I need to bring Cassidy in to the vet this afternoon.

If it's not one thing it's another .

I need to bring Cass in to the vet this afternoon. I called as soon as I woke up this morning and was thankfully able to get an appointment for today. And while it's certainly not life threatening, this weekend is going to be quite hectic as I'm planning on leaving for a weeklong business conference Monday evening.

Yesterday morning, as I was feeding the girls, I noticed that Cassidy's right eye looked just a tad off. I can't say exactly why it looked off, but I just had a feeling. However, at that point, with no obvious symptoms present, I decided to wait and see how it looked today before rushing her off to the vet. Well, by evening last night, Cassie's eye was rimmed in pink. When I got up this morning her eye was partially closed, looked to have a clear (wet) discharge, was still pink, and had what looked to be a small amount of pus situated on top of the lens. And, so, first thing this morning I put a call in to the vet and was able to get her an appointment to be seen at 1:40pm today.

From everything I've read and experienced, this sounds like it's most likely a case of conjunctivitis. Both she and Delaney were adopted from a local shelter and have had upper respiratory infections (possibly herpes) both while at the shelter and since. And while it was Delaney who most recently had a URI, I suspect Cass is dealing with conjunctivitis now due to the herpes virus. She's showing no other symptoms and is active, is eating and drinking, and is eliminating without issue. I'm assuming that I'll be sent home with a topical ointment (perhaps Terramycin) and possibly oral antibiotics, but since I'm catching this so early I think it'll be easy enough to treat. However, I'm also prepared for the fact that this (and other issues) may be recurrent for both girls since they were shelter cats and did have, in all likelihood, the herpes virus.

But, that all being said, what I don't know is whether or not I need to be prepared for Delaney to come down with the same thing within the next couple of days. And while I don't believe this form of conjunctivitis (if that's indeed what we're dealing with) is transmissable to dogs, I am concerned since I do have other animals in the house. I'll be asking those questions along with the question I have regarding transmission to humans while at the vet this afternoon, but I figured I'd put it out here as well in case anyone has experience or suggestions to offer. I know this is a fairly common issue, but, still, it will be the first time I'm personally dealing with it and I do have questions and concerns...

I'll update, at some point, later on in the day. My schedule is pretty packed, but I know getting Cass in to the vet is a necessity -- I don't want her to be in any discomfort and I want to have this situation under control by the time I leave on Monday evening. Here's to hoping that a little antibiotic (oral or topical) and continued Lysine supplements will do the trick so Cassie is feeling better (and seeing better) in no time !

I have a cat with herpes so I know how you feel.
I hope your cat feels better.

I haven't had an opportunity to come back and update this thread until now, but I did bring Cassidy to the vet and we were provided with an ointment which should help heal the condition with her eye. Unfortunately, however, I was not impressed by the vet that I saw (it was the same practice, but a vet I've not personally seen or used before) and I left somewhat disillusioned by the treatment he prescribed. But, provided she does not get worse over the weekend, I am willing to try this method and then go from there.

Despite my girls' history of possible herpes viral infections, he was very quick to denounce that as the cause for her eye infection. And he was adamant that it was not conjunctivitis -- even at a very early stage. I, myseld, was not absolutely certain that it was conjunctivitis or due to a herpes virus, but I think his lax attitude in the face of those possibilities was unwarranted. Instead he was certain that it was an injury. However, when he examined Cass their was no obvious sign of trauma and, by then, she had started to have a thick, green discharge (not a large quantity, but it was apparent) come from her eye. So, after being firm with what my expectations were, he agreed to put her on an ointment containing neomycin, polymycin, and dexamethasone. The name of the ointment is Dexaspor and it's a corticosteroid plus antibiotic occular ointment.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much information regarding this ointment, but what I have read has left me concerned about its efficacy. In fact, some articles I've read have stated that a contraindication of this ointment is a herpes virus infection. So if that is indeed the case, then is this drug doing more harm than good?

I'm supposed to put a ribbon of the ointment on Cassie's right eye 3-4 times daily through Monday and then twice daily from then on. Her eye last night looked terrible. While it was not closed, there was a lot of clear, wet discharge along with the thicker, green discharge. Her eye was still rimmed in pink although it didn't appear to be visibly swollen. This morning her eye looked a tad better in that the discharge was more clear and wet than thick and green. It's still very pink and she is still squinting (partially) more often than not, but it doesn't seem to be getting worse at this point in time. However, if it gets worse over the course of the weekend I will immediately bring her in to an emergency vet and I think I'll be following up with one of the other veterinarians on Monday regardless of how her eye is healing or progressing.

As for now, I'm going to continue giving Cassidy her medication. And I've been trying to treat her symptoms as well where possible. I've been using a warm washcloth on her eye twice daily and that, I think, has helped her be more comfortable and I've also been gently wiping away the discharge as I see it so that she continues to have use of her eye. If nothing else, I think the ointment has helped with the itching she was having so that alone is a positive, but I still have some serious concerns that will need to be investigated in the coming days.

I'll try to update on Cassie's situation as I know more, but it appears that she's stable for now. I am hoping to have some better answers by Monday as it's that evening that I leave for a weeklong business trip. Thankfully I have my roommate to care for the girls while I'm away, but I'll never be able to leave if Cassidy's not getting better or is worse by that time. But, at least for the moment, Cass is still eating, drinking, eliminating, and playing as if nothing is wrong. And that's a good thing for sure...

Can you get a herpes test?
My Meeko hasherpes and there is a test that will tell you if its herpes.
My vet charges 150 for it but it is worth it.