My rescue kitten's eye irritation isn't improving with Terramycin.

Poor Snowball! Since she is still squinting with watery eye discharge after 6 days on Terramycin, you should take her to the vet now. The most common cause of recurrent eye issues and sneezing is due to viral infections (herpesvirus and calicivirus) that can cause both eye and upper respiratory signs when they shed intermittently. Signs typically resolve once the virus is done shedding, but many cats can also develop secondary bacterial infections which require antibiotics for treatment. In the long term, discuss using a Lysine supplement (Viralys is one example) for Snowball with her vet. I hope that all goes well for Snowball!

Hello. You can continue with this treatment every 12 hours. But if the eyes do not improve in a few days, or the symptoms worse, please do see your veterinarian for further diagnosis & treatment. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello there! Feline herpesvirus (AKA FHV) is very common in cats coming from shelters, and the key clinical sign of the virus is watery, goopy eyes that recur during times of stress or other illness. It lives in the body forever, but goes dormant until something challenges the immune system, and then it rears its ugly head again. While there is a diagnostic test for FHV, it's not commonly performed as the virus is not usually clinically significant (it's not usually a big deal once cats leave kittenhood). Some cats will only have one bout with it, and then you'll never see symptoms again. The treatment that your veterinarian prescribed was likely to prevent or treat any secondary bacterial infections that Oliver may develop/may have developed - viruses have no treatment, but they can make an animal susceptible to bacterial infection, particularly when the eyes are irritated with all the goo they make during a viral break. Conjunctivitis (a bacterial inflammation of the conjunctiva) is a common secondary infection that this virus can cause. If you'd like to confirm that he has FHV, you can definitely request the test for it (this usually involves sending out samples of the eye discharge to the lab), but it will likely be expensive, and the treatment would not likely be different regardless of the test results. I hope this helps, and please feel free to contact me for a consult or post a follow-up question if we can assist further. Best of luck to you and your kitten Oliver!

Hello, so sorry that Milo is having this issue. He definitely has an eye infection but from what organism I don't know. Many of the organisms that cause these infections show the same symptoms so it is impossible to distinguish between them without testing. My two top guesses are herpes (virus) and chlamydia (bacteria). Regardless of the underlying cause you will need to get him some medications from your vet. This is not something you can treat at home. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

I strongly disagree with your vet, in my experience both oral and topical (eye ointment called teramycin) are necessary in such a case, otherwise you run the risk of it becoming a chronic infection for life, both respiratory and the eye.

Cats often are infected with herpesvirus as kittens, and it can come and go throughout their lives, but often it flares up during times of stress (such as adding a new kitten). They can also get secondary bacterial infections in the eyes and upper respiratory infections. If it's not improving on its own or he starts squinting or pawing at his eye he may need antibiotic drops from your vet.

Poor Pete! Squinting and discharge from the eye are common signs of an eye infection. He will need prescription eye drops from your veterinarian to treat this problem, so I would recommend taking him in for an exam as soon as you are able to. In the meantime, you can try gently flushing his eye with plain saline eye wash, and wipe away the drainage with a warm washcloth or cotton ball as often as needed. This will not treat the underlying infection, but may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.