Abyssinian Eye Issues

[HappyPigFamily]

Hello,

We are new to this site and hoping you all can help. We own 4 guinea pigs, down from 5 due to illness when first adopted.
This is Chestnut. She has been healthy and happy for almost a year now we have had her. We came home from a 4 day trip, she had a babysitter, and this is what we found. We have a vet appointment tomorrow afternoon. But my daughter is beside herself worried. Anyone familiar with this issue? The eye seems cloudy blue with a white spot in the middle. Its not a glare of my camera, its a spot on the eye. It also seems dry. She is eating and cuddling with her pig friends, but we are worried.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

We are new to this site and hoping you all can help. We own 4 guinea pigs, down from 5 due to illness when first adopted.
This is Chestnut. She has been healthy and happy for almost a year now we have had her. We came home from a 4 day trip, she had a babysitter, and this is what we found. We have a vet appointment tomorrow afternoon. But my daughter is beside herself worried. Anyone familiar with this issue? View attachment 65674 The eye seems cloudy blue with a white spot in the middle. Its not a glare of my camera, its a spot on the eye. It also seems dry. She is eating and cuddling with her pig friends, but we are worried.

It looks like an eye ulcer after a hay poke. Please have your guinea pigs seen by a vet promptly, as soon as you can latest tomorrow morning.
Eye injuries can deteriorate very quickly; the sooner you can treat, the easier and quicker they heal off well. Only a vet has got the special dye to examine the extent of the damage.

When you give the antibiotic eye drops or gel, you are bound to struggle as long as the eye is still very sore. Please ask for an additional painkiller and a lubricant to help ease the discomfort in the first days.

Sit your piggy on your thighs, facing away from you with a bowl of grass or its favourite veg. Wait until it is fully absorbed with munching, then sneak carefully in from behind the back to apply the gel. It may still take several tries at first, but a lot less than with a wiggly and very uncooperative bundle of fur. Piggies do not multitask, so the diversion tactic is the way it works best for me.

 

[Freela]

It looks like a hay poke to me... the vet can treat with antibiotics and hopefully it will not affect her vision in the long run. But it definitely requires a vet visit and antibiotics so it's good that you've got that lined up for her!

 

[HappyPigFamily]

Thank you both! You have my hopes up that we can get her back to normal soon. Thank you for such thorough answers and tips to treatment.