When we adopted Ziv at the end of January, his right eye was tearing. When it didn't go away in a week, we took him to the SPCA clinic vet, who gave us some eye drops (nothing special, just lubricant) and Clavamox--he thought Ziv had a URI. The tearing didn't go away, so we brought him to our new (good) vet in Feb. She gave us more eye drops and antibiotics, but also tested him for a possible scratch on his cornea--no scratch. She said (or so I thought), that if the tearing didn't go away, it was probably just because some cats are like that.
The tearing seemed to abate and then resurge over the following few weeks. About two weeks ago, my boyfriend noticed that Ziv's eyelid was reddish and puffy, and also the tearing had changed to a brown color. Yikes! We took him to the same good hospital, but we happened to get a different doctor. I like him a lot better--he's a lot more proactive and very willing to explain things.
Anyway, he prescribed a different antibiotic (explaining that Clavamox was unlikely to help this sort of thing), plus an antibiotic ointment--Terramycin--to be administered to both eyes.
Over the last two weeks, the color in the discharge has gone away, but now both eyes are bothering Ziv, whereas the left never seemed to have a problem before. Our vet had said that if the antiobiotic didn't work, then we could move on to an antiviral. Of course, the antiviral turns out to be a human medicine that costs $100--and there's no guarantee that it would work.
We're at the end of the antibiotic pills (though not the ointment). The vet suggests that we start a different antibiotic, or he could refer us to a specialist. We have enough money to make sure our cats get regular vet visits, but we're not sitting on a gold mine. I was leaning toward the new antibiotic at first, but now I'm thinking that it might save us money--plus, it might save Ziv from more discomfort--if we take him to the specialist. Any thoughts?
Since Ziv has has this condition since we adopted him, I'm not sure if I can tell what fully "normal" behavior for him is, but I can say a few things. He's around 2 years old (though the SPCA told us that he was 10 months, 3 subsequent vets have said "no way"). He's a sweet boy, purrs like a broken tractor when we pet him. He plays quite a bit with our two other cats, dashing headlong around the house, so his eyesight doesn't seem to be affected, and he's not lethargic. He doesn't seem to show any other symptoms, either, but when he's lying or sitting around, he squints a lot.
I'd really appreciate any insight anyone can offer. Thanks in advance--this is such a great site!
The tearing seemed to abate and then resurge over the following few weeks. About two weeks ago, my boyfriend noticed that Ziv's eyelid was reddish and puffy, and also the tearing had changed to a brown color. Yikes! We took him to the same good hospital, but we happened to get a different doctor. I like him a lot better--he's a lot more proactive and very willing to explain things.
Anyway, he prescribed a different antibiotic (explaining that Clavamox was unlikely to help this sort of thing), plus an antibiotic ointment--Terramycin--to be administered to both eyes.
Over the last two weeks, the color in the discharge has gone away, but now both eyes are bothering Ziv, whereas the left never seemed to have a problem before. Our vet had said that if the antiobiotic didn't work, then we could move on to an antiviral. Of course, the antiviral turns out to be a human medicine that costs $100--and there's no guarantee that it would work.
We're at the end of the antibiotic pills (though not the ointment). The vet suggests that we start a different antibiotic, or he could refer us to a specialist. We have enough money to make sure our cats get regular vet visits, but we're not sitting on a gold mine. I was leaning toward the new antibiotic at first, but now I'm thinking that it might save us money--plus, it might save Ziv from more discomfort--if we take him to the specialist. Any thoughts?
Since Ziv has has this condition since we adopted him, I'm not sure if I can tell what fully "normal" behavior for him is, but I can say a few things. He's around 2 years old (though the SPCA told us that he was 10 months, 3 subsequent vets have said "no way"). He's a sweet boy, purrs like a broken tractor when we pet him. He plays quite a bit with our two other cats, dashing headlong around the house, so his eyesight doesn't seem to be affected, and he's not lethargic. He doesn't seem to show any other symptoms, either, but when he's lying or sitting around, he squints a lot.
I'd really appreciate any insight anyone can offer. Thanks in advance--this is such a great site!
