GP Pup Eye Issue

[MzFit Toy]

We bought a guinea pig from a pet store in January. It was apparently pregnant (have no clue what type of GP the father is), and gave birth a little over a week ago. One of them struggled to thrive, but seems to be doing okay. He isn't nearly as active as his bigger brother. I was curious as to why both of his pupils are white. I tried Googling this, but could not find any description or photos that resembled what's going on with this little guy.

 

[Wiebke]

We bought a guinea pig from a pet store in January. It was apparently pregnant (have no clue what type of GP the father is), and gave birth a little over a week ago. One of them struggled to thrive, but seems to be doing okay. He isn't nearly as active as his bigger brother. I was curious as to why both of his pupils are white. I tried Googling this, but could not find any description or photos that resembled what's going on with this little guy.


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Hi

Please have him vet checked for potential congenital cataracts. We can only guess and cannot tell you what is going on for sure without hands-on access and we cannot exclude a potential infection from inturned eye lashes (entropion).

It is thankfully rare for cataracts to develop in newborns or even before birth but it can happen as early as that; most congenital cataracts tend to come up during the second year of life - congenital means that a piggy is born with the genetic disposition to develop them and that they are not an age related problem (which the majority of cataracts is).

If that is the case, then there is no cure. Sight is thankfully the weakest of the guinea pig senses and other parts of the brain will compensate. Your baby will never know what they haven't got and be able to lead a perfectly normal life; they will orient themselves mainly by smell, touch and hearing. Use their scent marks used bedding or uncleaned houses for any changes to the layout. I've had several piggies with congenital cataracts, even to the point of near full blindness, and they have all been able to lead a perfectly normal, enriched life.

Plese ensure that you have a piece of paper with the date in any picture or video and that you have your sales bill as well with any vet bill when dealing with a pet shop. Further information re. your customer rights in this guide on how to beat the fobbing off culture in US pet stores: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[MzFit Toy]

Thank you. I was worried about blindness, and do plan to take him to a vet as soon as we can get him an appointment. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't something common in GP pups.

Hi

Please have him vet checked for potential congenital cataracts. We can only guess and cannot tell you what is going on for sure without hands-on access and we cannot exclude a potential infection from inturned eye lashes (entropion).

It is thankfully rare for cataracts to develop in newborns or even before birth but it can happen as early as that; most congenital cataracts tend to happen during the second year of life - congenital means that a piggy is born with the genetic disposition to develop them and that they are not an age related problem (which the majority of cataracts is).

If that is the case, then there is no cure. Sight is thankfully the weakest of the guinea pig senses and other parts of the brain will compensate. Your baby will never know what they haven't got and be able to lead a perfectly normal life; they will orient themselves mainly by smell, touch and hearing. Use their scent marks used bedding or uncleaned houses for any changes to the layout. I've had several piggies with congenital cataracts, even to the point of near full blindness, and they have all been able to lead a perfectly normal, enriched life.

Plese ensure that you have a piece of paper with the date in any picture or video and that you have your sales bill as well with any vet bill when dealing with a pet shop. Further information re. your customer rights in this guide on how to beat the fobbing off culture in US pet stores: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[Wiebke]

It's thankfully not common. However, since nobody is every going to tell your boy that he is living with a sight impairment, he is simply going to live his life just the same as the other piggies. Guinea pigs are thankfully very tolerant and even supportive of disabled companions, as long as they can keep up with the group.

There are lots of wonderful stories and videos of carer companions and blind/sight impaired piggies enjoying life. My ca. 8 years old Mali who by then was virtually blind with cataracts as well as arthritic with old age still enjoyed creating scent spoor loops on the roaming ground and waddle-running along them. You can watch that video in this link here: Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary (TEAS) looks regularly after lethal piggies (they are always blind and deaf and usually have got dental issues as well). You can find plenty of videos of them having fun on their facebook page - and your boy still has got some sight (light/dark and strong colour splodges) right now.