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Guinea pig with hay in eye

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joellex

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I came home and my pig had a piece of hay stuck in the corner of her eye. I noticed it after she kept squinting it shut and even after I easily pulled the hay out she’s kind of closing her eye and it’s a bit watery, is this normal at least for a while or could there be a scratch or more stuck where I can’t see it? I’m not sure if I’ll be able to take her to the vet if it gets worse but I don’t know
 
A hay poke counts as a veterinary emergency. Your piggy will need to see a vet today and vets will accommodate this as an emergency if you tell them. Eyes deteriorate very quickly. They ulcerated very quickly from the hay touching the eye, rubbing at the cornea. The vet will be able to check if all the hay has been removed (sometimes a bit gets left behind) and whether there is ulceration. If there is, then a course of eye drops will be given. If caught early these things heal very quickly with the correct treatment But the longer you leave it, the greater the risk of a larger ulcer and infection setting in.
Please let us know how you get on.
 
joellex said:
I came home and my pig had a piece of hay stuck in the corner of her eye. I noticed it after she kept squinting it shut and even after I easily pulled the hay out she’s kind of closing her eye and it’s a bit watery, is this normal at least for a while or could there be a scratch or more stuck where I can’t see it? I’m not sure if I’ll be able to take her to the vet if it gets worse but I don’t know
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This happened to my pig and her eye became ulcerated and had to be removed. I would get her to the vet asap as they can give you drops that can help repair the eye. I no longer put loose hay in her run to protect her remaining eye she now has a ball which I fill and it keeps her amused as well as protecting her eye.
 
See a vet as soon as possible.
If hay poke is treated quickly then eye drops can sort it out before it becomes too serious.
Let us know how you get on
 
In the meantime you can use optrex infected eye on her. These are antibiotic eye drops which you can get over the counter (just don’t say it’s for a guinea pig). Fixed my girls eye up in a few days. Any signs it’s not getting better tho vet ASAP. Also needs to be kept in fridge x
 
Laura mason said:
In the meantime you can use optrex infected eye on her. These are antibiotic eye drops which you can get over the counter (just don’t say it’s for a guinea pig). Fixed my girls eye up in a few days. Any signs it’s not getting better tho vet ASAP. Also needs to be kept in fridge x
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As a forum we take our responsibilities to animal welfare very seriously. We DO NOT recommend the use of any home remedy or over the counter medication on guinea pigs. Only a vet can correctly diagnose and treat a condition including prescribing the correct treatment and then only after physical examination.
The original poster needs to take the guinea pig to see a vet.
 
:agr: Please do not use any home remedies and get your pig to a vet as soon as possible. Eye damage isn't something that can wait! Sending healing vibes!
 
VickiA said:
As a forum we take our responsibilities to animal welfare very seriously. We DO NOT recommend the use of any home remedy or over the counter medication on guinea pigs. Only a vet can correctly diagnose and treat a condition including prescribing the correct treatment and then only after physical examination.
The original poster needs to take the guinea pig to see a vet.
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Eye drops
Funny, it’s on here that i got the tip! x
 
Laura mason said:
Eye drops
Funny, it’s on here that i got the tip! x
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Thank you for drawing my attention to that post. I see it dates back to 2010 and advice in it has provided by a number of members who have not been particularly active for some time. I also see that there is clear advice to see a vet first.

Times, practices, veterinary treatment and the stance of the forum have all evolved since 2010. If that thread were to have been started now the response would have been to see a vet.

They key issue here is to get the eye promptly vet checked for removal of any retained debris, to identify any ulceration or other damage and to get the correct treatment at the correct dosage with regular review. No member (unless a qualified vet) has the skills and wherewithal to examine, diagnose, prescribe and treat correctly.

The forum does not recommend that any member home treats on spec with OTC medication. Particularly with antibiotics.
 
It also says in that thread from a very experienced rescue owner I quote

CrawleyGuineaPigRescue said:
I too use optrex infected eye drops, make sure you keep it in the fridge and I am pretty sure it has a short life after it is opened.

To anyone reading this please get your vet to diagnose first, ask if you can use optrex as it does have an antibiotic in it that my vet (cant speak for others) is happy for me to use. He knows I use it for a particular piggy and is happy for me to carry on. Please dont just try it before a diagnosis.
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I completely understand getting the vet to check your piggie, and of course that’s what should be done, but there are many people who come online looking for something to help their pigs and maybe can’t afford the consultation fee involved with seeing a vet, or other circumstances...who knows. So in that instance I would prefer someone to try something like the optrex infected eye that has been known to work, than to leave the pig who could possibly end up blind...but that’s just how I see it x
 
Laura mason said:
I completely understand getting the vet to check your piggie, and of course that’s what should be done, but there are many people who come online looking for something to help their pigs and maybe can’t afford the consultation fee involved with seeing a vet, or other circumstances...who knows. So in that instance I would prefer someone to try something like the optrex infected eye that has been known to work, than to leave the pig who could possibly end up blind...but that’s just how I see it x
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I understand what you are saying. But taking on an animal is a responsibility and vet fee's are part and parcel of that responsibility.

We can't give advice on self medicating an animal on the forum, I need to remind people of this statement

This forum is provided for the public sharing of Guinea Pig care knowledge, experiences and ideas. At times it may include discussions of medicines, symptoms, diagnosis etc. While a vast amount of information can be found within the forum, it can NOT replace the advice of a professional veterinarian.

Under no circumstances should anything found in this forum be construed as professional veterinary advice or instruction, even if a member on the forum claims themselves as a vet or to work within the animal care industry.

Animal symptoms cannot be diagnosed properly over the internet. All Health and Illness discussions that take place within The Guinea Pig Forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your local 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.

This forum cannot be held liable for any inaccurate advice given and is no substitute for proper veterinary care. If ever in doubt over the health of your animal, please ensure you seek professional veterinary attention from a qualified veterinary practitioner immediately.

By UK law only a qualified vet can diagnose, prescribe and treat an animal and only after a physical examination of the animal.

Can we also remind the forum members of their duty in accordance with the 5 freedoms to seek prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent pain injury and disease and to seek prompt diagnosis and treatment if they do become ill or injured.

Plain and simple the OP needs to take their piggy to a vet. Hay Pokes are extremely serious injuries. Waiting can mean the loss of an eye
 
sport_billy said:
I understand what you are saying. But taking on an animal is a responsibility and vet fee's are part and parcel of that responsibility.

We can't give advice on self medicating an animal on the forum, I need to remind people of this statement

This forum is provided for the public sharing of Guinea Pig care knowledge, experiences and ideas. At times it may include discussions of medicines, symptoms, diagnosis etc. While a vast amount of information can be found within the forum, it can NOT replace the advice of a professional veterinarian.

Under no circumstances should anything found in this forum be construed as professional veterinary advice or instruction, even if a member on the forum claims themselves as a vet or to work within the animal care industry.

Animal symptoms cannot be diagnosed properly over the internet. All Health and Illness discussions that take place within The Guinea Pig Forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your local 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.

This forum cannot be held liable for any inaccurate advice given and is no substitute for proper veterinary care. If ever in doubt over the health of your animal, please ensure you seek professional veterinary attention from a qualified veterinary practitioner immediately.

By UK law only a qualified vet can diagnose, prescribe and treat an animal and only after a physical examination of the animal.

Can we also remind the forum members of their duty in accordance with the 5 freedoms to seek prompt diagnosis and treatment to prevent pain injury and disease and to seek prompt diagnosis and treatment if they do become ill or injured.

Plain and simple the OP needs to take their piggy to a vet. Hay Pokes are extremely serious injuries. Waiting can mean the loss of an eye
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:agr: Completely
 
Ooh, it was me who originally started that thread!

Sadly, the guinea pig that thread was about, Ellza, had a very serious eye injury in 2013. We took her to the vets immediately but she still sadly lost the eye despite our best efforts and vet treatment.

I also had another pig, Enoch who had an untreated torn conjunctiva (before he came to me) so would regularly get cojunctavities in that eye. My vet recommended an eye drop that I could buy over the counter / online (I won't put it on here) that I could keep in the fridge as an emergency. BUT that was after seeing the vet.

I agree that the OP should see a vet immediately as eye injuries really can be dangerous if left untreated as in the case of Enoch. Eliza received prompt treatment but still ended up having the eye removed.
 
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take her to the vet, I know that’s really bad, especially for an eye injury but there’s not much I could do :/ I’m a bit too young and my mom disagreed when I told her that a vet should be seen. She thinks she’ll be fine. I’m pretty nervous now because I’ve seen people that thought their piggies eye looked fine but it ended up being scratched or more damaged than they thought at the vets and I really don’t want my pigs eye to get worse, or a more expensive vet bill (my mom wouldn’t be happy, but I can’t say I didn’t warn her). Her eye definitely has cleared up a lot since Monday but now I’m kind of wary about it. I’ll keep an eye on it and if it gets any worse I’m going to get her to a vet somehow.
 
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