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Cloudy Eye

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Pigpi

Pigpi

Junior Guinea Pig
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I have been on holiday for a week and before I went I thought I heard the guinea pigs wheezing. Turns out they were alright.
I came back a couple of days ago and yesterday (my birthday) I went out to hold the pigs. Toby has a cloudy eye and it had like a yellow gunk in the corner. When the horses have gunky eyes we dab warm tea on them to sooth them. I did this and the yellow puss seems to have gone but his eye is still clouded. His other eye is normal and alert and he was purring and doesn't seem to be in pain. He is only 2 so young to be developing eye diseases such as cataracts.
Just wondered what it could be thanks !
 
My Mrs Fuzzy has cataracts and she is only just over 2 we think, though she does have a heart issue aswell which we think is related. However, it could well be a hay poke or an infection. He needs to see a vet for a proper diagnosis.
 
I'm beginning to get quite worried, I can't book him in for a appointment at the vets as its bank holiday tomorrow then they are closed all week. The only other near vets is too far away to get to easily! I think he may have hay poke as I can see something in his eye, however it may just be puss but it does look like hay. Will he be able to wait til next weekend if it is hay poke?
 
You really need to see a vet to make sure it is a hay poke plus if there is hay stuck in the eye, this will need removing.

Toby's eye may also be sore so he may benefit from a painkiller such as metacam as well as eye drops to heal the eye and possibly a course of antibiotics.

Pus in the eye indicates an infection.

Is there anyone who can take you to the vets?

I really do not think it is wise to leave it x
 
Sorry but the answer is no- hay pokes need to be treated quickly, the eyes are very delicate &infections and complications quickly develop. Ulcers on the eye can form &may rupture the eyeball in some cases. Some piggies have lost their eyes due to hay pokes-eye removal was the only option left. Please try ringing the vets they should have an emergency number over the closure period.

Pain relief will also be needed, as we know just an eyelash stings like hell when we get them in our eyes.

Hopefully the vet can quickly remove the foreign object &add pain relief drops to the eye immediately afterwards &provide u with antibiotics to fight any infection.

Good luck &keep us updated.
Ps why do they always pick wknds &bank holidays to get problems? :-/

Speedy recovery little one :)
Xx
 
Okay thanks it's probably too late to ring tonight, I will ring early tomorrow morning to see if they can fit me in for later that afternoon as I'm very busy the rest of the week. If not i will have to put my plans on hold for a little while. Thank you so much, I really hope it doesn't result in eye removal as his eye is beginning to look crusty and swollen now.
After the removal would it be a good idea to bed them on sawdust instead of straw and buy soft hay?
 
Forgot to add my parents will take me to the vets no problem :)
 
If you rang tonight it would be better even if its just to alert the vet.
If its a foreign object it will be rubbing against the eye all night causing damage which could turn out to be irreparable :(
Also piggy will be in pain with friction on the eye.

It concerns me that its swollen, this is not a good sign.

I keep mine on a layer of newspaper, covered in a thick layer of shredded paper with hay on top. This is easy to roll up into big sausage &dispose of , they live outside in a hutch in a shed with plenty of grass time-weather permitting.

Sawdust I wouldn't recommend as its too fine & not easy to keep clean. Also wet or soiled sawdust can cause breathing problems
Vetbed or fleece would be better than a wood based bedding.

Good luck at the vets.
Glad your parents can take u .xx
 
Grrr my phone is not letting me edit my previous post, but I wouldn't use straw personally as its very hard &sharp -it may have been the cause of the Injury.
Hay they need anyway for the fibre in their diet, stayhealthy &to keep their teeth worn down.

I started off with straw for my first
Furbabies before I was advised not too &had an eye poke problem so dont worry its easily done.
Xx
 
I don't mean to alarm you but this really does sound like a matter or urgency now.

My first serious eye problem resulted after Erin had a simple hay poke which we were treating but at the same time, she had a bad uti which resulted in her needing a bladder flush. Erin was very poorly and her eye ruptured due to the stress and sadly we had to have her pts as my vet felt she wasn't strong enough to make it through an eye removal op so close to her bladder flush.

Eliza suffered a bad eye injury last summer. Although we got her to the vet straight away, she had to have her eye removed and although she made it through the op and recovered well, she had a lot of problems afterwards.

I don't mean to scare you but eye injuries are serious and can result in further problems especially if left untreated.
 
Hiya,
This morning my dad phoned the emergency number for the vets. He then arranged to meet us at the local practice. He examined Toby and confirmed it was hay poke. He grabbed some tweezers and quickly removed the hay. He them gave me some antibiotics to administer 3 times a day for the first 3 days then twice a day. He also said that it would be a good idea to give them both a bath which I've never done before when Toby's eye heals up as Toby has dandruff. He put some green eye drops in Toby's eye so he could see where the damage was. He then said it should heal and he should regain all sight. We have booked a appointment on Friday to check on his progress. I think I will keep them on straw as they have always been bedded on it and they have never had a problem before. I have tried fleece but I just can't keep it clean. The straw is specially made for small animals and is soft. Thank you anyway though :)
Thank you everyone for your advice and support i'll keep you all updated ! X
 
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