My cat is depressed from eye drops for herpes. Should I continue?

Hello, Yes, this drug can be prescribed to be given orally to cats for the treatment of herpes. I'd recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss the best treatment plan for her. Special pharmacies can make oral medications in cat-friendly flavors, like tuna, and this can help make the medication experience much easier. Sometimes this disease is still going to require eye drops as well though. I'd recommend trying to train her and make the eye drop experience better with positive reinforcement, treats, toys, etc to maintain this condition best over time. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

By far the most common cause of corneal ulcers is herpesvirus; so although antibiotic drops are usually indicated to treat secondary bacterial infections or prevent infection, Kit might not be improving because she has viral eye disease. Some vets will try oral antiviral medication or topical antiviral drops. Herpesvirus can be very difficult to treat and it never goes away completely. You may want to ask about referral to an ophthalmologist for the best treatment.

Poor guy. Since the 1 eye is draining and it also looks irritated, he likely has a corneal scratch or ulcer. He also could have a bout of conjunctivitis which can be allergy related, but that typically affects both eyes and not just one. I am not sure what kind of eye drops you are using; however, most antibiotic eye ointment takes 3-4 days to show improvement. Also you should do the full course of treatment which is 7 consecutive days. If you do not have enough medication, then Chico needs to see your vet for a refill. Also I would recommend checking the expiration date on the medication to make sure it isn't expired! I hope that Chico's eye resolves soon. If he is not improved after the 3-4 day time period or if his eye seems to be getting worse or if you need new medication, then its best to take him in to your vet for further treatment. Best of luck to you both and take care!

Antiviral medications (which is what the Idoxuridine is) can be both expensive and slightly irritating to the eye, so the ophthalmologist may not have thought it was worth putting in the right eye right now. The Isathal is likely being given for the ulcers, so that is probably why he only recommended putting it in the right eye. However, I do think it would be worth asking the ophthalmologist if it is worth medicating the right eye now and if not when they would consider doing so in the future. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would recommend calling your vet and asking for a drop instead of an ointment. I have found that drops are much easier to administer. I would recommend trying to continue with the recommendations from your vet.; The eye is most likely infected with a viral and secondary bacterial infection. The viralys will help with the viral part of the infection. You can take a warm wash cloth and wipe off the eye a few times a day to help remove any discharge.

Coco is adorable! As long as the eye is improving, then I would continue using the medication. Normally, I have clients continue using eye ointment until I can examine the eye again to make sure that it is completely healed before stopping the medication. This often takes 7-14 days, but can take longer. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This sounds like your pet has an eye infection and it's possible that it initially got better because the medicaiton was working, but was just stopped too soon, is the infection came back. We normally treat eye infections for at least 7-10 days and sometimes longer depending on the depth of corneal damage. I would recommend extending the course of treatment and definitely no topical steroids should be used or this will only make it worse. So no dexamethasine ingredient in the eye medication or Prednisone. You should be giving something like Tobramycin, Terramycin or Neo/Poly/Bacitracin . I hope this helps!