's trying to use it and can see. I realize that cats are not people, but I have experience with human corneal abbrasions and trauma and they usually drain and tear constantly. He has had no tearing now, so I think that's a good sign. I'm hoping he went to shut his eye just as he got hit and maybe just the very inside corner of the 'extra sideways' lid got knicked instead of the pupil , and that is why there is so much swelling. I've been trying to apply a cold press to him throughout the day. Needless to say, he's not the most cooperative patient, but I think that it does help for a little while.

Other than that, he looks pretty laid out. He's not whining or whimpering. We're not sure if he's eaten much today. (He's been secured in the garage with plenty of food though, we just personally didn't see him eat.) It's been about 13 hours since I found him. I realize this kind of thing make take a few days to a week to heal.

My problem is that tomorrow is Christmas day and vets are not the most available. Like I said, I did consult with a vet over the phone today who gave me instructions like rinsing out any discharge or crusty stuff around the eye, applying cold, keeping him confined to check out how he's doing.

I've read a few of the other posts who had eye scratches, but other than the obvious of taking them to the vet, just wanted to see if anyone else had other ideas.

Are there any safe antihistamines that will help slow the reaction of the swelling? Like a quarter of a Benedryl or something? Can we give him a pain reliever like a baby aspirin to make him more comfortable? Like I said, the wound itself is scabbing over nicely, it's just that the inside of his eye is very swollen. I'm thinking that it's just going to take him a day or several to recover and that in the meantime, it's not going to be very pleasant for him.

And just for the record, if it looks worse tomorrow or doesn't improve in a day or two, I'll be taking him in. My husband who grew up on a farm seems to think he'll be ok with some time and proper care....
 

cloud_shade

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Definitely no aspirin! I wouldn't think that an antihistamine would help in this case--the cold compress is probably being used to aid the swelling. I'd be a bit wary of allowing the wound to scab over as that could potentially trap infection inside. Cats are very prone to abscesses, which form when a wound seals too soon. There really isn't anything over the counter that you can give for the pain. I'm glad you've been in touch with the vet. The only thing I would suggest is that you keep him indoors and monitor his food and water intake. If he isn't eating or drinking, call the vet back.
 

krazy kat2

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Please do not give your kitty Benedryl. I gave some to a cat one time, and he ran around gagging and screaming. I thought surely I had killed him. He turned out ok, but it was very scary, and totally ineffective.
I hope he is ok.
 

crazyforinfo

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I am not sure about allergy medicine helping the eye but we have given our cats baby allegery meds. We were told to use medicine with this drug in it
Chlorpheniramine Maleate & use half a pill.
 
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