The Vet found a problem with Milk Chan, but I think he's wrong...Opinions?

[bicentennial_baby]

I took Milk Chan to our Vet today, and he diagnosed her with Vestibular disease, based only on the nystagmus in her eyes (rapid twitching back and forth).

But, she has no other symptoms of vestibular disease. She walks fine, jumps fine, etc. Vestibular disease is normally exhibited by a head tilt, walking in circles, falling over, etc.

Causes of vestibular disease could be idiopathic, ear infection, brain tumor, toxoplasmosis.

Go I've been Googling, and I've found at least 3 veterinary textbooks (on feline neurology and opthamology) that say that Siamese cats often have congenital nystagmus that often comes with the crossed eyes, just like Milk Chan has.

Does anyone know about this? Could my Vet have jumped the gun on the diagnosis?

I'm going to call him in the morning and ask him to research it. I think he might have overlooked congenital Siamese issues. If that's all it is, it's nothing to worry about.

[applegrove]

1. Amazing how much you love that cats after only a short while. Love will do that.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Kick?

:kick:

[Genevieve]

3. hey,

Siamese: nystagmus in these cats are due to some abnormal wiring between the eyes and the brain, that is caused by the influence of the Himalayan gene that the cats carry. These conditions are accepted traits in these cats and do not cause major problems for them. The traits are considered a normal feature of these cats.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:haWpnrzRb_EJ:www.petplace.com/cats/strabismus-in-cats/page1.aspx+siamese+cat+nystagmus+common&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=21&gl=us

[TZ]

4. You know I vaguely remember someone I know

Having a cat that was given this diagnosis but it was not apparant either-and it was Siamese. You might be right. Definitely see if you can get a second opinion

[Mutley]

5. Is Vestibular disease something that can show symptoms later in life

but not much while young?

[bicentennial_baby]

7. I think it can happen at any time, esp. since

it can be caused by several things, including nothing that is detectable (idiopathic, resolves on its own in a few days/weeks)

:)

[Shakespeare]

6. Theo's half siamese, and his eyes do that.

He's never been diagnosed, so I have no idea if it's the same thing, but he's ridiculously healthy at 13.5 years. I think further consideration (and reseaerch by the vet) is definitely in order.

:loveya:

[bicentennial_baby]

8. I've been researching all night, and I think he got it wrong

He's a really good vet, and he'll be receptive to hearing what I found. The blue eyes, crossed eyes, and wiggly eyes seem to all go together, and they're all just congenital defects that cause no issues.

:loveya:

[demnan]

9. Pad Thai's eyes do that

He wiggles his eyes when he's just about to jump into my arms or on my shoulder. I think its the way he adjusts his eyes for distance as cross-eyed cats don't have the normal way to sense distance. He's very good at adjusting for that and always lands where he wants to.

Pad Thai is a perfectly healthy 10 year old pure-bred Siamese with crossed blue eyes and my vet has never found a problem with him.

[bicentennial_baby]

11. Thanks for your input

The Vet didn't get back to me today, must have been a busy day at the office. I'll call back on Monday.

She just doesn't have any other symptoms of vestibular disease. She isn't stumbling, tilting, falling over, vomiting, etc. She's perfectly normal other than the eye twitch. She is a little off on her landings sometimes, but I think her depth perception is just a little skewed, as crossed eyes affect the stereoscopic vision.

I'll keep you posted.

[Gormy Cuss]

10. PM kestrel91316

A vet who's a cat specialist.