My cat's eye is cloudy. Can I reuse old eye drops to save a vet visit?

This usually happens when the eye is damaged (scratched or punctured), in pain from an infection, or something is stuck inside the eyelid. It's best if you can first flush under the eyelid with normal saline. Saline flush can be bought at the pharmacy, or supermarket in the eye care section. Flush the eye 3-4 times daily and gently wipe away the discharge with a warm/moist cotton or cloth. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to flush the eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI The expiry dates are usually not very accurate, so it's likely OK to use the conoptal, but we can't recommend giving this medication without seeing the eye and diagnosing the condition. If it was not expired, then this is a good antibiotic that can be helpful in certain cases where infection is considered the primary cause. As always, it's best to have a vet evaluate the eye and prescribe the necessary treatment. If the eye appears worse and/or has a lot of yellow/green discharge, then I would definitely recommend taking Suzy to the vet for an evaluation. They will be able to better inspect the eye and provide the most appropriate treatment. I hope that helps and Suzi gets better soon.

It depends on what the cause is of the cloudiness is. I would be concerned about glacoma, which is usually treated with eye drops (and sometimes surgery). I'm not sure what they might be treating with injections, but every doctor is different. I'd recommend asking that disease they are treat for, if there are other possible causes (and how to test for those/rule those out) and how long treatment should take and when you need to change course. Good luck

If the eye discharge is clear then an infection is not present, so you don't have to use the eye gel (erythromycin). Instead you should use an anti-viral supplement such as Lysine gel/powder from your local pet store or vet clinic. Cats are prone to viral infections which can cause watery eye discharge and reddish discharge. The use of antibiotics is only needed when a secondary infection is also present. Lysine powder/gel can be given throughout Richard's lifespan to help boost her immune system and help ward off future viral infections (i.e. herpesvirus).

It is never recommended to medicate a pet without the advice of your veterinarian. A physical exam is strongly recommended to confirm infection so the appropriate antibiotic can be used. Inappropriate antibiotic use can lead to resistant bacteria and may complicate any underlying conditions. If you choose to use this medication, chloramphenicol can cause serious blood abnormalities, thus should be handled with caution.

I would not use another cat's prescription as it may not be the same condition for your kitten. It is best to have the eye examined by your vet so they can rule out any issues such as injury to the eye, infections, etc that may require different treatments.

You will have to use your best judgement on if Binx needs to see the vet tonight or if it can wait, since I am not able to evaluate the eye. If he has chronic eye infections, they may be viral, and the antibiotics may or may not be needed. Helping him keep it clean by using a warm wet washcloth until he sees the vet.

As long as there are no other changes that the other eye did not previously have and this is the exact same problem as the opposite eye, I would say it is probably safe to assume this is the same problem and using the same eye medication should be ok. However, I would recommend contacting the prescribing veterinarian to discuss this further to ensure that this is safe to do. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.