Marley’s Eye
One day we noticed that Marley had difficulty keeping his eye open; the eye appeared red and was closed most of the time. First, we thought maybe Marley had something in his eye, and if we removed the object, the eye would work well again. To treat the problem, we decided to try our gramma’s remedy. We carefully washed Marley’s eye with a syringe and a soft gauze.
We hoped to clean the eye and remove the foreign object. Surprisingly, Marley didn’t mind his face bath and stoically accepted our efforts. At the same time, the eye condition didn’t improve. We noticed that our boy started rubbing the affected eye with his paws and against the furniture. Marley had to see the doctor. We called the veterinarian clinic and made an appointment.
Getting Ready
When we placed Marley in a cat carrier, Sunny was nervous and worried. He was restlessly running around and was jumping up and down. One moment, Sunny leaped on top of the crate and tried to stick his face and paws inside. Sunny was afraid that we’re taking his friend away.
We knew that the cats were good friends; at the same time, Sunny’s behavior was new to us. We gently stroked Sunny’s head and told him that Marley only goes for a checkup. We promised that we will bring Marley home as soon as possible, and the boys will play together again.
At the Clinic
On the way to the vet, Marley was quiet and collected. At the clinic, many dogs and cats with their human parents were waiting in line. A technician was working with a large, black dog and was trying to check her weight. The dog was hauling and refusing to step on the scale. A client at the cash register was buying prescription food for his cat, while another patient was waiting to see the doctor.
Marley started fidgeting and crying in his carrier. Fortunately, the vet technician invited us soon, and we explained to her our boy’s story. Next, the doctor examined Marley and explained to us his condition. Our boy had a corneal ulcer, a painful, open sore in his eye caused by the common herpes virus. According to the vet, if the ulcer was left untreated, a cat can lose the eye.
The Treatment
The treatment included eye drops and the application of an ointment twice a day. Additionally, the doctor prescribed pain medicine, a syrup that can be given with a syringe, to help with the eye pain. The concern was how Marley is going to tolerate the medication. We had him for a short time, and the idea of putting the eye drops twice a day was daunting. Will we be able to administer the medicine correctly? How is the treatment going to affect our rapport with Marley?
We decided to take one day at a time and give Marley everything that the doctor prescribed. Curiously, Marley turned out to be a great patient. He allowed us to put the drops in his eye and apply the cream. Marley even took the pain syrup without complaints.
We believe that Marley knew that we do our best for him. Every day, he was waiting for his procedures. I carefully opened Marley’s eye and gently dropped the medicine in. He was waiting until the medication was absorbed in the eye and stayed still until I released him. What an amazing, wonderful, and patient boy!
Our next doctor appointment was in two weeks.