Hi everyone.
Sorry this is very long. I'm trying to explain as best I can. TLDR: I have a shy cat with recurrent FHV conjunctivitis, but giving him eye drops stresses him out more than anything. Is trying to let it clear up on its own to not stress him out more dangerous than causing stress?
Full explanation:I have a sweet but anxiety-prone 4-year-old(Gabriel) whom I adopted from a friend of a friend. He had been raised since a kitten with his brother who was very aggressive, so his previous owner thought one should be rehomed because his stress levels were out the roof. It took about 2 months of having Gabriel before he seemed really comfortable with us. He was very cuddly and needy and sweet, and quite active and playful.
6 months from adoption, he got conjunctivitis. The vet said it was probably ocular herpes but gave him antibiotic drops to prevent secondary infections. Due to getting his eye drops every day, he went back to being very anxious, and hiding in his hiding spaces all day, only venturing out to eat and use the box. He also was less relaxed even in his hiding spots, probably because we would come get him out 3 times a day and give him the hated eye drops.
The conjunctivitis cleared up, and it took him a week or so to go back to wanting to come to the couch for cuddles. He also continued to seem extra needy and lonely. We decided to get a young kitten (Pythagoras)for him as a companion. This went very well. He was really coming out of his shell, loved to play with the new kitten, batting balls around, chasing each other all around the house, and he generally spent less time hiding and more time playing/coming over for pettings or just hanging out in the middle of the room.
Then 2 days ago, his other eye started to show conjunctivitis. We still had eye drops and started to give them to him. He's instantly returned to being very scared and hiding all the time. Even if Pythagoras goes to him in his spots to initiate play he just hurries out, slinking tail down, to a different hiding spot. I can coax him out for affection with maybe an hour of effort each time and gentle playing with a long-distance toy. (I have to shut Pythagoras in another room, as his more rambunctious play doesn't work for this.
I'm worried at this point whether giving prophylactic antibiotics for secondary infections to a known viral infection is really the best idea. Everything I've read says stress is the worst thing for the ocular herpes flair ups. (He was, however, acting at his relative lowest stress levels at the onset of both flair ups.) is it worth it? I certainly think it is if the danger of permanent eye damage and loss is *high*, but I can only seem to determine that it's possible rather than anything to help with a cost/benefit analysis.
Thanks for reading.
Sorry this is very long. I'm trying to explain as best I can. TLDR: I have a shy cat with recurrent FHV conjunctivitis, but giving him eye drops stresses him out more than anything. Is trying to let it clear up on its own to not stress him out more dangerous than causing stress?
Full explanation:I have a sweet but anxiety-prone 4-year-old(Gabriel) whom I adopted from a friend of a friend. He had been raised since a kitten with his brother who was very aggressive, so his previous owner thought one should be rehomed because his stress levels were out the roof. It took about 2 months of having Gabriel before he seemed really comfortable with us. He was very cuddly and needy and sweet, and quite active and playful.
6 months from adoption, he got conjunctivitis. The vet said it was probably ocular herpes but gave him antibiotic drops to prevent secondary infections. Due to getting his eye drops every day, he went back to being very anxious, and hiding in his hiding spaces all day, only venturing out to eat and use the box. He also was less relaxed even in his hiding spots, probably because we would come get him out 3 times a day and give him the hated eye drops.
The conjunctivitis cleared up, and it took him a week or so to go back to wanting to come to the couch for cuddles. He also continued to seem extra needy and lonely. We decided to get a young kitten (Pythagoras)for him as a companion. This went very well. He was really coming out of his shell, loved to play with the new kitten, batting balls around, chasing each other all around the house, and he generally spent less time hiding and more time playing/coming over for pettings or just hanging out in the middle of the room.
Then 2 days ago, his other eye started to show conjunctivitis. We still had eye drops and started to give them to him. He's instantly returned to being very scared and hiding all the time. Even if Pythagoras goes to him in his spots to initiate play he just hurries out, slinking tail down, to a different hiding spot. I can coax him out for affection with maybe an hour of effort each time and gentle playing with a long-distance toy. (I have to shut Pythagoras in another room, as his more rambunctious play doesn't work for this.
I'm worried at this point whether giving prophylactic antibiotics for secondary infections to a known viral infection is really the best idea. Everything I've read says stress is the worst thing for the ocular herpes flair ups. (He was, however, acting at his relative lowest stress levels at the onset of both flair ups.) is it worth it? I certainly think it is if the danger of permanent eye damage and loss is *high*, but I can only seem to determine that it's possible rather than anything to help with a cost/benefit analysis.
Thanks for reading.
