RE: What should I do with this conjunctival mass in a cat?

Suzie Badham — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 10:59:52 GMT

Agreed. Excisional biopsy of the conjunctiva would be best. Once under and prepped with dilute iodine solution I'd suggest you stabilise and evert the third eyelid with stay sutures at each end of the leading edge before simple, fine removal with tenotomy scissors (Steven's or Westcott scissors if you have them). You should be able to undermine the conj with fine blunt dissection or small snips without damaging the cartilage. You may not need to suture the conjunctiva if your wound is <1cm diameter, though small vicryl (6/0 or smaller) would be best if you do put in a stitch.

It might be worth sectioning the sample in half and putting half in saline for culture if it is a hunting cat.

I would also recommend you send the histopath to Emma Scurrell at Cytopath https://www.cytopath.co.uk/services/ophthalmic-pathology as many labs have less experience in the subtleties of ocular pathology.

Let us know what you find!

Suzie Badham - RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology

RE: What should I do with this conjunctival mass in a cat?

janine redman — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 18:47:41 GMT

I would excise and send for biopsy . Have seen enough cats with third eyelids which have been slashed through in cat fight that they seem to do fine without . Even with facial nerve damage they seem to do ok . You should be able to remove from above the cartilage