Urgent vibes and prayers needed for feralvr's Perla!

[tarasgirl06]

 OMC!!!  *PRAYERS* and healing thoughts of wellbeing for brave Perla (and 

 for you) - what a brave little girl she has been through all of this.  *PRAYERS* that her care team can find the right answer to help her eye to return to normal health!  *Keep your head up!*

 

[catspaw66]

I did not know that Perla had been having so much eye trouble.  I haven't been reading threads that were started more than 2 months ago. 

To give some history of Silly.  I brought her inside about 2004 after she had been an outside stray for 4 years.  I noticed about a year later that she had a weepy eye at times, but was living on so little income, I couldn't afford a doctor even for me.  The weepiness came and went and all I could do was try to keep it wiped out.  Then about 6 months ago I noticed it was getting worse. 

I started keeping closer watch and took her to the vet in April.  She(the vet) told me that Silly was starting to get cataracts and gave me some antibotics and eyedrops for her.  Then Silly scratched too much and pulled the lens out.  The next day I took her in and the vet said she could enucleate the eye or euthanise her.  I chose to spend a significant portion of my income and have the surgery.  I have not regretted it.  She is living a better life now and seems to have no pain and is carefully playing with S&S and Julie.

So you see, it was the eye itself that was the problem for her.

  and kitty hugs from all 6 of us here

 

[ldg]

Perla's eye is definitely not this. But this is what her left eye looked like when she was rescued - well - after 2 weeks in the hospital after being rescued, the end of August 2003:




And this is what it looked like the day before it was removed (March 2004):





This is in-between:




So OBVIOUSLY Perla's problem is nowhere near approaching Flowerbelle's. :heart2:

More !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[libby74]

Oh Lauren, I'm so very sorry your little princess is still battling this eye problem.  No words of wisdom from me concerning treatment, because I have never seen or heard of anything like this.

I will give just a little advice on the worst case scenario you mentioned: if Perla's eye has to be removed to make her well, you have absolutely no choice but to do it.  I know you don't want her to be in pain, and I'm assuming with all the medicating that's going on her quality of life has to have lessened a bit.  If Perla is anything like my kids, a day or two of being hunted down to receive a dose of anything has got to have her jumpy.

I'm not saying this very well, am I?  I've had elderly cats that lost their sight entirely and still managed to lead pretty normal lives.  Perla is still just a youngster, and she'd still have one good eye.  If the time comes when the vet thinks that's the absolute best thing to do for her, you will do it simply because you love her so much.  Until then, sweetie, you and the little lady have been putting up a hell of a fight and I applaude you for that.  If you have to, you can look back and say " I did everything humanly possible and it just didn't work".  You and Perla will get thru this, no matter what the outcome is.  I've got a feeling that both of you are fighters.

Head skritches to all the kids, and a special, gentle little skritch to your girl.

 

[catspaw66]

Perla's eye is definitely not this. But this is what her left eye looked like when she was rescued - well - after 2 weeks in the hospital after being rescued, the end of August 2003:

And this is what it looked like the day before it was removed (March 2004):

This is in-between:

So OBVIOUSLY Perla's problem is nowhere near approaching Flowerbelle's.

More

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am assuming the pictures were of Flowerbelle.

 

[ldg]

Yeah. Should have made that clear. Those are pictures of Flowerbelle. I'm pretty sure Perla's eye isn't anything CLOSE to being that bad.

 

[feralvr]

I did not know that Perla had been having so much eye trouble.  I haven't been reading threads that were started more than 2 months ago. 

To give some history of Silly.  I brought her inside about 2004 after she had been an outside stray for 4 years.  I noticed about a year later that she had a weepy eye at times, but was living on so little income, I couldn't afford a doctor even for me.  The weepiness came and went and all I could do was try to keep it wiped out.  Then about 6 months ago I noticed it was getting worse. 

I started keeping closer watch and took her to the vet in April.  She(the vet) told me that Silly was starting to get cataracts and gave me some antibotics and eyedrops for her.  Then Silly scratched too much and pulled the lens out.  The next day I took her in and the vet said she could enucleate the eye or euthanise her.  I chose to spend a significant portion of my income and have the surgery.  I have not regretted it.  She is living a better life now and seems to have no pain and is carefully playing with S&S and Julie.

So you see, it was the eye itself that was the problem for her.

  and kitty hugs from all 6 of us here

I cannot tell you how heartwarmed I am that you came on here to support Perla. I have tears. I am so frightened for her and her eye. Silly and Flowerbelle's stories give me hope for her. I do not want her in any pain. I can say that her eye is not as bad as either Silly's or Flowerbelle's and I pray that it won't get to that point. BUT this specialist - who is VERY well known in the Midwest, seems to think this will only worsen over time. I have to trust her judgement. People drive many, many hours just to see her and I only live 20 minutes away from her office. I will discuss the possibility of Pred IF the Azithromycin doesn't help. Feeling that it will not. AND yeah - Perla's eye just started as slight tearing last summer and I never, ever thought it would have come to this.

 

[catspaw66]

We are all here to support and encourage each other.

 

[feralvr]

So OBVIOUSLY Perla's problem is nowhere near approaching Flowerbelle's. :heart2:
More !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you.... I didn't copy/quote the pictures but I will try to get a picture of her eye. I can see some more reddening beyond the outer lids and this has me worried. The sores are not anywhere as bad as Flowerbelle's were - but the scary thing is that I could potentially see that happening. She has been holding the eye 1/2 to 3/4 open. I wonder IF the constant watering causes the sores?? What causes the sores? She has even has little pustules at times. The specialist thinks she is rubbing it and I told her she is not. It doesn't seem to itch or bother her too much at all. She doesn't scratch either. Can you see I am arguing with the SPECIALIST

 

[feralvr]

Yeah. Should have made that clear. Those are pictures of Flowerbelle. I'm pretty sure Perla's eye isn't anything CLOSE to being that bad.

No, but I can see the same thing starting only on a much smaller scale

 

[feralvr]

Oh Lauren, I'm so very sorry your little princess is still battling this eye problem.  No words of wisdom from me concerning treatment, because I have never seen or heard of anything like this.

I will give just a little advice on the worst case scenario you mentioned: if Perla's eye has to be removed to make her well, you have absolutely no choice but to do it.  I know you don't want her to be in pain, and I'm assuming with all the medicating that's going on her quality of life has to have lessened a bit.  If Perla is anything like my kids, a day or two of being hunted down to receive a dose of anything has got to have her jumpy.

I'm not saying this very well, am I?  I've had elderly cats that lost their sight entirely and still managed to lead pretty normal lives.  Perla is still just a youngster, and she'd still have one good eye.  If the time comes when the vet thinks that's the absolute best thing to do for her, you will do it simply because you love her so much.  Until then, sweetie, you and the little lady have been putting up a hell of a fight and I applaude you for that.  If you have to, you can look back and say " I did everything humanly possible and it just didn't work".  You and Perla will get thru this, no matter what the outcome is.  I've got a feeling that both of you are fighters.

Head skritches to all the kids, and a special, gentle little skritch to your girl. :heart3:

OH LIBBY :sobbing: I know we have not touched base much lately, but you always are SO supportive with my babies, especially Pipsqueak and Perla and I so appreciate that in you. And of course, you always say everything well, Libby, always. :nod: Actually, Perla has been such a little trooper these last eight months. I have been doing something with her eye practically everyday She is such a good little angel, once I catch her that is. I just try to quietly pick her up when she is napping. She is getting used to the treatments and I think she knows I am trying to help her. :heart3: I do love Perla so very, very much. :heart3: All my babies, but Perla is the only girl and she is so sensitive and sweet that it breaks my heart to think of what might come down the road with this eye. As a last resort, I am going to try the Pred. Of course, I have to run my brilliant ideas past the SPECIALIST I am always questioning vet's when it comes to my babies and probably drive them nuts. Thank you, Libby I absolutely will go through with the..... (I can't say it, yet ) if it comes down to her quality of life. We are not at that point :cross: I gave Perla a scritch from you. :rub:

 

[ldg]

Oh Lauren, I'm SO sorry this is so hard on you!

Give this drug a chance, see what happens. :nod:

But honestly, hun, Perla might be a lot happier without it. Like I've said before.... if we had to do it over again, we would have taken the advice of people on this board and the vet, and done it months earlier than we did. It would have saved Flowerbelle a lot of stress. hno:

 

[carolina]

Oh Lauren..... I keep coming back to this thread...... It is hard to find the right words.....
I have no experience with anything like this...... But one thing I know for sure..... rincess: Perla couldn't be in better hands, and no matter what, she will be just fine
I can only imagine how worried you are..... It is just so so hard to see them unwell..... But the good thing is, even though it must bother her a bit, she is probably not in pain - it is just irritated..... So, she is not suffering, in agony..... I hope that gives you a little bit of comfort
You are an amazing mom to Perla, trust your heart and your judgement - listen carefully to it, and it will be the right one :heart3:

Many many vibes for you and rincess: Perla

 

[carolina]

Lauren, Look what is on the Winn today:

Treatment of feline ocular herpesvirus infection
Each year, the Winn Feline Foundation receives proposals from veterinary researchers around the world who are interested in improving feline health. To date, Winn’s cumulative total in feline health research funding exceeds $4 million. Forty-four proposals were submitted by researchers seeking funding in this review cycle. This year, our team of veterinary consultants helped Winn select 10 projects for funding, for a total of $174,018. Here is one of those projects:

W12-042
Development and in vitro optimization of hydrogels for the delivery of FHV specific siRNAs encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles
Investigators: Rebecca Wilkes, Scott Lenaghan, Christopher Stephens; University of Tennessee

Feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) typically causes respiratory disease in cats. However, chronic infections can cause severe eye disease that may lead to blindness. Currently there is no effective treatment for these chronic cases. Previous Winn funding has helped the investigators design a therapeutic agent – small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) – which use the cell’s own machinery to inhibit viral replication through the targeting of essential herpesvirus genes. The investigators have developed a nanoparticle delivery vehicle composed of chitosan, a nontoxic substance, to package these siRNAs for delivery into cells. The goal of this study is to develop a hydrogel, similar to a soft contact lens, for delivery of the nanoparticles. The hydrogel can be placed directly into the cat’s eye, allowing for successful drug uptake. This method will also provide extended continuous delivery of the FHV-1 specific siRNAs into the cells of the cornea. This study will potentially lead to development of a product suitable for use in cats’ eyes for the treatment of FHV-1 infections.
http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.co...+Health+News+from+the+Winn+Feline+Foundation)

I don't know what and when this will come up, but maybe you want to keep an eye on it (no pun intended :lol3, or have your vet check out the TN Uni group.... Maybe she can participate in the trial :dk: Seems that they already developed an agent, and are working on another one.... You might have some hope.... I know it is far fetched.... But.... Who knows! :cross:

 

[feralvr]

Oh Lauren, I'm SO sorry this is so hard on you!
Give this drug a chance, see what happens. :nod:
But honestly, hun, Perla might be a lot happier without it. Like I've said before.... if we had to do it over again, we would have taken the advice of people on this board and the vet, and done it months earlier than we did. It would have saved Flowerbelle a lot of stress. hno:

Thank you If Perla's eye ever gets to that point, I will go ahead with the surgery.

Oh Lauren..... I keep coming back to this thread...... It is hard to find the right words.....
I have no experience with anything like this...... But one thing I know for sure..... rincess: Perla couldn't be in better hands, and no matter what, she will be just fine
I can only imagine how worried you are..... It is just so so hard to see them unwell..... But the good thing is, even though it must bother her a bit, she is probably not in pain - it is just irritated..... So, she is not suffering, in agony..... I hope that gives you a little bit of comfort
You are an amazing mom to Perla, trust your heart and your judgement - listen carefully to it, and it will be the right one :heart3:
Many many vibes for you and rincess: Perla

Oh hun, your words are perfect AND I will know in my heart when enough is enough. I can say, we are not near that point yet. :heart3:

 

[feralvr]

Lauren, Look what is on the Winn today:

Treatment of feline ocular herpesvirus infection
Each year, the Winn Feline Foundation receives proposals from veterinary researchers around the world who are interested in improving feline health. To date, Winn’s cumulative total in feline health research funding exceeds $4 million. Forty-four proposals were submitted by researchers seeking funding in this review cycle. This year, our team of veterinary consultants helped Winn select 10 projects for funding, for a total of $174,018. Here is one of those projects:
W12-042
Development and in vitro optimization of hydrogels for the delivery of FHV specific siRNAs encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles
Investigators: Rebecca Wilkes, Scott Lenaghan, Christopher Stephens; University of Tennessee
Feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) typically causes respiratory disease in cats. However, chronic infections can cause severe eye disease that may lead to blindness. Currently there is no effective treatment for these chronic cases. Previous Winn funding has helped the investigators design a therapeutic agent – small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) – which use the cell’s own machinery to inhibit viral replication through the targeting of essential herpesvirus genes. The investigators have developed a nanoparticle delivery vehicle composed of chitosan, a nontoxic substance, to package these siRNAs for delivery into cells. The goal of this study is to develop a hydrogel, similar to a soft contact lens, for delivery of the nanoparticles. The hydrogel can be placed directly into the cat’s eye, allowing for successful drug uptake. This method will also provide extended continuous delivery of the FHV-1 specific siRNAs into the cells of the cornea. This study will potentially lead to development of a product suitable for use in cats’ eyes for the treatment of FHV-1 infections.
http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.co...+Health+News+from+the+Winn+Feline+Foundation)

I don't know what and when this will come up, but maybe you want to keep an eye on it (no pun intended :lol3, or have your vet check out the TN Uni group.... Maybe she can participate in the trial :dk: Seems that they already developed an agent, and are working on another one.... You might have some hope.... I know it is far fetched.... But.... Who knows! :cross:

OMG Carolina This would be a miracle for cats who are suffering from herpetic eye disease!!! OH THANK YOU I have printed out the article and I am going to approach the specialist on this and see if she has heard of Hydrogel. That is absolutely incredible. There is no cure for the Herpes virus as we all know, there are only ways to manage the symptoms in the hopes of keeping it quiet. :cross: Will let you know if the vet has heard of this!!

 

[feralvr]

OK..... so Perla's eye is better today What a difference a day can make. This is day five of the new oral antibiotic. The redness and tiny sores around the eye are healing. The outer lid is returning to it's normal "whitish" color. The conjunctiva is not as red or swollen AND she is holding her eye almost all the way open It is still weepy and that I am certain will never stop. But progress is that direction gets us away from the going in the other direction towards surgery. She is taking her medicine like a little trooper. It is only once a day and is only 1 ml. I am not putting anything in her eye right now - just the oral. This last flare up was bad and that is what has me worried. With each flare up her eye gets worse. I am hoping and praying that this Azithromycin will in fact help settle her eye. She is feeling better too, I can tell. Had a great appetite this morning, was playing with her purple puff ball, and is now bird watching out the front window. I don't want to jump ahead of ourselves, but today the eye has improved!!!!! :cross: Thank you all for your vibes - they certainly are MAGICAL :9: Perla thanks you too! :rub:

 

[ldg]

Aw Lauren, that is GREAT news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bigthumb:

Keeping up the vibes! !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[catspaw66]

Well then, have some more. 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

OMG, I am just reading this thread, and am so sorry that I didn't read it earlier 

.  But great news that her eye is looking better today

.

(And, worse case scenario, she and Flowerbelle will be twins!  Nothing wrong with that, since Flowerbelle is adorable! ) 

that the antibiotic continues to improve that eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!