Guinea pig eye problem!

[Cherriesxo]

I have a guinea pig called Amelie and she's got an eye problem, just noticed it now, she's squinting in her right eye to the point where she's got it fully closed sometimes, fluid has leaked down her cheek (can't tell the colour because she is ginger and white) but its definitely not blood and her eye seems quite watery like there's some liquid in there. When she was eating she let me have a quick look, her eye was about half open, and it seems she may have a little bit of hay stuck in there, but it's very very thin and I wouldn't have the confidence to take it out myself - and she's squinting now anyway. She lives with another guinea pig who can be quite rough/dominant - e.g. if Amelie is eating, the other piggie will squabble with her to get some food (I fed Amelie on her own this morning), so I was wondering whether they both got into a squabble again overnight, but usually they get on really well.. Does this sound like more than just a bit of hay stuck in there? do you think it's some sort of infection? We're taking her to the vets tomorrow, but is there anything I can do for now? I just tried to have another look at her eye to check for sure that it is hay but she isn't opening it at all now.?/ Just wondering what I can expect when I take her to the vet tomorrow.

 

[bessiehen]

Ah poor Amelie. From Peter Gurney's book -
Eye injuries are quite common and are mainly caused by foreign bodies in the eye or by poke injuries from hay.
Symptoms: Usually the first indication may be a running eye with the lid half closed. If these symptoms go unnoticed in the early stages, after a while the whole surface eye of the eye becomes milky and opaque.
Treatment: Often a hay husk can be seen at the corner of the eye and just needs to be gently removed and the eye flushed with saline solution or any of the proprietary brands of eye washes formulated for humans which are safe to use on guinea pigs.

He says to use tweezers but 'never pull against the lie of the husk, it would be painful for the pig and could tear the tissue of the eye'. I think I would struggle to have a steady enough hand to use tweezers. Hope she feels better, I'm sure the vet will sort her if it doesn't work it's way out overnight.

 

[bessiehen]

PS

I don't know if it could be down to fighting but when my pigs were scrambling over each other last night one put his full foot in the other one's eye and he came away unscathed!

 

[Cherriesxo]

Ah poor Amelie. From Peter Gurney's book -
Eye injuries are quite common and are mainly caused by foreign bodies in the eye or by poke injuries from hay.
Symptoms: Usually the first indication may be a running eye with the lid half closed. If these symptoms go unnoticed in the early stages, after a while the whole surface eye of the eye becomes milky and opaque.
Treatment: Often a hay husk can be seen at the corner of the eye and just needs to be gently removed and the eye flushed with saline solution or any of the proprietary brands of eye washes formulated for humans which are safe to use on guinea pigs.

He says to use tweezers but 'never pull against the lie of the husk, it would be painful for the pig and could tear the tissue of the eye'. I think I would struggle to have a steady enough hand to use tweezers. Hope she feels better, I'm sure the vet will sort her if it doesn't work it's way out overnight.

Thanks, sounds like that's what it is then. It looks like she's crying because it's all dribbled down her face! She usually squabbles with the other pig quite a lot (not serious fighting though) and they've never been injured before, so it is most likely due to the hay. Thanks for the info

 

[Abi_nurse]

Sounds like a little bit of hay in the eye, nothing more. Best to have the vet check her over though. For now. If you can, wrap her in a towel and have a good look in the eye, if you are not confident to take the piece out i understand, but leaving hay in the eye could cause her to develop an ulcer so best to gently get it out if you can.

x.

 

[Salt n Peppers mum]

Please make an appointment with your vet. They will check and remove any foreign body and they will put some dye in her eye to check for ulceration.
Typically they will prescribe an eye drop to heal the eye and to give pain relief. If eye problems are left there is a great possibility your guinea pig will lose her eye.

 

[rodentlady1987]

I had the same thing with Nala, a piece of hay had scratched her eye it was swollen The vet gave me eye drops for 2 weeks and it healed up perfectly! deffo worth going to the vet, the risk is that it may get infected without eye drops :{