A Post-Thanksgiving Emergency...

Just when we thought things were calming down a little ~ Leo had an emergency. Acutely painful eyes are nothin' to mess around with, and the poor boy became very frightened because he was blind and painful. He began to lash out at everything in fear, including us.

Leo was seen by one of our favorite opthamologists at the Eye Clinic for Animals, Dr. Schorling, who ever so gently looked at Leo. We knew he had entropian eyelids (lids that turn in) that we were hoping would resolve once his skin healed. His skin is looking pretty good, but the eyelid problem persisted and daily medication wasn't enough. Dr. Schorling says he, like Phoenix and MeiLi, has feline herpes virus; herpes cats tend to squint too much, and in Leo's case, caused his misshapen eyelids to rub directly on his eyes. He ruptured one of his corneas as a result.

Leo had emergency surgery to fix his lids, essentially a kitty "face lift". Dr. Schorling also did a corneal graft to try to repair his damaged eye. We will have to wait and see if it will take ~ it may heal or he may lose his eye, but this is the best chance he has to keep it. Tonight Leo is much more comfortable, sporting an Elizabethan collar to keep him from scratching out his sutures. I hope to have a picture of him in the next couple of days - he's a little camera-shy right now!