Dr says cat's eye is not salvageable but he didn't even x-ray it to rule out anything foreign in the

My cat's eye just got infected maybe 9 days ago. Didn't resolve on it's own so took him in 5 days ago. Gave me medicine and told to come back today. Today his eyeball is swollen and full of puss and doc already have me an estimate for removing his eye and pain killers and antibiotics to go home with.

I later on called and asked about possibility there's something in his eye. Through receptionist, as always, he basically said I'd be wasting my money but referred me to an optometrist.

How often do cats just lose their eyes like this? Might there be something stuck in there? He goes out a little. Maybe a twig, insect, another cat? Don't eyes heal better than this? Excuse me. This is a bit sad tho he's losing his eye and the other day it was just red

poor thing! Sounds like his eye did get infected somehow.

if you can justify the cost, then yes, take him to the eye doctor. Maybe the vet missed something? always good to get a second opinion.. however, I would not wait long. his eye sounds very painful.

i am not sure how "Common" it is for a cat to lose its eye this way.. but I do know they fare very well with one eye. he probably won't even miss it.

Oh, that does sound very painful.  I would act quickly, no matter what you decide.  I don't know a lot about eye issues, but I do know that they can progress very quickly.  Since it sounds like the medicine didn't work, removing the eye may be the right choice. 

Actually eye infections seemingly out of no where are fairly common in cats.  It probably started as some kind of wound, something as simple as a scratch which caused the eye to get infected.

I definitely wouldn't wait too long.  Kitties adjust very well to one eye.  Often with an infected eye even if the eye structure is saved, sight in that eye isn't saved.

Thanks. This is weird. I don't get it. Student he's losing his eye. I don't know why no one's just expecting it to just heal. That's my hope. That they just overreacted and things that make puss eventually get better and there's no reason an eyeball can't do the same...

Please consider getting a second opinion.  Eyes are a different kind of tissue and they don't heal the same way.  Blood flow is different, etc.  If multiple people are telling you the eye needs to come out it could get A LOT worse if you don't go ahead.  Is any treatment helping at all?  Your kitty is in a lot of pain...

You think? I'd feel better but I'm just getting drained after all this and dealing with my other cat who I had to put to sleep. And I also had a growth surgically removed from Sheba's shoulder. Lots of $$ in the past two months. The receptionist didn't really indicate anything else would happen during an initial visit than what my doctor already did with the eye dye and checking the pressure of his eye. I asked if they'd do x -rays and she said no. Idk. They're very secretive with their crafts. Just to talk to a doctor you have to pay a hefty admission. I just feel helpless and either way I go we're just getting screwed. Ya think I could bring him into the specialist and they'll say 'oh I see a grain of sand in there. All we need to do is put him under and scoop it out and he should heal up'? Idk..

I don't.  I think the eye probably needs to come out if you are seeing no change with medication.  Even if the initial cause was a piece of sand, the eye is now infected and not healing.  That is the problem.  You are unfortunately past whatever the cause was.

I meant that you should get a second opinion rather than wait for it to heal on its own.  If you have decided to take the eye out under your vet's advice, I think it's best to do so quickly.

talkingpeanut said:

Please consider getting a second opinion.  Eyes are a different kind of tissue and they don't heal the same way.  Blood flow is different, etc.  If multiple people are telling you the eye needs to come out it could get A LOT worse if you don't go ahead.  Is any treatment helping at all?  Your kitty is in a lot of pain...

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talkingpeanut said:

I don't.  I think the eye probably needs to come out if you are seeing no change with medication.  Even if the initial cause was a piece of sand, the eye is now infected and not healing.  That is the problem.  You are unfortunately past whatever the cause was.

I meant that you should get a second opinion rather than wait for it to heal on its own.  If you have decided to take the eye out under your vet's advice, I think it's best to do so quickly.

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Oh, ic. What's your concern with it not coming out soon enough? I think I'd rather wait just to give it a chance as once it's gone, it's gone. Are you concerned about the pain? It's not excruciating but he's definitely feeling a bit down since this all started. This is strange. I never knew the eye was so complicated. If we weren't to remove it would it just perpetually be infected or something or begin to rot or something? Couldn't it just stop functioning and just sit there? Is it a bacteria magnet or something?

Infection spreads.  It will not stay contained, so you are risking his entire body.  Your cat is also in more pain than you know because cats are so good at causing pain.  If it's not responding to medicine it will not heal on its own.  Your choices, as I see them, are to take the eye out or get a second opinion.  This has already been going on for a week and a half, so I think waiting is no longer an option.

I think you are thinking of this like an abscess or a boil, which it may well be.  It is true that at some point a boil will burst, drain and then heal.  With the eye though, the eye will burst.  An eye isn't going to heal the way the skin does and the parts inside of the eye will be damaged and destroyed so kitty will be blind in that eye.

what about a dif vet? Try to find a cat only vet. Eyes don't have blood vessels to the cornea like the other body parts. Did they try different ointment in the eye?

Without seeing the actual infection names its hard to know whats the best treatment.

A few months ago my cat got an eye infection and the ointment wasn't working so they gave me something different-it was a different antibiotic and a pain relieving drop but it is the one that dialates the pupil so I had to wait for her to be in a dark room otherwise she was uncomfortable. The antibiotic is every 2-4 hours until there is improvement usually 2-4 days of intense application but most people only do it every 8 hours and this is for at min of 10 days-usually they go to 14 days of the antibiotic-if there is puss in the eye that has to be painful.

there is a drop that is for relieving pain-I cant remember what its called but that may help-you could call around at vets to ask if they treat eye infections-most vets don't screw around and ask that cat is brought in the same day.

There are several dif drops/ointments that can be used but the type of bacteria is what makes the big difference.

Removing the eye stops the infection from spreading-the vet is probably worried about the infection spreading into the bone/tissue of the brain-that's why they want to remove it. Normally I think they stitch the eye shut but the muscles around the eyeball still work=so facial expressions around the eye wont stop=they can still do those facial expressions even without the eye.

Not sure if the cat should be on an oral antibiotic if this infection is that bad-and of course need to take a sample of it and test it in a petri dish to see what it is. Not all antibiotics are the same-basicly there are two types of bacteria=and those have to have specific meds to penetrate the shell/outter layer of that bacteria cell in order to kill it. At least in laymens terms that's how it was explained to me-has to do with having a positive charged outter shell or negative charge outter layer=and the meds have to be the opposite of the charge otherwise it wont work.

Did they send you home with any type of medication? Do you know the names? could you type it here?