Ointments? Which is which?

[jen]

Can someone please distinguish between the different ointments for cats? Theres BNP ointment, Triple antibiotic ointment, Vetropolycin, and Terramycin. What is strongest? More medicated? Which can irritate eyes if not used correctly or at the right time? Is one better for minor irritations and one better for gooey eyes and infection? Thank you.

 

[dr. doolittle]

First of all you should consult your vet before administering any ointment to your cat.
BNP IS a triple antibiotic ointment, Vetropolycin is a combo as well I believe- if you read the tube is should tell you exactly what is in it.
I am not familliar with Terramycin but again it should say on the tube.
No one is really stronger than another, it all depends on what bugs you are dealing with, some bugs are resistant to certain antibiotics. Some atibiotics kill a broader spectrum of bugs but won't touch others. Some kill intracellular organisms like chlamydia and some don't.

Anything with an H on the label (BNPH, VetropolycinHC...) has hydrocortisone in it. This is a steroid to take down inflammation which is great- unless there is any damage to the cornea. Steroids decrease healing and can turn a small scratch on the cornea into a huge ulcer very quickly.

 

[jen]

Thanks.

At the shelter I work at, we give BNP or Terramycin ointment for minor eye irritations, like if there is a little crustiness or goopey with a URI. When we ran out of it, we were told by the girl that does cat intakes to use VetropolycinHC in place of the BNP/Terra because it is the same thing. Now we have some cats with horrible, nasty eye infections and I just related it to the ointment, it has to be that. They were saying it is from Terramycin ointment. I think it is from the VetropolycinHC because when my cat was going blind, my vet gave me the Vetro so it has to be much stronger or medicated or something. I am thinking that it is too strong for the minor irritations. So the point is (if this isn't confusing enough), I am just trying to find out from anyone who knows about all of them to help me out here. Usually when I ask questions on here its for the shelter cats, not my own, for mine I would take them to a vet first.

 

[pat]

Jen,

I just had a discussion on this with my vet. My oldest has corneal scratches that are healing then opening again (despite an e-collar for several months!). We have decided it is due in part to his being on prednisolone (for another condition), and to just keep an eye on this, and treat with BNP. In our discussion, I mentioned I can buy terramycin without a prescription but not BNP, and we both then said the same thing, that terramycin is rougher on the eyes

Not what I'd want to use for my oldest fellow and his corneal scratches.

I think if possible with your shelter kitties, take one who hasn't yet had med applied at all, and have the shelter vet get a culture and senitivity of the eye discharge, then the proper eye med can be prescribed & applied with certainty that it's the best for that particular infection. Doing one cat of a group with the same symptoms should allow all of them to then be treated, right?

 

[sandie]

I can't stress enough that before putting an ointment with a steriod (HC) or Dex, they need to have their eyes checked for scratches. The steriods can do some serious damage if there is a scratch on the eye.
Terramycin is an eye ointment from the tetracycline class, so it's only used to treat specific infections. If you have shelter cats with eye problems, and they can't be seen by a vet, the only thing they should be using is BNP (triple antibiotic), it's made by several different companies, but typically it's bacitracin, neomycin, polimycin (sp).

 

[jen]

Ok, I guess the one main thing I am trying to confirm is that BNP ointment and VetropolycinHC are NOT the same thing. And VetropolycinHC is the one with the steroids that are bad if put onto eyes that have scratches? Is that correct? So then when is VetropolycinHC used? I just want to make sure I understand it all.

So when the vet says to use the BNP but we are out of it, VetropolycinHC is NOT a suitable substitute? I guess what I am still a little unsure about is the Terramycin then. It is for certain infections only? Is that too rough to use for the crusty or goop in the eye? Sorry for all my questions.

 

[sandie]

Steroid/antibiotic ointments can be used to treat a variety of eye disease. There is a list a mile long, and only a vet should diagnose them. The important thing to remember that the steroids could prolong disease if it's herpes, cause ulcers, and again, damage the eye.
The Terramycin again is a Tetracycline, so remember it may under a different brand. It is used to treat Chlamydial infections in cats. It can be used to treat Herpes as well, but they are finding that the topical tetracycline is not working, and tend to use oral medication to fight both infections, and use the BNP to treat the eyes. It can be used in place of the BNP, but the rate of irritation is higher, and it may not help with the conjunctivitis.

 

[jen]

Alright, Thank you very much for clearing that up for me. One thing that also confused me too is that I didn't realize that there was Vetropolycin AND VetropolycinHC, so now I figured that one out. Thanks.