Corneal Ulcer

[Glynis]

Yesterday morning i went down as usual to clean and feed the girls
I noticed something light coloured near Onyx's eye, i scooped her up and saw a teeny bit of hay sticking out from her right eye towards the back.......OMG i was shocked when i pulled it out, yes she SCREAMED :0 and this 1/2" piece of hay burr came out :0
I called the vets and managed to get in in the afternoon, by then her eye was closed over, i managed to open it and wash it gently with cool water.
Jacinta put the dye in her eye and the affected area (scratched area) was very large, the dam thing must've been in there for awhile
So my little princess is getting eye ointment 'tricin' 3-4 times a day
She was so good this morning, i've worked out if i put her on the bench and gently open her eye and pop the drop of ointment in and then very gently massage it in, she doesn't even flinch
Please keep all fingers and paws crossed that she doesn't get permanent damage from this, she is after all her sisters seeing eye-pig (for those unaware her sister Velvet is basically blind with cataracts from diabetes)

If anyone has any advice i'd really appreciate it, thanks x>>

 

[Pebble]

Hi Glynis

Corneal ulcers from hay pokes/seeds/toenails are not unusual - I guess it;s one of the hazards of being a piggie and wanting to stick your nose in a pile of hay!

(Personally I think ulcers are a piggie conspiracy as I find they normally occur just as I am starting to relax and thinking "thank god no vets bills this month" )

Although they look nasty, they will clear up easily within a few days of applying some antibiotic ointment to keep the eye free of infection and lubricated.

I tend to use fucithalmic ointment rather than gentamycin or chloramphenicol drops as it stays in the eye longer and seems to sting less when applied. There should be no need to massage it into the eye as the pressure of the eyelid across the eyeball can be a bit painful....just a carefully aimed drop into the centre of the eyeball, making sure piggie doesn;t blink for a few seconds and whatever you;re using should disperse of it's own accord.....

If the piggie seems to be in a lot of pain - I give 0.2ml metacam once daily for a couple of days but it normally isn;t necessary.

Hope Onyx gets better soon
x

 

[piggiewiggie]

Aw poor baby. Make a full recovery soon Onyx. That must have hurt so much

 

[Glynis]

Hi Glynis

Corneal ulcers from hay pokes/seeds/toenails are not unusual - I guess it;s one of the hazards of being a piggie and wanting to stick your nose in a pile of hay!

(Personally I think ulcers are a piggie conspiracy as I find they normally occur just as I am starting to relax and thinking "thank god no vets bills this month" )

Although they look nasty, they will clear up easily within a few days of applying some antibiotic ointment to keep the eye free of infection and lubricated.

I tend to use fucithalmic ointment rather than gentamycin or chloramphenicol drops as it stays in the eye longer and seems to sting less when applied. There should be no need to massage it into the eye as the pressure of the eyelid across the eyeball can be a bit painful....just a carefully aimed drop into the centre of the eyeball, making sure piggie doesn;t blink for a few seconds and whatever you;re using should disperse of it's own accord.....

If the piggie seems to be in a lot of pain - I give 0.2ml metacam once daily for a couple of days but it normally isn;t necessary.

Hope Onyx gets better soon
x

THANKYOU xx>>>
i'll look up the meds you've suggested and see whatelse whee maybe able to use........as for the massaging....I WILL NOT CONTINUE thanks for that!

 

[katiepops]

Poor Onyx, fingers crossed for a quick and full recovery.
How's Velvet?

 

[Skinny Piggie]

I hope Onyx gets better soon, they look nasty... D:

Ivan and the gang wish her a quick recovery and lots of wheeks. x

 

[Glynis]

Poor Onyx, fingers crossed for a quick and full recovery.
How's Velvet?

Hi Love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She's just the same, her levels will NOT come down :...
am taking her to vets soon for bloods which i'm not happy about but in OZ it's the only way via her main artery :... this time tho i'm going to pick her up pronto after it's all been done and bring her home to eat and be in her house

 

[katiepops]

Aw poor thing. Such an ordeal for her and you. Definately bring her home straight away, when Stripes (RIP) had his bladder stone op last year he wouldn't eat afterwards so the vet wouldn't let him come home. I went straight down there, picked him up, had a cuddle and he started munching, he just needed a little reassurance. Home is definately the best place for her.
How are you getting on with your food chart?

I can't remember if I told you we took Bob to be tested again. He just had his urine tested first and the glucose levels came back normal so the vet didn't test his blood. The vet said she thinks he's a 'special' pig! He still has little spaced out moments but seems a lot more 'with it' and interested in his food. After gradually loosing weight he put 2 grams on this week! I am worried that not all his senses work to their full potential as he can't always find his food, but I'm not sure if it's his sight or smell! Nothing wrong with his hearing though!

Really hoping things start to improve for Velvet, keep me posted. x

 

[Laura-CCC4]

You've had great advice already Glynis, nothing to add here, just sending lots of love to Onyx and Velvet, and you. xx

 

[flips]

Ouch! Poor girl. Big hugs for you all. xx>>>

 

[Claire W]

I am sorry to hear about Onyx's eye poke Eliza had one not to long ago. It started off looking like a little scratch but by the next day, her eye looked red and sore. She had eye drops twice a day for a week and after the first dose, there was a slight improvement. She hated it at first but then got to the point of where she wouldn't flinch. She must have known it was making her feel better

Get better soon Onyx Love from me, Eleanor, Eliza, Erin and Ena xxxxxxxxxx

We love you too Velvet xxxxxxxx

 

[Wiebke]

I am sorry for your bad shock! Dizzy has pulled that one on me twice.

Thankfully, even a bad corneal ulcer will heal over within 10-14 days, and she will be pain free within 2-3 days. Try to distract her with food if it is hard to get the gel or drops into her painful eye. It will get a lot easier once the eye is not so tender anymore.

Best of luck!

 

[pompypigs]

Huge healing vibes to poor Onyx & hugs to Velvet too x

 

[Glynis]

Aw poor thing. Such an ordeal for her and you. Definately bring her home straight away, when Stripes (RIP) had his bladder stone op last year he wouldn't eat afterwards so the vet wouldn't let him come home. I went straight down there, picked him up, had a cuddle and he started munching, he just needed a little reassurance. Home is definately the best place for her.
How are you getting on with your food chart?

I can't remember if I told you we took Bob to be tested again. He just had his urine tested first and the glucose levels came back normal so the vet didn't test his blood. The vet said she thinks he's a 'special' pig! He still has little spaced out moments but seems a lot more 'with it' and interested in his food. After gradually loosing weight he put 2 grams on this week! I am worried that not all his senses work to their full potential as he can't always find his food, but I'm not sure if it's his sight or smell! Nothing wrong with his hearing though!

Really hoping things start to improve for Velvet, keep me posted. x

Hi sweetie oh that is wonderful news about Bob x)x)x)x) He will go forward from now on i'm sure of that !!
I totally agree with you re the giving them a cuddle or bringing them home if you can a.s.a.p. ! This is why it will have to be done on my day off or at least early in the day so i can be there quickly to bring them both home, they always do everything together