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Difficult Decision - Eyes

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Guinea Slave

Guinea Slave

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi

I have a very difficult decision to make I suspect, in the future. It could be in a few weeks, it could even be months but I am 99% I am going to have to make it. More background Sorry its long!):

As some of you may remember, my little girl has boney growths in her eyes. One had so much that ultimately it blocked the drainage of the eye and she had internal bleeding, severe pressure which lead to ulcers and her eye being removed.

She recovered fairly well from the op but my concern was we thought she was blind in that eye, but she reacted badly to start with, head to the side, blinking and clearly distressed for a few days. So we now think she had some sense before it was removed hence her reactions. She was very depressed as well even though medically she recovered very well. After a week she was much better and since has come on leaps and bounds, is the most confident I have seen her, very happy and full of life. Even gone up the pecking order!

However, her other eye is starting to flare up. I am taking her to the vets later to have the pressure checked (she is an eye specialist). But ultimately we know one day the other will catch up as she has growths in that eye too.

So what do I do ultimately? Is it fairer to say goodbye rather than make her go blind? Should I give her a chance? In my mind its one thing for them to go gradually blind naturally, its another to remove the eye and take away any sense of light or sight. But I also struggle to put a very healthy piggy to sleep based on my own emotions of going blind.

I just wondered if anyone has ever had to have the eyes removed from a piggy? In this or a similar situation?

I know I don't have to make up my mind now, but I want to try to gather my thoughts sooner rather than later and help me come to terms with it! The whole thing really worries me :-( I adore her and she needs me to make the right decision.

I think my vet thinks I should try for her (we'll discuss again later), and her little herd I know will support her as they have with this op.

Just interested in views, thoughts, experiences!
 
Just got back from the vets and whilst still in normal range the pressure in her eye has increased. She has some drops to keep the pressure reduced as a preventative measure but its likely we will have to make 'that' decision at some point. Even the vet is unsure which is best!
 
For me it's all about quality over quantity of life, but only you can make the decision. Hopefully some people will come on who have been through something similar. Am sorry she is poorly.
 
Hi there. What a tough situation you are in. I have never had a blind guinea pig but I have heard of blind piggies who live happily. I had a piggy with one eye but I know that is different. If I was in your situation I would have her eye removed. If you ensure everything in the cage stays the same then I see no reason why she cannot live a happy life. She is still your beautiful girl. I hope this post has not upset you in any way. I imagine you are feeling very sad right now.
 
Thank you piggy fan and Helen. I am trying to keep a sane mind! I was convinced having the eye removed would be fine to come home to all the family saying I am mad and just pts whilst she is happy when it gets to that point.

At the end of the day quality of life is key to this but I don't know what that will be like for her until it's removed. Then, if it all goes badly she would have suffered where currently she would be oblivious. So confused .. :-(
 
Vet is as unsure as me. We talked about it at length today and came to no conclusion ( purely because collectively we just don't know what's best). The blog is lovely! So sweet, what a gorgeous piggy! but at least she was born like that and knows no different. What I am struggling with is her losing her sight, from being fine, to one eye, to totally blind. She struggled mentally the first time, do I really want her to go through something much worse? I just don't know if I can do this to her but I cannot bear to put an otherwise heathy guinea to sleep either.
 
Yes this is where I may end up...but what happens if she suffers? If she cannot cope? Is it better to quit whilst she is happy and well? She would never know after all? Argh driving me mad. I change my mind so much!

How would I explain it to the others? They usually know if one is sick and generally accept the death ( I always let them say goodbye to the body) but would they understand this?

Probably over thinking but it's so hard to know what to do.
 
I have never had this with guineas but about 18 months ago my little dog went blind, I was prepared to have him PTS at once but my vet said 'no give him two weeks and let's see' for a while it was hard
,he clearly was not coping and neither were we but the vet stayed very calm and would not let me make any rash decisions.Thank goodness we didn't he has adapted fantastically no one would ever guess he was blind he has a full and happy life. Hope this helps just take one day at a time you will know what is right x Oh and when we relaxed about it so did our dog .
 
I'm so sorry for your sutuation. I have a horse who has a cancerous tumour in one eye and i was going to have it removed then it was found that that another tumour is developing in the other eye. I have decided that i will have him put to sleep, after much agonising tears and sleepless nights. Its not at that stage yet, so i still have some time with him.
I am so sorry and can imagine how you are feeling :(
 
That is so helpful thank you! Sometimes it is so easy to put human emotions into the mix. Of course I would hate to be blind so of course she must feel the same..but maybe she would'nt? I have a lovely little herd and since she lost an eye they all watch out for her.

Why did your little dog go blind may I ask and was it gradual or sudden?
 
Guinea pigs don't have the best eye sight in the world so i would consider having the eye removed to be honest. I hope you can come to a decision ok. I cant be of much help, but i have seen a couple of piggies having eyes out and they have done ok.

x.
 
Guinea Slave said:
That is so helpful thank you! Sometimes it is so easy to put human emotions into the mix. Of course I would hate to be blind so of course she must feel the same..but maybe she would'nt? I have a lovely little herd and since she lost an eye they all watch out for her.

Why did your little dog go blind may I ask and was it gradual or sudden?
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It was almost over night he has diabetes and we took him for a all day blood check at the vet, he could see when we dropped him off in the morning but was blind when we picked him up in the evening . I can't tell you the pain and greif we went through

.
 
Really? Did they have both eyes out? I know blind guineas are usually well adapted but they do go blind gradually or are born like it. If you have experience of a guinea losing sight quickly due to issues that would be of great reassurance!
 
nicky said:
It was almost over night he has diabetes and we took him for a all day blood check at the vet, he could see when we dropped him off in the morning but was blind when we picked him up in the evening . I can't tell you the pain and greif we went through

.
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Wow that's so sad. But he adjusted over time? Must have been a massive shock.
 
Goth Mummy said:
I'm so sorry for your sutuation. I have a horse who has a cancerous tumour in one eye and i was going to have it removed then it was found that that another tumour is developing in the other eye. I have decided that i will have him put to sleep, after much agonising tears and sleepless nights. Its not at that stage yet, so i still have some time with him.
I am so sorry and can imagine how you are feeling :(
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How awful, I am so sorry for you. At least guineas can be confined in a small, safe area but horses are an entirely different matter and get into trouble at the best if times! Hugs to you both x
 
I wish you could meet him . you would never guess he was blind he is still as naughty as ever and as happy.
 
nicky said:
I wish you could meet him . you would never guess he was blind he is still as naughty as ever and happy.
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Really? My little girl is so strong in character so she may cope...very happy piggy. It's the ' so happy' comment which is most important! How does he cope with other dogs? Sounds adorable!
 
Other dogs and people just coming up to him was one of our worry's but there was no change in his behaviour he is just the same.x
 
Thank you . hope you sort it out with your little one . In cases like this there is no right or wrong answer.
 
I am so sorry, what an awful decision for you :( Will removing the eye actually stop any more bony growths forming? I think I would want to know that & take the decision from there; are you putting off the inevitable or will removing the eye give her a few more years etc? Furryfriend's piggies Bill & Ted, they are blind & have a fabulous life with her :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I am so sorry, what an awful decision for you :( Will removing the eye actually stop any more bony growths forming? I think I would want to know that & take the decision from there; are you putting off the inevitable or will removing the eye give her a few more years etc? Furryfriend's piggies Bill & Ted, they are blind & have a fabulous life with her :)
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Very good points! Thank you.

This appears to be her way to process calcium. Without the eyes there is no place for it to go. However, this could then move and present as arthritis or bladder stones, we just don't know and probably never will. I think it will buy her a longer life for sure...but how long I am not sure. They are on a proper bladder piggy diet as I have lost 3 guineas to stones over the last 8 years, so paranoid! They are also on filtered water etc so we are certain it's just in her DNA.

I must look up Bill and Teds story !
 
I'm probably not a good person to ask, I've already spent £1600 on my bladder piggy, Petal :) Whilst she is enjoying a good quality of life I will keep funding her vet bills :) Where's there's hope & all that ;)
 
I'm so sorry you are having to make this decision, I am truly gutted for you.

if you ensure to keep her in the same cage (or whatever environment she lives in) for the rest of her life to make sure she knows her way around, keep her food and water in the same place at all times etc I am sure she would adapt with the eye removed. But as you say, us humans probably couldn't stand to suddenly go blind so it really is a difficult decision.

Maybe she would react differently this time and not act so depressed? Hmm, I just don't know unfortunately. I hope you come up with a solution. X
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I'm probably not a good person to ask, I've already spent £1600 on my bladder piggy, Petal :) Whilst she is enjoying a good quality of life I will keep funding her vet bills :) Where's there's hope & all that ;)
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I know what you mean! I paid that for my first piggy who had bladder stones, she survived and lived to over 7 but on totting up her vet bills she cost me over £2,000 in that time! However, she was worth every penny and I would not have changed a thing. they are now all insured as well ;-)
 
I've come in late on this discussion but I think I would go ahead with the eye removal & see how she copes with her current group. She may need to have separate feeds to be certain she is getting her fair share but after seeing the video of the TEAS blind piggies I'm sure she would cope perfectly. I have a long term head tilt girl who is coping well with just a bit of extra attention at feeding time. Not the same as blindness but piggies are very adaptable to their circumstances and even blind piggies have a great quality of life.
 
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That sounds like such an awful thing for you both to have to deal with! But I agree with everyone else, if it were me I think as long as she is otherwise completely healthy I'd have to give it a go and give her a chance. Especially since she sounds like shes got a very supportive group with her. x
 
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