Eye infection

[Idgie]

My chinchilla, Ripley, is 6 years old. She appears to have an eye infection in the same eye that she had problems with when she was 2 years old. She is eating, drinking, pooping normally. I took her to the exotic vet and they prescribed Tobramycin and Flurbiprofen drops. (Similar to what she took 4 years ago). It seemed to only irritate her more (red eyes, squinting, and scratching) so I returned to a different vet in the practice and she stained her eye to check for ulcers. She prescribed Neo/Poly/Bac ointment. After almost a week of that, her eye was not improving. She suggested to try just the Tobramycin for a couple days before our next appointment tomorrow, but that’s not helping.
Has anyone had experience like this or any suggestions? The vet doesn’t seem to think that it is a fungal infection or malo, but I’m sure that we will discuss all options. (Her weight has been stable.) Is it possible that she is irritated by the meds (and her scratching)? Her eye looks worse to me than when we started the process.
I did try to get an appointment with an animal eye doctor, but she’s booked for 6 weeks.
Wish me luck tomorrow.

 

[Amethyst]

I don't have any experience with that, but if the meds aren't working I would think an x-ray would be the next step. Even though the vet doesn't think malo without an x-ray you can't see what the roots are doing. Another possibility could be a tumor which again you aren't going to see just looking at the chin. I would think a vet would have checked, but another possibility is a clogged tear duct, it's not that uncommon in chins. Unless it's physically blocked by an overgrown tooth root antibiotics normally work for that. It is possible though that since you gave him that antibiotic in the past that the bacteria is resistant to it now and you need to try a different one.

 

[Idgie]

Thanks for the reply. The 2nd ointment did have a different antibiotic in it than the drops, plus a steroid. (And the Tobramycin is a different antibiotic than what she got 4 years ago.) So not sure if there is much more to try in the antibiotic realm, but we’ll see. It’s possible that her tear duct is blocked and maybe the ointment needed more time to work.

I suppose a tumor or malo are possibilities. I’d hate to put her under (they’d need to for x-rays, correct?), but maybe we do need to do it to rule those out.

I just want to be prepared for what she might recommend. I just hate to keep putting Ripley through all this, but I also don’t want her to be hurting.

 

[Idgie]

Happy to update that I decided to discontinue all drops yesterday and Ripley’s eye already looks better! The antibiotics were irritating her eye.

Took her to the vet today. Tear ducts are good along with her actual eyeball. Weight same. No need for X-rays now. The only issue left is her pink eyelids. Two vets confer that the Flurbiprofen should help with that and no more antibiotics! (And if the Flurbiprofen irritates her, then none of that either.)

She seems to be on the road to recovery So relieved!

 

[Amethyst]

Happy to update that I decided to discontinue all drops yesterday and Ripley’s eye already looks better! The antibiotics were irritating her eye.

Took her to the vet today. Tear ducts are good along with her actual eyeball. Weight same. No need for X-rays now. The only issue left is her pink eyelids. Two vets confer that the Flurbiprofen should help with that and no more antibiotics! (And if the Flurbiprofen irritates her, then none of that either.)

She seems to be on the road to recovery So relieved!

That's great!