What is Eosinophilic Conjunctivitis?
Cats can develop a specific type of conjunctivitis known as eosinophilic conjunctivitis. The diagnosis is made by performing a conjunctival scraping and examining the cells with a microscope. The predominant type of cells is a white blood cell known as the eosinophil. It is called this because of the way it retains stains. Although the cause for eosinophilic conjunctivitis is unknown, several causes of eosinophilic conjunctivitis have been proposed. These include herpesvirus, allergy and other virus infections. Herpesvirus must be ruled-out as a cause because treatment for eosinophilic conjunctivitis is topically applied steroids or oral steroids or megesterol acetate. Are there infectious causes of Conjunctivitis in the cat besides Herpesvirus? Cats may develop a respiratory condition (called URI) from herpes, mycoplasma or chlamydia. The most common cause of conjunctivitis in the cat is Herpesvirus. This virus is a common cause of upper respiratory disease in cats. It is passed in dr
