Did you ask where the opthamologist comes from? Perhaps you can see him in another location today?
I have done that...they are only in my area 3 days/week; but have a main office that is on the other side of Houston that I can go to if I am willing to drive.
Maybe yours are not really far away?

Hi, yes I did. They are off of Jacksonville which is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes away. I scheduled another appointment with the vet and just came back this morning. He told me to stop giving him the ointment and instead prescribed 1/2 a tablet of Temaril twice a day for four days and then 1/4 a tablet twice a day until gone along with 1/4 a tablet of Simplicef once a day until gone. He said that he didn't think he needed to see a specialist. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I almost feel as if the medicine is treating the symptoms, but we're not really investigating the root of the problem?

I agree 1000%. Make the appointment with the specialist.

Sounds like a plan. :) I think the oral antibiotics may help...and the anti inflammatory too. I don't see how a visit to a specialist will hurt. Your vet might be right...a simple thing...I don't know.

You could make the appointment with the ophthalmologist for Thursday and that would give you 3 full days to see if the eye improves at all with the meds.

I think the vet just thinks it's some type of superficial bacterial infection...either way I think that's a good idea. I'll schedule it for Thursday.

Ladyjane, I have no idea how you do this on a daily basis with your rescue. I would go absolutely coo coo. It takes a special kind of emotional strength.

You don't actually think I am sane, do you? :D;):p

:sidesplt:

Rosey:
First of all, LJ is completely sane and I am certain she has never gone coo coo(ROFLMAO...........)

Second, I'd probably make the Thurs appt and if the eye is improving, I'd cancel it. I sometimes run to specialists when it is not warranted. As long as you are treating the eye and a vet has been involved, I personally would not panic. And I say that as a person who panicks if a liver enzyme is out of range by 1 point. Simplicef is a really good antibiotic. My Teddy is on that right now too for a skin infection.

Speaking of eye problems...Sammy, my newest foster, has a problem with one of his eyes this morning. I have an 11:30 appt for him. He does have KCS and is on cyclosporine drops..it almost looks like his lids are inflammed sort of like Teddy's. We shall see....

Aww, poor Teddy. I hope he does get some relief soon with the new meds.

Ha! I know exactly what you mean. However, I always think that the ONE TIME I don't panic is going to be the ONE TIME it does warrant panicking...I'm super optimistic in that way :rolleyes: That's exactly what I plan on doing...I scheduled my appt for Thursday, and play it by ear with the medication until then. What's the probability that both of our Teddy's are taking the same medication at the same time...?

:( Sending nice thoughts to Sammy. I'm not sure what KCS stands for though?

Thank you...I hope soo too

Just getting caught up with Teddy. ( I have had computer problems, ugh)
If it were me I would keep the apt with the optho even if the symptoms seem to be improving. May sound silly, but as we have experienced before, the symptoms go away and then return. The specialist will be able to give a second opinion. If he/she agrees with the vet's diagnosis then you can feel confident you are not just treating symptoms and have found the root of the problem. :) Teddy can receive an in depth exam which can't hurt.

I hope Teddy is finding some relief and gets things cleared up soon.

Hi everyone, I talked to my vet yesterday afternoon because Teddy's heartworm and flea medication is due today and tomorrow (I give one each day) and I wanted to make sure if it was okay to give him the medicine while he's taking the eye medication. He asked me about Teddy and his eye, and I told him that I noticed that his eye was doing a lot better, especially in comparison to how it was yesterday morning and even more so Monday. I told him that I was planning on seeing an opthamalogist tomorrow (today) and he told me to give it a couple of more days. He asked me to come in on Friday (he's not going to charge me) to just look at Teddy's eye one more time and that if I was still unsure about his eye was doing that he will schedule an appt for me with the opthamologist on Tuesday since Monday is the 4th of July. He told me that he just wanted to make sure that the medicine is given completely before I go to an optho to at least make sure that it is/or if it isn't working. He also wanted to make sure that I don't run to the optho unnecessarily--he really thinks Teddy is not in any danger by delaying.

I feel more confident this morning about several things. First of all, Teddy's eye is doing great Thank God. It is still not back to it's original color but the inflammation is definitely down...it's still a pale pinkish color around his eye...but it's not that throbbing red color anymore. Second, I was a little uneasy about this vet in the beginning--but the fact that he's not charging me another visit (he didn't charge me the visit on Monday morning) shows me that he cares about how Teddy is doing.

As always, I will keep you guys updated. Thank you so much for caring.

I'm so happy to hear this update. Your vet sounds wonderful.

Happy to hear that things are improving! Also glad that you are more comfortable with your vet. :)

Glad to hear that Teddy's eye is improving and that you and your vet are on top of it. Sending well wishes that his eye will be 100% soon.

Glad to read the news about Teddy. :)

Thank you all...just wanted to give an update picture:
This was his eye Sunday night: http://i56.tinypic.com/29lbkew.png
And this is his eye today:
http://i55.tinypic.com/rtgi2f.png

HUGE difference! Wonderful! I know you must be so relieved! So happy for you and for little Teddy! :)

Looks great!

Aww, Teddy, it is good to see your eye all better! Your mommy must be so happy. :)

Hi everyone,
I scheduled an appt for Teddy at 9AM Thursday morning to see the opthamologist. The person I spoke to on the phone thinks that Teddy has dry eye :(

My baby has this on both eyes. My vet prescribed a steroidal hydrocortizone ointment that I put around his eyes every day until it looks better. He has allergies. I just switched him to a grain free food (TOTW) and the vet told us to wash his eyes every day and then put the ointment on it. We use plain water and soak the eye and wipe it off with a cotton pad. It helps a lot.

The ointment says "Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates, Bacitracin Zinc and Hydrocortizone Opthalmic Ointment" I think it's called Apexa (unless that's the maker?) It is supposed to not be irritating to the eyeball if it gets in there.

Good luck!

While the ointment you are suggesting may not be irritating to the normal eye, it can cause serious issues and blindness if used on a pup that has an eye ulcer even starting. You should never use a steroid cream near the eyes without a vet examining the eye and/or prescribing it. Steroids will make that ulcer get worse and the pup can lose his/her vision as a result.

Thank you for adding this info. I'm just continuing the simplicef and temaril that the vet prescribed until Thursday. Thankfully since the vet did the fluoriscene (sorry don't remember the spelling) test I know that there isn't any corneal abrasions to worry about...but I'm still upset that the optho just said he might have dry eye...I would have preferred to wait until the visit to tell me what's wrong with him then just speculate over the phone :(

My vet told me the same exact thing a few weeks ago when our dog had corneal abrasions. She said you cannot use a steroid on abrasions or it will cause the eye to ulcerate and worse. She prescribed a different ointment for Teddy which did not contain the steroid component. Unless a vet looks at the eye, there's no way to tell what is going on.

I'm glad you are going to see the specialist. Was it the doctor or someone else in the office that speculated about dry eye?

Don't worry, they will do the Schirmer tear test and rule it in or out. They won't just guess and send you on your way.

Reinforcing what LJ brought up:

Corneal Ulceration

Never use topical or oral corticosteroids (Prednisone, Dexamethasone, Betamethasone) with ulcerated corneas. Steroids delay wound healing and can cause a superficial ulcer to rapidly become a deep one and potentially cause the eye to rupture.