6/9 mocha's eye, question again

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PeterDevonMocha

PeterDevonMocha

Member Since 2009
Hi everyone .. Last week or so mocha started getting some wet eye boogies in the corner of her eye, by her nose. We have always had problems with this eye in regards to dry eye boogies and the outer edge of the eye, which should be white, is often a light pink color.

She has gone to the vet in the past for the pinkness in her eye and the vet put in a dye to check for scratches. There were no scratches on her eye so we were given drops (Neomycin) but never used them.

Now that her eye boogies are getting bigger and still always wet I am thinking we need to take her to the vet, just to make sure there is nothing going on. I posted this on health as well and was told not to use the drops we already have, because they contain a steroid in them. My question is, does anyone here know of an eye drop that we could be prescribed that does not contain a steroid? I don't really feel as though this is just allergies or a cold coming on .. her eye always has that pink tinge to it, but these big wet eye boogies are rather new ...

Other then that all is well with mocha, tested at a nice 50 the other night :mrgreen:
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

When Lanky was in CO with Dr. Lunn he was dx with "dry eye". She prescribed an over-the-counter product to sooth & comfort his eyes. We use Refresh Liquigel lubricant eye drops, extra strength gel drops for dry eyes. I use these periodically when Lanky is squinting a lot, when his eyes are discharging, when allergies are bugging him. etc. and it seems to do the trick.

www.refreshbrand.com
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

I think my Puty (GA) was given something called ketorolac (acular)...not sure. :shock:
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

I would take her in to the vet and find out exactly what the problem is. There's two problems with giving the eye drops you have....first off, you don't know if it's the same problem, or something else. Secondly, the drops have steroids in them and *I* would not use steroids in a FD cat that's in remission unless there is NO other option.

Tinkles was given eye ointment when he had an URI....he was given an ointment with steroids in it. When I went back to have him looked at again when it didn't clear up, a different vet gave me an ointment without steroids, and said it was better NOT to use steroids for the problem he had...so make sure you NEED the steroid, and make sure you have no other options. But first...get a diagnosis. JMHO

ETA: The second ointment (no steroids) was Neo-Poly-Bac, had to go look it up....
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Thanks everyone .. she has an appointment at 3 p.m. today, about an hour from now. I'm hoping that we can come up with something for her .. When I told the receptionist the drops I had, and that we would prefer to not use them because the contain steroids, she said they didn't .. but when I looked it up it said it contains, corticosteroid ...
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Susan, those eye drops do not contain steroids in them? The drops we have are made by bausch and lomb ..
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Just wanted to stop by and say hi and good luck at the vet today. Sorry about Mocha's eye. Definitely you don't want a steroid eye drop, especially with her nice bg readings. You don't want to mess with that! Please update when you get home.
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

I was hoping someone knew of a particular name that I could learn before going in .. if it isn't anything serious, could I just start using L-lysine?
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Devon, the ointment we used that didn't have steroids was Neo-Poly-Bac...the one with steroids was Neo-Poly-Dex. If it says "dex', it has steroids (dexamethasone). There may be other steroids in other eye meds, I don't know...just read the label before you accept it!

If it's the only option, that's one thing....but IMHO, some vets are too quick to give out steroids, even when it's contraindicated. It would annoy me that they try to tell you that it doesn't have steroids when it clearly does.... :!:

L-lysine won't hurt, it won't help if it isn't feline herpes virus related.

It really is hard to say what you want to ask for without a diagnosis...
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Devon, good luck at the Vetty today with little Mocha. She's doing great with the 50 bg. Take care and keep us posted.
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Devon: as you know, we've dealt alot with Gracie's eye issues and it was the steroidal drops that tipped her into diabetes.....Laurie is correct...neopoly dex. There is also a BNPH...bacitracin, neopoly, hydrocortisone....stay away from that, too. You never want to use steroids in a diabetic cat or in a nondiabetic cat with a scratch or ulcer.

As we found out by going to an opthamologist, it wasn't Gracie's eye that was the problem.....it was her meibomial glands above her eye but that inflammation caused her to have some conjunctivitis like you are describing (white part of the eye is pink). The treatment of choice for that is steroid drops but that was not possible. So she is on cyclosporine. This works quite well for her but it is an immunosuppressant so if you have a cat that has herpes, it could possibly come out. Thankfully, that was not the case with Gracie. The vet also had us buy Soothe XP preservative free emollient eye drops which keeps her eyes wetted. For some reason, she does not like these drops and so with Tobey's latest eye issues, the vet gave us "I DROP VET" for him to keep his eyes wetted. She said I could try it with Gracie and she seems to have no problem with it. The only thing about it is that it is much more expensive than the Soothe. Here is info about I Drop Vet:

I Drop Vet
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops

Thanks everyone .. the vet ran a schirmer tear test and a flouresceint stain test again .. we actually had to leave her there for about an hour since they got swamped all of a sudden ....

She did say that her tear duct activity is low so she gave us something called "artificial tear ointment" that we are supposed to put in both eyes four times a day for a month .. also for one week, four times a day, an antibiotic called Neomycin and Polymyxin B sulfates and Bacitracin Zinc ophthalmic ointment USP .. she said that one does NOT contain steroids .. Is this safe to use?

She did tell us that we need to go back in one month for a recheck of her tear duct activity .. if it's good, then we can assume it's allergies (we took her in just one year ago for this exact same thing) but if it's not good, we should think about doing the tear drops forever.

Me and peter were thinking about getting the L-lysine product that so many of you use on here .. if she does suffer from allergies that would help, right? She did not say anything about it being herpes .. is that good or bad?
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops, update

glad you've gotten a little bit of help with this. i was thinking allergies were likely too - this time of year the pollen is terrible, and with it having been so hot - in those parts of the country the pollen would've exploded and be blowing around.
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops, update

yes, we are glad there is some input .. we are really thinking it's allergies ..
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops, update

Hi, Devon.. following Mocha's eye situation & wishing you all the best of luck - I know it is stressful when our furbabies are affected by any illness. Sadi & Baby both get a watery eye about once a year (allergies) our vet just said to use OTC allergy medicine & that always clears it up for us, but as you know.. ECID. Good Luck :mrgreen:
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops, update

Thanks for the update, Devon. NeoPolyBac ointment is safe....no steroids. But it's more of an antibiotic ointment that is usually given for scratches so they don't become infected. Hope the allergies go away and she'll feel better.
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops, update

This is the L-lysine that I use with my kitties. 1/8 teaspoon in food twice a day. It's an immune system supplement. I use it for sneeziness. It may be OK for allergy. I've not given it for more than a week at a time. You may want to do some research. I think you need to not dose for more than a couple of weeks then take a week off if you plan on using it during allergy season.
 
Re: 6/9 mocha's eye, question on eye drops, update

Thank you marjorie! She told us it was an antibiotic just in case she had an infection going on that she couldn't see .. she doesn't think she does, and thinks it could be more allergy related .. We need to go back in one month for a check up, to see if her tear ducts are working like they should .. hopefully they are, otherwise she suggested we would be doing tear drops for the rest of mochas life, four times a day ..

Would it be a smart idea to start mocha on L-lysine, and if so, where do you all order it from, or do you purchase it locally?

Thanks again everyone!
 
Ok so this morning we put in, or tried to put in, both of her eye drops. They aren't water based like human eye drops, they are an ointment so we had a hard time getting it in her eyes. We decided to put it on a q tip and then kind of smear it across her eye lids .. she wasn't happy and when it was done, she used her paw and started licking it off her eyes!

Is this the right way to do these drops? Is it harmful to her if she swallows some? We didn't use a lot but still .. nailbite_smile
 
I linked the L-lysine I buy in my note above.

When I had to give my guys eye drops, I confined us in the bathroom. I had Gabby sitting between my legs (I was on the toilet seat) facing away from me. I scruffed her, pulled her head back toward me, and put the drops in. I was using the same ointment-like artificial tears.
 
Sorry Sienne, my eyes must have totally missed your post ... How did you get the ointment to go into her eyes? We kept squeezing the tube but it wasn't dropping off, it just kept coming and coming .. so we dabbed it on a q tip and smeared it on her closed eye lids ..

Does anyone on here use it for an eye condition like mocha's? Wet eye boogies/Allergies?
 
Devon, we used an ointment, it isn't as easy as drops, that's for sure! I'm not sure what the consistency of the med you're using is, so this may not help you, but here's what I did. I had DH hold Tinkles, and I used one hand to hold his eye open and squeezed out some ointment into the outer half of the eye, where the lower lid meets the eye. If you apply it while squeezing it out, it works better and more of it ends up in the eye...it doesn't work well to squeeze it out and then try to get it into the eye (if that makes sense?). Then I would open and close his eye a few times to spread out the ointment over the eyeball, so it didn't just get pushed out when he closed his eyes.

L-lysine is used for feline herpes virus...it helps prevent replication of the virus. It is my understanding that it is ineffective for other conditions. Allergies are a separate issue, and I doubt it would be effective for that, again, from what I have read. You might want to do some research on L-lysine before spending money on something that will have questionable value. If you don't mind spending the money on it to try it, it can't hurt as long as you don't use it long term (as Sienne suggested).

Here's a start for you... L-lysine maintenance dosing
 
I give my civvie who has herpes lysene, it works really well and my vet says it can be given to both as a general immune booster so I'm sure it will be fine for Mocha
 
Thank you everyone for your input .. Yes, we had squeezed out a glob and then tried to get it to drop into her eye .. when that didn't work we spread it on a q tip and brushed it over her eyes when they were closed .. thinking that now makes me think none of it got in her eye ohmygod_smile We'll try your way tonight .. did you spread it on her lower eyelid or directly on her eye and then close her eyes a few times?

Should I have asked the vet to test mocha for herpes? She never mentioned it as a possibility .. she did test for tears in the eye and ulcers in the eye, none of which were found .. she said she could test for glaucoma but she really did not feel that was what was causing the gunk build up ..

Because we took her in last year for this same exact problem I want to say it's allergies but what do I know?
 
my civie Pervival, gets a herpes flare up about once a year usually around the same time so it might be worth discussing with the vet. My vet says alot of cats have herpes and almost all shelter cats have it. Percy was a shelter cat so he probablly contracted the virus then.

When the flare ups are bad we also get an eye gel, its hard to get it in but we sort of restrain him while I try and run some of it on his lower eyelid with a q-tip. Like putting on mascara :lol:

Good luck with Mocha
 
Thanks Iorwen .. how do they test for herpes in a cat? Is it expensive? And what is the treatment for it? I wish these drops were more water based, like the ones we had before that we never used .. they had steroids in them, but came out just like a drop of water .. figures, doesn't it?
 
Devon: there is no reliable test for herpes in cats but going through this with Tobey now, I think you might be seeing more severe symptoms although it can vary. Tobey got a huge ulcer on his eye and he could barely open the eye...lots of liquid from it. The treatment for herpes consists of anti viral eye drops, anti bacterial eye drops, and also anti bacterial ointment plus the I Drop Vet I told you about. It's alot.

This is the L-Lysine product my vet has us giving Tobey:
Viralysis

I'm trying to find out what "palatable base" means in the ingredients....does it have any sugar, etc? My vet didn't know but she suspects it's more of a chicken flavoring so cats will eat it in their foods.

The ointment is difficult to get. They make the ointment in a drop...I'd ask the vet if she has the drop. That's what I use if I need it.
 
I squeezed it into the eye itself, next to the eyelid...you can sort of use the eyelid to help "break off" the ointment (but don't touch the tip of the tube to her eyelid)...if you can get the ointment to lay against the lid, then pull the tube away, it often will break off. I'm probably not explaining this very well. :YMSIGH:

Like many OTC remedies, L-lysine can cause problems if it is used incorrectly. There are risks associated with it (like anything), so do your homework....that's all I'm saying. I research everything I give and I suggest that others do the same. You should also check with your vet before giving your cat anything...it's just good common sense.

I don't know if there is a test for herpes virus, Devon. I know that my vet said that herpes virus was the likely underlying cause for Tinkles' URI, and she prescribed Duralactin (contains L-lysine) after it didn't clear up right away. It helped him....but every eye condition or sniffle does not respond to L-lysine. If it doesn't help, it should be discontinued. It should not be used continuously as a maintenance medication. I see far too many people doing that....
 
PeterDevonMocha said:
Thanks Iorwen .. how do they test for herpes in a cat? Is it expensive? And what is the treatment for it? I wish these drops were more water based, like the ones we had before that we never used .. they had steroids in them, but came out just like a drop of water .. figures, doesn't it?
Click to expand...

There is a test called PCR, it's a swab they take from the cat and check for the virus but the vet said most vets will diagnos based on symptoms alone.

I got an antibiotic gel for his eye and lysene, that was for his first outbreak but for the ones he gets now I simply give him lysene and check his fever to make sure its not running to high or for too long
 
Laurie: thanks for the info you gave...very informative. Why do you think L-lysine should not be given for maintenance for cats with herpes? The eye vet we see is a board certified opthamologist and she said it's ok to give it to Tobey for maintenance to keep the herpes from recurring. We give him the standard 500 mg bid.

Sorry to hijack your condo, Devon!!
 
No, it's ok marjorie .. I feel like I'm on info overload right now .. I'm worried that my vet didn't say anything about herpes .. She has to go back in one month for a recheck of her tear ducts .. but I do know she does not have any ulcers in her eyes, either one, or any scratches in them, either one ..

Mocha does not have any problems opening her eye and looking at her 95% of the time, you would not guess she has anything going on with her eye, but a couple times a day she might have some wet eye boogies that we need to wipe off .. Mocha wasn't a shelter cat, her mom was a barn cat though .. but she was indoors until we brought her home, and has always been an inside kitty ..

I'm nervous .. nailbite_smile Will it be ok to wait until her follow up to ask about the herpes virus? We just spent $2000.00 getting our trans rebuilt on peter's car and her appt last night was over $100.00 .. we are kinda up to our eyeballs in a financial mess, but if she really needs to get rechecked, I guess we could make it happen ...
 
if you suspect herpes you should be fine in going ahead and getting some lysene into Mocha. I don't think it would do any harm.
 
good luck at the vet today...will be praying for you guys....

about 8 or 9 yrs ago...Rocket had the same problem....but the vet back then found oddly enough an ingrown hair inside the eyelid....obviously with Rocket wide awake it was impossible to pull out...so he was semi sedated....and the vet pulled it....then about 5 yrs ago the same thing happened....in the same area...this time i managed to find it and took a pic and then again it got pulled out....the hair has not grown back in....thankfully....
DSC00444-1.jpg
 
Marjorie, did you look at the link I posted? There have been short term studies done that show it depletes Arginine levels, and no long term studies have been done. Also, it loses it's effectiveness if given continuously...you need to take breaks from it. If you do some searching, you will find more than what Jill posted....I don't have the links handy, but if I found them, you can too. I researched this a year ago.

As far as a board certified anything telling someone something....remember the doc who told you Gracie didn't need insulin anymore? ;-)

Devon, I don't mean to make you nervous, my intent is not to scare anyone....I just hate to see something put out there as a cure all when it isn't, and there are always risks to anything. If you go back to what I said at first....it won't hurt to give it, but it won't help if there is no herpes involvement. Just don't continue it too long without a break, and if it doesn't help, don't bother giving it because if there's no benefit, why give it???
 
I don't really suspect herpes .. I googled some info on herpes in cats eyes, but mocha doesn't really have anything else going on other then some wet eye boogies .. I'm not sure if that qualifies as herpes or not? The vet asked if she has had respiratory problems in the past and we said no, cause she doesn't. Apparently that can be a sign of herpes?

Claudia, (impressive pic by the way!) the vet that had seen her last year at this time when we took her in for a check up, and they couldn't find anything, said that it could possibly have been an ingrown hair bothering her, but that they didn't see anything like that .. It was in the notes so she said they would look again this time, but when we went back to get her the vet said she could not see anything wrong with her that would cause the wet boogies ..

I'm going to give the AB's and artificial tears time to work and then we'll see where were at I guess ...
 
Glad you got Mocha in Devon and are started on a path to get her eye better. Poor kitty. I would suspect allergies, especially at this time of year. However, bravo to you for trying to go in armed with all of the questions you could think of. It really makes vet appts productive. Otherwise, I leave thinking I should have asked this or that.

Hope the medicine works wonders on her! Have a great day!
 
Thanks melissa .. I hope the meds work for her too .. and that we aren't dealing with anything more serious then allergies .. it is what it is I guess!
 
Devon: I'm thinking you shouldn't worry too much about herpes right now. I know it's hard but it just doesn't "sound" like herpes. I think if she has herpes, you will know....especially if the treatment she is on clears up the problem. Some cats have wonky tear ducts....both my girls do. (((Devon))).

Laurie: thank you!! I did read all of it but I wasn't sure if you had found something else you also wanted to share. Yes, you are right about the vets and esp the one that told me I was killing Gracie and she didn't need insulin. I really, really like the eye vet though and she was the only one that figured out what was going on with Gracie. I will, however, give Tobey a break on the l-lysine. I want him on it for a few weeks to be sure he has kicked this and then will probably take him off until a bit before his dental or any other stress. Thanks for all the info.
 
Good luck with the eye meds, Devon. I hope Mocha's eyes will clear up.

Marjorie, here's one study I that found...there were other links that I found before, but I don't have them to give you...some of them were on the old FDMB and I can't log in.

UC Davis study

From that source:
Data from the present study raise important
questions but do not permit a definitive conclusion
regarding the efficacy of dietary lysine supplementation
in cats with enzootic URD. Of
major concern is the observation that food intake
(and therefore lysine intake) decreases at the
time when lysine supplementation is desired.
Additionally, further assessment is required to
examine the effects of lysine upon feline upper
respiratory and ocular pathogens other than
FHV-1. Finally, results of this study suggest
that plasma arginine concentrations should be
monitored in cats receiving protracted lysine
supplementation. Further assessment of arginine
metabolism in cats fed this experimental diet
also is warranted
Click to expand...
 
Thanks everyone .. tonight we did a better job getting the meds in mocha's eye .. she hissed at us and growled when we were done but we have to do it .. I'm keeping my fingers crossed this does the job ... I'm going to keep an eye on her BG's as well, don't want those creeping up!
 
Do Lou had eye issues quite a bit and we use gentamicin eye drops for him from the vet really helps not a steroid. I also have him on lysine year round. Hope her eyes feel better soon
 
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