The feline herpesvirus, which is commonplace, can blind cats. The same can happen to humans. I refer to that infectious agent, briefly below, but first we have to recognise that even the best qualified veterinarian will not be a good vet without that precious characteristic: compassion. You can add to that an empathy for animals. All the veterinary qualifications in the world cannot compensate for a lack of compassion and empathy.
Blinded Ray and His Siblings
It is clear that the vet involved in the story about Ray, Stevie and their siblings was neither compassionate nor empathetic towards animals.
Not only did her cruel neglect result in the acute suffering and eventual blindness of five cats, she also kept Pit Bull Terrier dogs caged up for the sole purpose to provide blood transfusions.
We have to recognise the fact that this vet, who practiced her profession in Mentor, Ohio (or near by) got cancer. This caused her to close her veterinary clinic. Fair enough, and I’d feel really sorry for her if it wasn’t for the fact that she kept Ray and his siblings in a cage for seven years at the back of her clinic, living in their own feces and urine, with little or no contact with people and under such a level of neglect that the treatable herpesvirus ate away at their eyes, with accompanying pain and discomfort, to eventually blindness. How could that happen?
Herpesvirus and Blindness
The vet who eventually treated Ray, in the picture above, believes that the herpesvirus made him blind. In humans the herpes simplex virus is a major cause of blindness worldwide. The blindness is caused by corneal scarring and opacity.
In cats an infectious form of ulcerative keratitis is caused by the feline herpesvirus. Keratitis results in the loss of transparency of the the cornea, which leads to partial or complete blindness.
In Ray’s case, it appears that the disease has gone beyond causing the cornea to become opaque. It has damaged the eye to the point where it has diminished in size. There may be some other diseases at play.
Abandoned Animal Welfare (AAW) rescued Ray and his siblings from their misery. Well done to you all. Ray was in the worst condition. Poor Ray has other medical problems. He survived. Without the closure of the vet’s clinic due to the cancer that the vet suffered from, these cats wouldn’t have made it. There is a sense of natural justice in that.
Nice video, but the music is overplayed. But that is unimportant. Saving Ray and his siblings is. Well done, again.
I wonder if vets are screened for their compassion before embarking on a degree course? I don’t think so. The problem with uncaring vets is the same as uncaring nurses in England. In respect of nurses, there has been an overemphasis on qualifications while ignoring the most important qualification of all: compassion.
Excellent point, Cal. How did a vet get away with such gross mistreatment of cats? There is no control over vets not even by the AVMA because they declaw for non-therapeutic purposes. No one in the AVMA stops that. It is clearly against the interests of the cat in respect of health.
I don’t understand, isn’t there some federal or local gov agency required to inspect conditions at least yearly? If not, this needs some work from all of us. It should have been caught much, much sooner. I’m very saddened by this. That motivates me to do more research into veterinary clinic inspections and so forth…