I called Alex's vet this afternoon to see if she had the results of his lab work. I also told her that the ophthalmologist hadn't been able to offer me an appointment until three weeks from now; she suggested another I could call. That second ophthalmologist only comes to the local animal hospital on Mondays, and since this coming Monday is a holiday, would be able to see Alex at the earliest on the following Monday, June 2, a week and a half earlier than the first. I asked the vet if she thought that was ok, and she said that barring any changes in Alex for the worst, that it would be fine to wait until the 2nd. So we have an appointment in Alexandria that afternoon.
Alex tested negative for feline AIDS and leukemia. The cytology report for the sample the doctor tried to aspirate from the lump under his tail was non-diagnostic, which means either that it's along the lines of a lipoma--a benign fatty tumor--or of a sort that couldn't be adequately sampled. His total white cell count was normal, but there was a slight hyperglobulinemia (5.5, where the normal range is 2.3-5.3); an elevated globulin level can be a sign of FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), which often does include ocular problems, including glaucoma, and which is incurable and routinely considered fatal, usually within a few months. Given that we think that the eye problem might be a year or more in the making, though, the vet and I agreed that a diagnosis of FIP is unlikely and certainly premature at this point.
So for now I continue to use the ointment on his eye twice daily, to guard against infection, and we'll wait until Alex has seen the specialist before the vet makes any specific diagnosis or treatment recommendations.
