• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Eye problem!

Status
Not open for further replies.

HairlessWillow7

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
3,845
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
United States
I just noticed a few minutes ago that my piggy Woog has a really bloody eye! She's already had some strange eye things. One of her eyes is really big, and kinda sticks out a bit. In that same eye, she has a cataract. That same eye is the one that is all bloody! But it's not from an external source, it's like something ruptured inside her eye! I really want to bring her to the vet now, but it's a holiday weekend so the vet's not open untill Tuesday! I have the earliest appointment on tuesday. She doesn't seem to notice it. She's eating a carrot right now, but I'm still very worried! Does anyone think her eye will have to be removed? Any advice appreciated!
 
I would recommend to have it seen as soon as you can. These things always seem happen on bank holidays...

It could be that she has an abscess underneath her eye which is pushing it out and causing the bleeding. Thankfully, even losing an eye will not impede her quality of life, especially as she is already used to not having much sight on that eye.

Best of luck!
 
Thank you for your reply Wiebke. This was the worst possible day for that to happen...

I really think that the eye will have to be removed. It sticks out so far that it looks like it's going to pop out! Can that actually happen?
 
Willow, very sorry to hear about Woog. Have no idea when it comes to eye problems, just want to send our love, hope everything goes ok. x x

Don't know if Laura may be able to offer any advice at the guineapighelpline you can email or text her - details found at http://guineapighelpline.com/phone.html

x
 
Last edited:
Hi the same kind of thing you describe happened to one of my piggies . He has a cataract in his eye and probably because his sight isn't as good in that eye he managed to scratch the surface of the eyeball with his hay. His eye went a strange colour but seemed to recess on to his head instead of protrude as you describe . I took him to the vet and he got some anti biotic cream to get put in his eye twice a day and a jag . It cleared up really quickly but I was panicking because it looked awful and came on so fast .

Typical to have happened at a bank holiday . Your vet might actually be open as I know mine is. Worth a try phoning anyway. Hope your wee piggy gets on okay .
 
Willow, very sorry to hear about Woog. Have no idea when it comes to eye problems, just want to send our love, hope everything goes ok. x x

Don't know if Laura may be able to offer any advice at the guineapighelpline you can email or text her - details found at http://guineapighelpline.com/phone.html

x

Thank you so much for that! :)


Hi the same kind of thing you describe happened to one of my piggies . He has a cataract in his eye and probably because his sight isn't as good in that eye he managed to scratch the surface of the eyeball with his hay. His eye went a strange colour but seemed to recess on to his head instead of protrude as you describe . I took him to the vet and he got some anti biotic cream to get put in his eye twice a day and a jag . It cleared up really quickly but I was panicking because it looked awful and came on so fast .

Typical to have happened at a bank holiday . Your vet might actually be open as I know mine is. Worth a try phoning anyway. Hope your wee piggy gets on okay .

Thank you Mamaguineapig :) I already tried phoning the vet. They said there was no vets there, but they were able to make an appointment for Tuesday.

Woog's sleeping right now. I think she's getting annoyed with me checking on her every few minutes :)
 
I saw Woog's eye in another post... Make sure nothing like hay will poke into her eye. Are there any pet shops that are also vets?
 
I saw Woog's eye in another post... Make sure nothing like hay will poke into her eye. Are there any pet shops that are also vets?

Thank you for reminding me about hay pokes

Unfortunately we don't have pet shops that are vets around here either. I live in the US and it is difficult to find anyone that can actually treat piggies :(
 
Without a proper exam by a qualified vet, no-one can diagnose the problem and recommend any type of medication so please do NOT be tempted to follow any course of treatment recommended by someone who is NOT a vet and who HASN:T seen your piggie.

Piggie eye problems look worse then they normally are. A bulging eye that is bloodshot/red can be caused by a hay poke or inadvertant scratch to the eyeball...or infection. The protruding eyeball could suggest an abcess behind it - but it could also suggest other things and may just be because the whole area is inflamed...or it could be a problem with teeth roots...or a tumour.

If she has a cataract in that eye, it could be that when you saw the red-ness it;s because daylight or house lighting was reflecting on it in a particular way at that time and actually there is nothing to worry about. ( I say this because i took Willow into the vets a few weeks ago convinced he had some type of "white parasite" in his eye - turns out it ws because of the way the light was reflecting off his eyeball which was found to be developing a cataract)

As you cannot get to see a vet until tuesday, the two most important things to consider are as follows:
a) is Woog in pain...and is this pain stopping her from eating? You need to weigh her daily to ensure she is not losing weight. If she is in a lot of pain, then emergency treatment should be sought.
b) does she have a temperature (which would indicate infection) - normally if it was an abcess causing problems then she would again stop eating so much and look unwell in herself.

Lastly - it is very unlikely that her eye will need to be removed. You will be amazed at what a course of fucithalmic or other medication can do. Ginger has recurrent eye problems because he has entropion (eyelids growing inwards and damaging the eyeball - already dealt with surgically but he still gets issues) and last time, when he had ear mites, he scratched and scarred the cornea and I was petrified he would have to have his eye removed.... - nevertheless after a course of fucithalmic ointment he was completely back to normal

In terms of eye removal ("enucleation") - my piggie Pierrot had to have her eye removed as she was suddenly attacked by her cagemates so badly the eyeball was ruptured and the lens came out (:)>>>). Here she is 3 years later (photo taken yesterday)...a small white piece of fur has grown in the middle of the black patch where her eye was removed so sometimes it is actually very difficult to tell she doesn;t have an eye on this side! It does not affect her quality of life in any way - if anything she is cheekier than she was before.

Pierrotseyepatch.jpg


Just monitor your piggie and if she is in pain or stops eating then bring forward the vet appointment.

HTH
x
 
Thank you pebble

There's defiantly blood in her eye, it's very easy to see. She doesn't seem to be in any pain at all either. She's been acting normally all day. Her eye has always been bigger than the other, since she was a baby and the vet never found an abscess or anything in it. She's had it her entire life and it never gave her any problems until now. But even now, it doesn't seem to bother her. :{
 
When I said piggie eye problems can look bad but be easily sorted - it is the whole "blood in the eye" issue that makes it so scarey.

Piggies eyes have a natural defense mechanism - they go cloudy/bloodshot in response to trauma/infection. So even though there is blood in there...provided that she isn;t in pain or distress (and there's no yellow/green gunk coming from her eye or nose) then a tuesday appt should hopefully be OK.

Is she scratching more often than normal (her ears for example?)


x
 
I saw her scratching her crest earlier today.

I'll put up a few pictures of the eye too. This is what it looked like before it got all bloody
IMG_8554.jpg


and here's one I took today. You can't even see her cataract anymore
May29010.jpg
 
Poor pig. It doesnt look nice at all. There is a possibility that she could have bled into her eye due to her blood pressure. High blood pressure blows the retina and then causes bleeding into the globe. Can she see out of it? Unfortunatly all i can suggest is seeing a vet. Typically a bank hol weekend.

Let us know how she gets on.
Sending hugs your way!

xx.
 
Poor pig. It doesnt look nice at all. There is a possibility that she could have bled into her eye due to her blood pressure. High blood pressure blows the retina and then causes bleeding into the globe. Can she see out of it? Unfortunatly all i can suggest is seeing a vet. Typically a bank hol weekend.

Let us know how she gets on.
Sending hugs your way!

xx.

thank you

Woog's never been able to see out of that eye, it's always been really weird :{
 
Vet on tuesday...yes it's worrying given the photos.....but if the vet knows their stuff, the she should get a good diagnosis/prognosis/treatment.

You are right to be worried.....summat;s deffo up with her eye...vet's as soon as...!


xxxxx
 
Vet on tuesday...yes it's worrying given the photos.....but if the vet knows their stuff, the she should get a good diagnosis/prognosis/treatment.

You are right to be worried.....summat;s deffo up with her eye...vet's as soon as...!


xxxxx

My vet's very good, so hopefully on Tuesday will be diagnosed and taken care of. Thankfully it's not bothering her! She's munching on some dry food right now :)
 
Hi love just wanted to send you and Woog some extra loves and wheeeeeeeeeeky ones from the girls xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

HEALING VIBES FOR WOOG XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Hi love just wanted to send you and Woog some extra loves and wheeeeeeeeeeky ones from the girls xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

HEALING VIBES FOR WOOG XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Aw thank you Glynis

I was afraid Woog's eye was going to get worse overnight, but so far there's no change. She was eating and drinking when I got up this morning too :)

To the vet's tomorrow for sure! x
 
Thinking of you and Woog. Hope she gets on fine at the vet.
 
Good luck at the vets tomorrow; hopefully it's nothing too serious and can be sorted easily. I can see why you are worried, and will be thinking of you.
 
UPDATE!

Woog didn't need her eye removed! The vet said it was internal pressure that had slowly been building up in the eye. It caused blood vessels to burst, which is why her eye was all red and bloody. She's on an oral antibiotic, has eye drops, and a cream that I have to put in her eye! The vet also said it was a little swollen too, and if it didn't get better after the course of medication is over, then she will remove it. Woog behaved really well, and the vet even said she was in perfect health, other than the eye :)

So Woog is happily back with Bellatrix! :)

Thank you everyone for your advise and support! x
 
That is excellent news - I'm so pleased for you! Hopefully the medicine will be effective and your worries will be over.

Get well soon, Woog!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top