Eye Ulcer Won’t Heal.

[LucyB]

hello!
I’m new to the forum and have a question about Rita (3yo sheltie). I apologise in advance for the long story..
The week before Christmas I noticed her right eye was watery, and then on the 22nd she was squinting so I took her to the vets in the 23rd and they put the dye in and there was a tiny ulcer so she started her on a course of ‘Isathal’ eye drops twice daily and fibreplex because she was a little bloated.
This seemed to work well at first, I had a niggling feeling her eye was becoming cloudy part way through the course but I carried on. 3 days after it finished her eye completely clouded over with 2 visible ulcers and the eye ball was red - I took her straight to the vets and we started started Chloramphenicol drops twice daily and Loxicom painkillers. Again she started to look better, we went for another check up at the vets and he said the eye was watery but no ulcer picked up with dye, carry on another week with drops. And yet again yesterday (last day of eye drops) it has started cloudy again and an ulcer is becoming visible on the surface again. The vet has already said ‘if this doesn’t heal it, I don’t know what we will do’ - eye referrals are mainly for cats and dogs.
Basically has anyone had experience with this? I’m worried there might be something underlying with her that means it won’t heal.. immune system/ diabetes. I’m back at the vets on Monday, they have mentioned that the eye may need removing and it seemed drastic at first but if it’s causing her constant pain then I can understand it.
Any advice gratefully received

 

[Wiebke]

The continuing watering could point towards an irritant still being stuck under a lid - it may be a minute hay seed or very fine piece of hay.

The other option for a badly damaged eye is a removal operation. A number of forum members have needed to go down that route and their piggies are doing well.

My Nosgan were both put on chloramphenicol 3 times a day, metacam and the very strong antibiotic zithromax when their infection was found to have already gone into the eye itself and not just being an ulcer on the surface (cloudiness/ulceration inside the eye).
Nosgan's eye has stabilised and he has even regained a measure of sight over the intervening year. With my Hafren, the judgment is still out. If the cloudiness in the eye comes back, we will likely have to risk an eye removal operation - not something we are looking forward to in a 6 year old sow! Her course of medication has only finished at the end of the year, so it is currently wait-and-see.

 

[LucyB]

Thanks for the reply Wiebke! Sorry to hear you’ve been through something similar, eyes are such a worry. I had a look on Peter Gurney’s website and he said eye removal was the ‘least risky of all operations’ if that makes you feel any better. Fingers crossed it won’t come to that though. I’ve found myself sneaking up on Rita to see if she has any vision in that eye!
The vet and I looked all in the eye for an irritant, flushed it out all three times in the vets to see if there was a foreign body.. there doesn’t seem to be one but I’ll certainly have another look.
I’ll mention the antibiotic to the vet and see what they say, thank you

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the reply Wiebke! Sorry to hear you’ve been through something similar, eyes are such a worry. I had a look on Peter Gurney’s website and he said eye removal was the ‘least risky of all operations’ if that makes you feel any better. Fingers crossed it won’t come to that though. I’ve found myself sneaking up on Rita to see if she has any vision in that eye!
The vet and I looked all in the eye for an irritant, flushed it out all three times in the vets to see if there was a foreign body.. there doesn’t seem to be one but I’ll certainly have another look.
I’ll mention the antibiotic to the vet and see what they say, thank you

My vet prescribed the antibiotic because the infection had in both cases already penetrated further into the eye (eye infections can develop and deteriorate in a matter of hours in some cases), which is a very difficult place to reach medically. If your problem is just on the surface, it will not be necessary.

I have unfortunately lost another elderly sow in an eye removal operation about 6 years ago when her heart gave out during the operation, so it is not quite a prospect that I personally relish. The problem with eye removal ops is less the eye removal itself, which is not a pretty but straightforward procedure, but any potential underlying weakness of the heart because in order to remove the eye pressure has to be put on it, which slows down the heart rate.

 

[LucyB]

Oh sorry wiebke, I can see you are much more experienced in this than I am. I’ll see what the vet says on Monday and until then I’ll carry on with the eye drops / painkillers and lots of TLC

 

[LucyB]

Just a little update.. I was worried about Rita’s eye tonight so we went to the A&E and she’s had her eyeball ‘scraped’ with a cotton bud (after some local anaesthetic drops) to promote blood flow and healing. Turns out there were no visible blood vessels in the eye!

 

[Betsy]

Just a little update.. I was worried about Rita’s eye tonight so we went to the A&E and she’s had her eyeball ‘scraped’ with a cotton bud (after some local anaesthetic drops) to promote blood flow and healing. Turns out there were no visible blood vessels in the eye!

That doesn't sound good.

 

[Jenny_84purple]

I know this is an old thread but wondered if the the eye healed.. I have a Guinea pig with an eye ulcer that wont heal and the vets do not seem to know what to do next!

That doesn't sound good.

I know this is an old thread but wondered if the the eye healed.. I have a Guinea pig with an eye ulcer that wont heal and the vets do not seem to know what to do next!

 

[Wiebke]

I know this is an old thread but wondered if the the eye healed.. I have a Guinea pig with an eye ulcer that wont heal and the vets do not seem to know what to do next!



I know this is an old thread but wondered if the the eye healed.. I have a Guinea pig with an eye ulcer that wont heal and the vets do not seem to know what to do next!

Hi and welcome!

Please start your own thread by clicking on the big 'Post Thread' button on the right side after you have clicked on this link here, which takes to the health/illness section. This will help you to attract more knowledgeable advice.

You can also help us greatly by adding your country, state/ province or UK county to your account details (via clicking on your username on the top bar). We have members and enquiries from all over the world, from very different climates, backgrounds, medical brand names, vet and rescue access, so our advice can differ enormously from case to case depending on the particular circumstances.

We can also help you a lot better if you'd please give us more background information on the nature/severity of your injury/infection, previous treatment and duration of the treatment when you start your own thread. That is going to save us having to ask those questions before we can help you further.

Thank you!