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Cateracts

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Theodora

Has anyone experience of pigs with cateracts,as it seems both :...my two have the start of them ?
The vet says there is no treatment,but pigs manage very well with this condition.
 
Cataracts are very common and can occur at any age. There is no treatment for the condition. You will notice very little, if any, change in the pig's behaviour, they rely more on their sense of smell rather than eyesight.
 
I had a piggie who had cateracts from birth, didn't seem to hold him back. He was the boss of the run :))
 
Thanks so much for the lovely story.I am feeling so sad for my girls,but hopefully they will continue to enjoy life as much as your Mischief did.
 
I don't think guinea pigs have brilliant eyesight anyway, they use their other senses to enjoy life, so I am sure your girls will do just fine even if they do have cataracts.

Cheers
Alex
 
My guinea pig was blind in one eye, and towards the end of her life I think she may have been blind in the other. It was difficult to tell, but she seemed unchanged except she was a little easier to catch, but that may have just been her age.

She was happy healthy, and wasn't going to let a lack of vision stop her from geting to her food. And, as with all my piggies, food was her #1 priority in life it didn't affect her quality of life! :)
 
Yes, they do - it can either happen quickly that the whole lens is going milky at the same time withing days, or more usually that white/bluish flecks appear which grow slowly bigger. Often, the eye has a bluish/glassy tint to it for a few weeks before you can see anything.

Thankfully, sight is one of the weaker senses in guinea pigs, so it is not as devastating in guinea pigs, and after a time of adjustment, they get on quite happily. I made it a point to always speak to Mischief before I did something to her (touching/picking up), so she could brace herself.
 
Am glad I found this out, I was worried Africa was going blind because he seemed to be reacting less to sight, like I could put my finger almost on his eye without him closing and Leo used to close as soon as I got near the whiskers but Africa is a very self aware guinea pig (e.g he notices every sound, smell and difference around him) =] He seems ok tho.

E.g I hope people don't think I was being cruel, I just was worried because he never followed my finger like Leo used too and I was wondering. I never touched his eye btw!
 
At the moment my girls just have the white flecks,which the vet thinks is not affecting them too much at the moment.
Anyway it is good to know what to expect,and that they will still be able to function fairly normally,and go on enjoying life.
Thank you everyone for your advice !
 
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