My cats third eyelid occasionally shows (recently was hit by a car)

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pistachiyo

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Hello everyone,

I have a cat who went missing for five days and came back with eyes rolled back/ third eyelid showing (it stayed like this for a week or so), bloody nose, swollen face, and a broken mouth. He was most likely hit by a car or fell from a tree. Or sadly maybe a person did this to him. We took him to the vet for pain meds and antibiotics,etc.  Jaw surgery was $8000 so we could not afford it. We were told theres a chance it could heal on it's own. It's been 15 days since and he's been much better. He's beginning to eat soft food on his own and he moves around often. His eyes for the most part look normal now. However, occasionally when he's relaxing , his third eyelid starts showing. When I first asked the vet about his eyes he said theyre probably like that from the shock of the blow. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this or what it means. Could there be neurological damage or eyesight damage? Is he in pain? And will it subside eventually? Thanks.
 
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Pistachiyo said:
 
Hello everyone,

I have a cat who went missing for five days and came back with eyes rolled back/ third eyelid showing (it stayed like this for a week or so), bloody nose, swollen face, and a broken mouth. He was most likely hit by a car or fell from a tree. Or sadly maybe a person did this to him. We took him to the vet for pain meds and antibiotics,etc.  Jaw surgery was $8000 so we could not afford it. We were told theres a chance it could heal on it's own. It's been 15 days since and he's been much better. He's beginning to eat soft food on his own and he moves around often. His eyes for the most part look normal now. However, occasionally when he's relaxing , his third eyelid starts showing. When I first asked the vet about his eyes he said theyre probably like that from the shock of the blow. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this or what it means. Could there be neurological damage or eyesight damage? Is he in pain? And will it subside eventually? Thanks.
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I am a human doctor, not a vet and any advice that I give you should be checked with a vet.  Having said this, your cat's jaw is very likely to be painful and I suggest that you contact your vet for a painkiller. 

It  could not have been very easy for you to have looked after the cat for the last fortnight, the cat would have suffered severe surgical shock after the accident, quite apart from dehydration and pain and you are to be congratulated on the cat's progress   However you are dealing with possible complex damage to the face and head and my advice is not to try to do it all our own but to stay regularly in contact with your vet.  By now, 15 days later, it would be time for you to take the cat to the vet for a progress examination.

I will attempt to answer your questions:

1. Shock: in your cat's case the shock is "surgical shock"   which is a condition where the blood pressure falls and is quite different from "psychological shock".    However fifteen days after the accident the shock should have settled and I would not have thought that the third eyelid was now a sign of surgical shock.

2. There may be eye damage, your vet will advise, but the third eyelid is protective of the eye and if it is settling, then it suggests that you do not need to be too disturbed.

3. Your vet is the person to go to for advice about neurological damage, it is not possible for me to advise from the Catsite. 

4. You should also ask whether the third eyelid is a sign of feline pain, it may well be a sign of eye pain, but  I do not practice feline medicine so I cannot advise you whether it is also a sign of pain in general.  Your vet can advise you.

5. I cannot advise you about the jaw healing on its own, your regular vet should have received a report from the specialist and it would be necessary to ask him/her to advise you of the prognosis.  Was the damage to the upper jaw (the maxilla) or the lower, hinged jaw (the mandible)?   If it were the mandible, the bone may have difficulty in healing without surgery as every time that the cat bites, there will be movement at the fracture.  Cats have the power to conceal pain however and again, whether the cat is in pain now, is a question for your vet. 

It will be easier for the maxilla to heal as this is not a moving bone.   Broken bones in humans take about three months to heal; cats will probably be much the same, perhaps a little less.

6. As for antibiotics, they will not be necessary unless there is infection present  - again your vet will advise. 

Looking back at this post, it seems that almost every paragraph has a question for your vet, but there are so many because you have undertaken to treat such a complex injury, so far on your own.  Your cat may now be over the worst but, again, this is a question for your vet.  The answer will be a reflection of how much damage was done originally.

I wish you all the best with the cat, and congratulate you again for what you have done. Your cat must have needed day and night nursing for the last fortnight. 

Geoffrey
 
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pistachiyo

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Thank you so much for the long and informative reply. I will be taking him to another vet soon. I do have one more observation that I forgot to mention that you might have an opinion on. After he eats he starts to cough for 10 seconds, sometimes sneeze. What could this mean?  As far as his jaw, the vet said his upper and lower jaw are fractured. His mouth looks fine from the outside except for that he occasionally sticks his tongue out slightly.But I have seen his upper jaw and there is indeed a slice running through it. Thank you again. 
 
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