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Caramel Has A Small Piece Of Hay In His Eye. What Do I Do?!

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Ruby Inferno

Ruby Inferno

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I'm really worried. His eye looks a bit red where the piece of hay is poking out. It's not in the pupil though, it's towards the edge, and he can open the eye but he doesn't seem to want to open it very wide. Does he absolutely have to see a vet tonight or can it wait till tomorrow?

Please help. :(
 
Can you get the hay out of his eye safely before it does any damage?

You could try using a sterile solution to wash it out possibly.

Or has he managed to get it out himself?

If you think it has hurt his eye I would recommend you see your vet as they will put in a solution that will allow them to look at it under a blue light to see if he has actually damaged it. If so he may need drops or ointment to put into his eye to help heal it.
 
I'm not sure how to get it out exactly. I don't want to hurt him. :(

Hmm, do you mean something like a saline solution?
 
Yes or cooled down boiled water would do as well.

If he still has it in and you cannot get it out without more damage I would suggest a trip to the vet.

I do not want to upset you but my girl Hayley damaged her eye with hay and is now partially blind in that eye even with the medication so the sooner you get help the better.

Do you have anyone there who can help hold him while you try the solution. If not I would suggest the vet.
 
As you would a human eye, a bit of twisted tissue and someone to hold him as still as possible. The hay is most likely under his eyelid.
 
Just boiled some water and put a small amount in a cup. Going to use it once it has cooled down.

Will use twisted tissue, thanks! Sister has agreed to help me hold him still.
 
Put the water in the freezer to cool it down as quickly as you can. Do you possibly have a syringe that you could put the water in that may allow you to direct the water where you need it to go and also slowly into his eye like when you get a vial of saline solution to flush out a human eye? Not sure if that will help.

Try using the twisted tissue as well but it will I guess depend on where it is and how easy it is to get at.

Keeping fingers crossed you can get it out easily.

Hopefully others may be along soon that may be able to give any other suggestions if needed.
 
This is weird - when I got him out of his hutch just now to get the hay out of his eye, the hay was gone but his eye was still a bit scratched and red. I cuddled him against my fleece, then when I had another look at his eye I realised another small bit of hay was there again, and it looks like it came from my fleece. Wasn't poking into the eye though. My fleece does have hay and hair all over it, as it is reserved specially for guinea pigs.

I'm going to stop using that fleece for guinea pig cuddling, as I do not want to risk getting more hay in anyone's eyes. Everything sticks to it, unlike when I use a hoodie or t-shirt.

Hmm won't putting it in the freezer warm up everything else in the freezer?
 
Small pieces of hay are easily hidden in the lower eyelid, so there might well have been two pieces or the original one broke. The cuddling fleece needs to be washed regularly anyway to stop the build up of hay and gunk.
 
No if you are only putting a small amount in a bowl the freezer should be able to cope. I am not suggesting a jug full ;)

It is just that you want to get the hay out of his eye as quickly as possible so that it stops doing anymore damage.

Yes it sounds like a good idea not to use it if you think that is what may be the cause.

If his eye is red and sore it would be worth a trip to the vet this week to get it checked out as they can see if there is any damage under the special light.
 
The cup is now in the freezer. :)

I don't actually have a syringe to put the water in, however I can use a piece of kitchen roll and drip it in?

Would a vet appointment be okay for tomorrow?
 
You really want something that is not going to have any particles coming off it like kitchen roll and tissues.

Perhaps if you have something like a cotton pad for removing make up that may be ok. I am not sure what you may have in your house so have a look and see if you can see anything that may do.

I really cannot advise whether you should wait till tomorrow or not as obviously I am not there to see for myself the situation.

Like in humans eye damage is serious so you will need to make a judgement call yourself on that one. Do you have any other family members who could help you make that decision if you are not sure?
 
We usually manage to get hay out either by hand or with tweazers (only if it is poking out) so I am not familiar with flushing, not to say it won't work though. I would call the vet in the morning and see if you can get an appointment. He may need pain relief and some eye drops and they can put a dye in to check for damage.
 
:agr: . It's a difficult decision to make . What sort of out of hours service does your vet offer? Would it be worth ringing them for advice. If you make an appointment for tomorrow - it'd be best if it's 1st thing.
 
The hay is out now (it was hidden under his upper eye lid, as I discovered). I did use kitchen roll to apply the water, but I didn't touch his eye with it, I just squeezed the kitchen roll so it would drip in his eye.

After applying the water, that was when I realised the hay was still in there. My sister held him still while I used a twisted piece of tissue to ease the hay out, not actually touching the eye. I managed to get it to stick out far enough in order for me to actually pull it out, which I did successfully, however he did squeak in protest. I applied more water afterwards to help flush out any more bits, then put him back in his hutch.

His eye is a bit clouded over, and still red from the hay.

Have I done this right? And does his eye sound like it'll be okay?

My vet does offer decent out of hours, but it is very expensive so I would rather not use that unless it is absolutely vital.
 
I think you have done a great job. As long as you have got it out it cannot do any damage.

I think you can wait till morning and then get the earliest appointment you can with the vet. They need to check for any possible damage and give you medication if needed.
Hope all goes well and would like to hear how he gets on.
Sending *hugs*
 
Each time any of mine have had hay pokes its always been out of hrs :(
If the hay looks like its still there I would try the tweezers or tissue methods as above. As long as it looks like it will come away cleanly (cause no more damage than already done)

...if its actually stuck in the eyeball ring the vets now as a matter of urgency!

If not actually in the eye, but on the surface I usually have an egg cup of boiled water with a pinch of salt added, then cool down the water. If u have a clean syringe just gently dribble the solution into the eye to help sooth &clean it out.

If no syringe available I usually have a strip off of a clean paper kitchen towel, dip in the solution &gently squeeze the wet kitchen towel making the solution drip into the eye from above.
An extra pair of hands usually easier than trying to do alone!

This should suffice until morning but a vet visit will be needed tomorrow to check for ulceration&damage &any possible foreign body still remaining under the eyelid.
If u can't get an appointment until tomorrow pm u can give another eyewash with fresh solution.
The quicker eyes are treated, the less damage &complications occur leaving a much greater chance of a full recovery (within a week in most cases.)

Speedy recovery. Xx
 
Phew that's a relief. Thank you all for offering advice, couldn't have done it without you guys.

Will post updates tomorrow. :)

@GPTV The hay is out now. Your statement worries me though, it did look like it was actually lodged in the eyeball, I hope I haven't scratched his eye any further by pulling it out...
 
Try not to worry too much if the hay is out. I was writing my post as u must have posted I think.

It sounds like the hay was under the eyelid- as opposed to actually in the eye. So that's better. It has probably scratched the surface of the eyeball anyway. But if u have bathed it with slightly salty water solution it should be less painful &flushed any little bits out.

I would recommend as the others have said a vet visit as early as possible tomorrow. Then you can get started on eye drops quickly. Its usually Tiacil or fucalthmic? .Spelling? Drops once these are started then the eye normally heals quickly.

If it still looks no better after two days get the vet to check again to make sure none of the hay is left under the eyelid.
One of mine had a bit of grass seed lodged out of sight &it made her eyelid close &really red bloodshot &cloudy eye after the drops were started. We found the rogue seed &then her eye returned to normal &no problems afterwards with the drops.
Xx
 
Any slight scratch to the eyeball will cause it to cloud over, it's a self defense healing mechanism. The redness is a sign of irritation caused by the hay and should subside in a day or two. Here's a link to an episode involving Pinky, one of the Guinea Pig Magazine Beanies.
Pinky Had An Eyefull....of Hay
 
I would recommend to have the eye checked by a vet today; he will likely give you some eye drops to prevent an infection/eye ulcer. Which was what happened with my Dizzy. If it is just a scratch, it will heal off quickly in a few days.
 
Ruby Inferno said:
Took Caramel to the vet, his eye turned out to be completely fine when checked under the special light. Apparently bathing his eye in salt water did the trick, wasn't any need for eyedrops to be prescribed. :D
Click to expand...

That is such good news :yahoo:

I am glad that everything has turned out ok. :D

It just gives you such a fright doesn't it :nod:
 
Oh bless :luv: glad he's getting on ok. These furballs do give us so much worry!
Its great that u got it checked so promptly. That really can make a difference too.
Thanks for the update. Xx
 
Ours had grass seeds lodged under the eylid, having both managed to snack on the single seeding bush in the backyard. After two applications of saline solution (that is, ~an hour or two), the swelling went down enough to see the seed and take it out. Looked immediately better! Further saline eyewashing (every few hours) and the eye was back to normal within two days - that is, clear eyeball, non-red eyelids.
 
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