Missy's eye

mezlo

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Since Saturday afternoon/evening Missy (~ 1 yo female) has been keeping her right eye mostly shut. If something gets her attention she will open it wide but the pupil won't dilate as wide as the left eye.

I took her to the vet today but the vet couldn't find any sign of debris or scratch or whatnot so thinks it may be viral, FIP, or FeLV. I told her to not test for FIP and FeLV so we'll just wait a week or two and see if it clears up (which it should if it's just viral).

I know from other threads that FIP testing is more or less a waste of money but what about FeLV? I thought Missy had been vaccinated against it but apparently she hasn't.

Any thoughts/ideas?

Mez
 

mrblanche

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It COULD be feline herpes virus. You can't cure it, but you can add L-Lysine (there's a feline version available) to soft food to help them fight it off. Most cats have it, and any sort of stress can cause it to flare up.
 

blaise

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Originally Posted by mezlo

...I know from other threads that FIP testing is more or less a waste of money but what about FeLV?...Any thoughts/ideas?
Sorry that you never received an answer to that part.

If Missy were my cat, whether or not her eye issue clears up, I would want to know whether or not she was FeLV positive. If I discovered that she were positive, I would be in a better position to both keep her health in optimal condition and to be sensitive to some of the early warning symptoms that often precede trhe development of a specific condition or a "crash". There are also online groups of people who are successfully maintaining their FeLV+ kitties' health - I would be joining up with them - often, the combined knowledge and experience of such groups far outstrips the knowledge/experience of peoples' individual Vets.

(I speak from having discovered my cat had FeLV at age 7 - when he suddenly "crashed" - and I lost him shortly thereafter. If I had only known...)

Trust me, you don't want to have regrets...have the test done!
 
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mezlo

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Originally Posted by BLAISE

Sorry that you never received an answer to that part.

If Missy were my cat, whether or not her eye issue clears up, I would want to know whether or not she was FeLV positive. If I discovered that she were positive, I would be in a better position to both keep her health in optimal condition and to be sensitive to some of the early warning symptoms that often precede trhe development of a specific condition or a "crash". There are also online groups of people who are successfully maintaining their FeLV+ kitties' health - I would be joining up with them - often, the combined knowledge and experience of such groups far outstrips the knowledge/experience of peoples' individual Vets.

(I speak from having discovered my cat had FeLV at age 7 - when he suddenly "crashed" - and I lost him shortly thereafter. If I had only known...)

Trust me, you don't want to have regrets...have the test done!
Both Missy and Ashley (and my first cat Junior) all came from the local shelter and were/are all indoor cats ever since I got them (so little or no risk of exposure). Wouldn't the shelter have tested them for FeLV before putting them in the general population and making them available for adoption?

Mez
 

blaise

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Originally Posted by mezlo

...Wouldn't the shelter have tested them for FeLV before putting them in the general population and making them available for adoption?
I think that's a question better put to the shelter directly...otherwise you're basing the future on speculation/probability/opinions.

The ELISA Snap test used to detect FeLV is an inexpensive investment.
 

clpeters23

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Originally Posted by mezlo

Both Missy and Ashley (and my first cat Junior) all came from the local shelter and were/are all indoor cats ever since I got them (so little or no risk of exposure). Wouldn't the shelter have tested them for FeLV before putting them in the general population and making them available for adoption?

Mez
My sister-in-law adopted a shelter cat about 5 years ago and it had not been tested (we found out later) and turned out to be FeLV positive. Maybe I'm too skeptical, but in the past I have had my vet run the "normal" tests before I've brought a new cat home despite what the shelter said.
 

maxcat08

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I'm glad that I read this thread. Phoebe, 12 yrs old, will hold her eye shut too. It doesn't happen too frequently...perhaps 3 or 4 times a year....then within the day, or maybe next day..it's all better. I never thought anything of it because it doesn't seem to affect anything. She doesn't rub it, scratch at it, hide her head, meow, complain, or have any other issues with it.

How does one tell if it is the herpes virus? I'll go research it.

Thanks for the idea!!
 
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