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Tapeworms causing eye problems?

This forum is for cat lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your cat.

  


Member Since
02/15/2011		 
 
Purred: Sun Jul 29, '12 7:30pm PST 
My kitty Luna was acting ill the other day, just seem tired and not eating much. Yesterday I noticed her eyes are acting up, the right eye won't get bigger when there is no light, while the left eye doesn't get smaller around light.

Today I noticed she had tapeworms which weren't there a few days ago. She has the little white rice looking things in her stool and around here bum. I got her Trade Winds Tapeworm meds for now, I am hoping to get into the vet tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.

Today she has been eating a bit better and has had more energy, she just got done playing with me. She still has the problem with the eyes though.

I read that the worm larva can travel in the body and into the eye and cause damage, but it's rare and it doesn't say what kind of eye damage.

Just the eye problems and the tapeworms came around the same time. Has anyone else had this type of problem with their cat?
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Ashlynne

Silly girl
 
 
Purred: Sun Jul 29, '12 10:10pm PST 
What you're describing with her pupils sounds like anisocoria. I'd get her to a vet right away to determine what's causing it. It could be very serious. Her eyes could be damaged if the underlying illness is not treated.

Best wishes. hug

(Ashlynne lost her eye because of iris melanoma, unrelated to what you're asking about. But when I noticed her pupils were slightly different in size, the vet immediately referred her to an ophthalmologist for "possible anisocoria." The difference in pupil size was because the pressure was elevated in the eye that was developing iris melanoma. Elevated pressure is just one of the reasons that the pupils might be different sized.)
.

Edited by author Sun Jul 29, '12 10:12pm PST

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Member Since
02/15/2011		 
 
Purred: Sun Jul 29, '12 10:25pm PST 
My vet has already been contacted and should be getting her in tommrrow morning. It's just odd since this all started around the same time as the tapeworms so was wondering if tapeworms could be the cause.

Sadly an ophthalmologist I would think would be expensive and my husband and I couldn't afford that. I just lost my job and my husband is the only one working, and both of us aren't approved for care credit. So I am hoping my normal vet ca find the cause.=(
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Ashlynne

Silly girl
 
 
Purred: Sun Jul 29, '12 11:07pm PST 
I'm glad you're able to get her in to your vet so quickly. Let us know whether the vet thinks the eye problem is related to the tapeworm.

The ophthalmologist's office here warns me each time that the initial exam with the usual tests could run about $200. I've had 3 cats there and it was a little less than $200 for each one. So yes, it can be expensive. I don't think my own eye exams cost that much.
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Member Since
02/15/2011		 
 
Purred: Mon Jul 30, '12 12:11am PST 
I actually thought it would be more expensive than that, I am looking into selling whatever belongings I can if I need to for Luna. I am sure it also depends on the state, I live in WA. Tough I was expecting the cost to be $500+
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Member Since
02/15/2011		 
 
Purred: Mon Jul 30, '12 11:22am PST 
Luna just got back from the vet. Right now they are running blood tests and did some tests to check her organs. She had a small fever and he said her pupils do respond to light changes just very slowly. He isn't too worried at the moment since she is able to see fine and her walking/coordination is normal. He was checking out her eyes for a long time and did some staining which came back fine.

Right now he is checking for infections since he said there are infections that can cause that to happen with the eyes and and just wants to see how her organs are doing, making sure there is nothing wrong with things like the kidney. I will get the results tomorrow. If that is all clear, an x-ray of her head and neck will be next. He says it's not impossible but very unlikely it's the tapeworms.

He gave her an anti-inflammatory shot to help with any pain she could be having and to help the fever a little. He also started her on amoxicillin because of the slight fever and hoping she might start feeling a little better to eat more than she has been.
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Ashlynne

Silly girl
 
 
Purred: Mon Jul 30, '12 12:40pm PST 
It sounds as if your vet was very thorough checking her. That's good to know her eyes are reacting properly to light, even though they're reacting slowly. I hope the blood tests don't show anything seriously wrong and Luna's feeling better and back to normal real soon. (I hope she won't even need those x-rays.)

hug

You know, my other cat Beepers (Ashlynne's daddy) just saw the ophthalmologist last week. The regular vet saw some shadows or something unusual on his retinas, which he felt could be indicative of an illness. He wanted the ophthalmologist to look at him (and we did blood tests, too). It turns out that it was scarring from some past illness that had assaulted Beepers' eyes. The ophthalmologist said it was from either inflammation or an infection (protozoal or fungal). Beepers is almost 14 but we've only had him for 2 1/2 years, so I don't know what illness he might have had that scarred his retinas.

Anyway, my point is, that seems to go along with what your vet is checking for and with the treatment he's giving Luna.
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Member Since
02/15/2011		 
 
Purred: Mon Jul 30, '12 7:41pm PST 
Just got a call from the vet, they got Luna's results back early and everything is clear. No infections, kidney and liver are good. Which is good but gives no answers. He wants to wait to see how she does till Thursday, he is a little more concerned about her fever and just feeling ill. He said some cats can just form lesions in the brain which mess with nerve signals to the eyes and there always won't be cause. We will see how luna feels until thursday and then go from there.
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