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Crust buildup on teenage boar's eye?

Alamerona

Junior Guinea Pig
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Leeds, West Yorkshire
Hi TPGF - One of my young teen boars, Joey, has a buildup of crust around his right eye, and I'm just curious about what it is? I did think it was to do with their grooming practices, but I wanted to see from the community what it was - Picture is attached.

Everything else is fine, he's eating, drinking, pooping, playing and breathing fine, with no other crusts on his body anywhere.

Also, my other young teen boar, Bluebear, seems to constantly squint; is this normal? He's a Teddy with red eyes, and again, is healthy.
 

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It is impossible to tell just from a photo but I would say the crust does not look normal at all.
It looks like it could possible be a skin issue so I would pop him along tot he vet for a quick check up.
 
Okay, thank you for your responses! I tried to gently wash it off with warm water and a little bit of coconut oil but it wouldn't budge which is why I wanted to ask. Better to be safe than sorry!

What do you think it is? And do you think the vets would prescribe some cream for it? If it is a skin condition is it easily treated? Sorry for all these questions, I just want to make sure I understand and how I can help them. They are my babies after all!
 
Okay, thank you for your responses! I tried to gently wash it off with warm water and a little bit of coconut oil but it wouldn't budge which is why I wanted to ask. Better to be safe than sorry!

What do you think it is? And do you think the vets would prescribe some cream for it? If it is a skin condition is it easily treated? Sorry for all these questions, I just want to make sure I understand and how I can help them. They are my babies after all!

Sadly it’s impossible for us to say what it is but your vet will give him a thorougher check and prescribe the correct treatment
 
No worries thank you for your help!

I just found out my vets has unfortunately shut forever now, Holly house in leeds is too far for us, would you recommend vets for pets as that is the closest one for us?
 
Hi all, thanks for all your responses - Just a small update, we've checked Joey over this morning and his eyes appear to be much better; we've cleaned up his eyes a little with some warm water and have been making sure he's appropriately hydrated just incase he was dehydrated - Saying this, we still have an appointment on Monday with a new vet's as we do want to get this properly checked out, but also we've noticed his poops have been quite a bit smaller - He seems to be eating fine, and we're making sure he's having enough water, but what else could cause this reduction in poop size? Pic is attached.

Also, Bluebear is very happy now that we've gotten some blackout curtains for the front room 😅 Hopefully it will help his eyes a bit!
 

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If he’s not eating enough hay (you can’t judge it by eye) then that could lead to smaller poops. How has his weight been?

PS please can you add your location to your profile (county will suffice) so we don’t have to keep asking or looking for it.
 
:agr: Routine weekly weighing is the only way to know they are actually eating enough hay as you cannot judge hay intake by eye (and as hay makes 80% of the daily food intake, any reduction in hay consumption can have a big impact). Reduced poop size can indicate eating less hay.
 
If he’s not eating enough hay (you can’t judge it by eye) then that could lead to smaller poops. How has his weight been?

PS please can you add your location to your profile (county will suffice) so we don’t have to keep asking or looking for it.

He has been stable with his weight - Nothing out of the ordinary; he does seem to be eating a lot of hay, however.

I live in West Yorkshire, Leeds, specifically :)
 
He has been stable with his weight - Nothing out of the ordinary; he does seem to be eating a lot of hay, however.

I live in West Yorkshire, Leeds, specifically :)

Stable and maintaining or gaining weight? I would expect a young teenager to be gaining weight each week rather than being stable
 
Stable and maintaining or gaining weight? I would expect a young teenager to be gaining weight each week rather than being stable

Sorry, I meant gaining! He's been putting on weight each week at a consistent rate of about 15-25g per week. For reference he was 754g on 28th August, and weighed in at 819g this morning
 
Hey all, just a small update - Had to take Joey to Vets 4 Pets (Pets at Home associate vets) as it was our closest option, seeing as we don't drive; we were told he could have a small case of bloat, so we're advised to cut out vegetables for a small period of time. In the meanwhile he's been given Baytril .2ml twice a day for what the we and the vet suspects is a URI again, due to him starting to hoot regularly earlier yesterday and the crust buildup near his eye... But saying that, the vet was less than professional. Let's just say he thought my Guinea Pigs were Hamsters, and that not a single vet there knew how a Guinea Pig was different to a Hamster. Not happy. In the end we've been referred to Hollyhouse vets in Leeds, which we should hear from shortly, and will be our go-to from now on.

On a more positive note, Joey is eating and drinking fine, but we're feeding him small amounts of Oxbow Critical Care to ensure he's eating properly, and giving small amounts of water via syringe to keep up on his hydration. His poos are still rather small, so we're keeping an eye on things there, but asides from that, he seems to be a bit better compared to the last two days.

Does anyone have any advice on the above? Just want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong!
 
If he really does have bloat then I would try to get him to a vet asap to get the proper treatment for bloat (it doesn’t sound as if you’ve been given any).

You will need to weigh him daily to ensure he is eating enough. If he isn’t eating enough hay, and starts to lose weight then you will need to syringe feed more to get his weight to maintain.
 
I have been weighing him daily and today (thank god) he has put on weight from yesterdays 802g to 819g which is a positive! We have been monitoring him very closely, I guess I am just all flustered from yesterday as I feel like I am hitting brick walls.

Unfortunately the vet didn't give us any medication and was just pushing us to go to holly house. I am awaiting a phone call today to set up an appointment which hopefully will be soon.
 
You are doing a good job advocating for your boy.
I hope you get to see a proper vet soon and I also hope you question any bill you receive from your first visit. Seriously if they can't tell the difference between a guinea pig and a hamster they really shouldn't be charging you for their time.
 
Thank you for the kind words of support! It really does mean a lot. These are our boys and I want what's best for them.

I have already spoken to P@H about footing the bill as my piggy's have been ill since day one and I am just awaiting a phone call to confirm. Joey seems to be doing better which is the main thing!
 
Hi again all,

So, we've been to Hollyhouse and - after a quick inspection - it's good news! We had a fantastic vet there who was great, and looked at both Joey and Bluebear - She couldn't hear any abnormalities in their chests, Joey's eye was a bit watery, but did seem to be recovering - She also said she saw no signs of bloat, which was good, and recommended that we keep on this course of Baytril - If the eye is the same by the end of the week, she's able to prescribe us eye drops for Joey, but is confident that he'll make a swift recovery. If not, however, she can prescribe Baytril or alternative medication.

She's not concerned to the decree to warrant an X-Ray, and overall seemed very positive and answered all our questions. Overall, a really good experience! Regardless to say we'll be going to Hollyhouse now for the future, and making a complaint against Vets4Pets Kirkstall for the misdiagnosis, and for the vet's unprofessionalism.
 
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