Our cat had a watery eye. Ended up at an eye specialist who asked if he had sneezing fits. Surprised me since he frequently did and I wasn’t sure what that had to do with his eye. Vet specialist said he probably had herpes his whole life which was somehow related to his eye issue (it’s been some years so I forget the exact details). Gave eye drops and felt better.

I wouldn’t let my cat have a watery eye for multiple years without asking the vet about it. That’s nuts.

Could be herpes. My cats both had it present as you describe. Sometimes progressed to a “cold” for the younger cat, but rarely for him and never for the other. The Dr can give you some ointment to smear on the eye and clear it right up; if it happens again, break out the leftover ointment. There are low-cost supplements to add directly to their food that help keep things in check.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to do ONE series of diagnostic visits, OP, for ethical reasons. You can't leave a symptom flapping in the wind. What if it's something other than allergies? It has to be something else, otherwise it would be both eyes, wouldn't it? And if it turns out to be an optic nerve tumor, your choice of whether you want to operate or euthanize.

I'm with you on the "less is more" vet expense philosophy, but not until you have a good idea of what's at stake and the discomfort level of the animal. For example: my young adult dog is incontinent, which is rare, and it wasn't until I spent $400 to assure myself that there was no bladder or urinary tract infection, or anything else outstanding, that I shrugged, and bought washable diapers. I needed to check first.

Oh god that’s what I’m afraid of. Optic tumor? There goes 10k!!! FYI my DH would never euthanize an animal unless it was absolutely 1000% necessary. He kept our dog a year too long. She was clearly suffering but he wouldn't acknowledge it. He took her to work with him daily and when I saw she hadn't eaten in 48 hrs I told him not to bring her home, go straight to vet because I didn't want to deal with a 110lb dead dog in a condo. He took her to the vet and she took her last breath soon after they arrived. He doesn't have his animals euthanized, he waits till they die on their own which imo is bonkers.

I hope you're a troll, because you are both extremists. You do realize you're letting this cat suffer for years with something that could be causing pain, right? That's just as bad as not putting an animal out of its misery - if not worse.

Animals deserve to benefit from modern veterinary diagnostics. What you choose to do with the diagnosis is up to you, as long as the pain is managed. And if your spouse chooses to waste their money on treatments you think are unnecessary, then argue with him, separate your finances, do what you can. But if fear of spending is causing you to refuse all vet visits for your animals, you're the monster, not him.

Oh ffs! You sound like the extremist. The cats get their annual checkups and shots and are fine. I doubt this cat has had an eye infection for six years! Guarantee it’s allergies, which will need to be treated with costly inconvenient medication’s. She’s probably allergic to humans.

My DH would believe ANYTHING the vet said and spend whatever the bill is. He never questions his vet. This is why I'm so leary of this particular vet, because he knows he has a big gullible fish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to do ONE series of diagnostic visits, OP, for ethical reasons. You can't leave a symptom flapping in the wind. What if it's something other than allergies? It has to be something else, otherwise it would be both eyes, wouldn't it? And if it turns out to be an optic nerve tumor, your choice of whether you want to operate or euthanize.

I'm with you on the "less is more" vet expense philosophy, but not until you have a good idea of what's at stake and the discomfort level of the animal. For example: my young adult dog is incontinent, which is rare, and it wasn't until I spent $400 to assure myself that there was no bladder or urinary tract infection, or anything else outstanding, that I shrugged, and bought washable diapers. I needed to check first.

Oh god that’s what I’m afraid of. Optic tumor? There goes 10k!!! FYI my DH would never euthanize an animal unless it was absolutely 1000% necessary. He kept our dog a year too long. She was clearly suffering but he wouldn't acknowledge it. He took her to work with him daily and when I saw she hadn't eaten in 48 hrs I told him not to bring her home, go straight to vet because I didn't want to deal with a 110lb dead dog in a condo. He took her to the vet and she took her last breath soon after they arrived. He doesn't have his animals euthanized, he waits till they die on their own which imo is bonkers.

I hope you're a troll, because you are both extremists. You do realize you're letting this cat suffer for years with something that could be causing pain, right? That's just as bad as not putting an animal out of its misery - if not worse.

Animals deserve to benefit from modern veterinary diagnostics. What you choose to do with the diagnosis is up to you, as long as the pain is managed. And if your spouse chooses to waste their money on treatments you think are unnecessary, then argue with him, separate your finances, do what you can. But if fear of spending is causing you to refuse all vet visits for your animals, you're the monster, not him.

Anonymous wrote:Ok but your cat has had an eye infection for six years and you haven't once gone to the vet? I'm more of a realist about pets than many on this thread but that is neglectful

I agree with this. There’s clearly a problem with the cat’s eye, for Pete’s sake. If I was your husband I would have taken that cat to the vet a long time ago, whether I had your “permission” or not.

Ok but your cat has had an eye infection for six years and you haven't once gone to the vet? I'm more of a realist about pets than many on this thread but that is neglectful

^ ^ and if you've never taken it for an annual exam, for god's sake do so

Why wouldn't you just ask the vet about the eye during your pet's annual visit? The fact that it's just one eye would make me concerned about a lingering infection.

Is your DH on the other thread about vet expenses? Someone there insists that you must pay for any and all life preserving treatments because euthanizing a sick animal is in inhuman.

Anonymous wrote:You need to do ONE series of diagnostic visits, OP, for ethical reasons. You can't leave a symptom flapping in the wind. What if it's something other than allergies? It has to be something else, otherwise it would be both eyes, wouldn't it? And if it turns out to be an optic nerve tumor, your choice of whether you want to operate or euthanize.

I'm with you on the "less is more" vet expense philosophy, but not until you have a good idea of what's at stake and the discomfort level of the animal. For example: my young adult dog is incontinent, which is rare, and it wasn't until I spent $400 to assure myself that there was no bladder or urinary tract infection, or anything else outstanding, that I shrugged, and bought washable diapers. I needed to check first.

+1
This is also my train of thought. Let the vet minimally investigate the issue and then decide whether to treat or not. If you think your vet is going to bully you into treatment you don't think is necessary, then you need a new vet. I really like the vet we see. I took my dog in for a limp and she simply asked how much I was willing to spend on imaging. I let her take a $30 x-ray, which showed nothing, and decided we'd see if the dog got better with some rest. It took a couple of months but the dog did stop limping.

A cat with a runny eye? I'd definitely find out if it's a chronic infection or something that can easily be treated with medication. Then you can decide to treat or let it go.

I also have a DH who is reluctant to put down a suffering animal. It has been a problem with two dogs where I had to put my foot down because I couldn't stand to see them suffer anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to do ONE series of diagnostic visits, OP, for ethical reasons. You can't leave a symptom flapping in the wind. What if it's something other than allergies? It has to be something else, otherwise it would be both eyes, wouldn't it? And if it turns out to be an optic nerve tumor, your choice of whether you want to operate or euthanize.

I'm with you on the "less is more" vet expense philosophy, but not until you have a good idea of what's at stake and the discomfort level of the animal. For example: my young adult dog is incontinent, which is rare, and it wasn't until I spent $400 to assure myself that there was no bladder or urinary tract infection, or anything else outstanding, that I shrugged, and bought washable diapers. I needed to check first.

Oh god that’s what I’m afraid of. Optic tumor? There goes 10k!!! FYI my DH would never euthanize an animal unless it was absolutely 1000% necessary. He kept our dog a year too long. She was clearly suffering but he wouldn't acknowledge it. He took her to work with him daily and when I saw she hadn't eaten in 48 hrs I told him not to bring her home, go straight to vet because I didn't want to deal with a 110lb dead dog in a condo. He took her to the vet and she took her last breath soon after they arrived. He doesn't have his animals euthanized, he waits till they die on their own which imo is bonkers.

Your DH should not own pets.

Anonymous wrote:You need to do ONE series of diagnostic visits, OP, for ethical reasons. You can't leave a symptom flapping in the wind. What if it's something other than allergies? It has to be something else, otherwise it would be both eyes, wouldn't it? And if it turns out to be an optic nerve tumor, your choice of whether you want to operate or euthanize.

I'm with you on the "less is more" vet expense philosophy, but not until you have a good idea of what's at stake and the discomfort level of the animal. For example: my young adult dog is incontinent, which is rare, and it wasn't until I spent $400 to assure myself that there was no bladder or urinary tract infection, or anything else outstanding, that I shrugged, and bought washable diapers. I needed to check first.

Oh god that’s what I’m afraid of. Optic tumor? There goes 10k!!! FYI my DH would never euthanize an animal unless it was absolutely 1000% necessary. He kept our dog a year too long. She was clearly suffering but he wouldn't acknowledge it. He took her to work with him daily and when I saw she hadn't eaten in 48 hrs I told him not to bring her home, go straight to vet because I didn't want to deal with a 110lb dead dog in a condo. He took her to the vet and she took her last breath soon after they arrived. He doesn't have his animals euthanized, he waits till they die on their own which imo is bonkers.

You need to do ONE series of diagnostic visits, OP, for ethical reasons. You can't leave a symptom flapping in the wind. What if it's something other than allergies? It has to be something else, otherwise it would be both eyes, wouldn't it? And if it turns out to be an optic nerve tumor, your choice of whether you want to operate or euthanize.

I'm with you on the "less is more" vet expense philosophy, but not until you have a good idea of what's at stake and the discomfort level of the animal. For example: my young adult dog is incontinent, which is rare, and it wasn't until I spent $400 to assure myself that there was no bladder or urinary tract infection, or anything else outstanding, that I shrugged, and bought washable diapers. I needed to check first.

My 6 yr old cat has always had one eye that tears and looks bothersome. Other than that shes healthy. My DH has literally spent 6 figures on his pets thru the years. Money is no object when it comes to animals. They sneeze and he wants to take them to the vet. I’m the opposite and very skeptical of vets. I think most are money hungry over diagnose thieves. I literally just had to call the vet my son uses because they charged him for tests they didn’t do on his pet. Errrr.. Anyhoo, my husband has been wanting to take our cat to the vet for her eye for the last four or five years and I always tell him no! The vet is just going to tell us the cat has allergies, which will probably be $500 a month for supplements and medications.