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Hay was stuck in the corner of Elvis's eye- do I need to go to the vet?

Eddie & Elvis

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hello everyone

I'm looking for some advice on possible hay poke.
First of all I don't know if it would be classed as hay poke. Elvis had a bit of hay stuck in the corner of his eye so it wasn't actually in his eye. It couldn't have been there more than a few minutes because I'd just put him and Eddie out for floor time and it wasn't there when I got him out the cage. I caught him and gently pulled it out. It came out with no resistance and didn't seem to cause Elvis any pain at all. I looked closely at his eye and compared it to the other one and it looks completely normal.
Do I need to take Elvis to the vet to make sure it is ok or will monitoring for any changes or signs of a problem be enough? If the hay had gone into his actual eye I would definitely take him in but I don't know if its different because it was the corner.
Thanks in advance 🙂
 
I've just had a look at Elvis's eye it looks fine. There's no difference between his right which got poked and the left and Elvis is acting fine too so I'm not too worried about it.
 
Hello again
It's now been 10 days since Elvis had the hay in his eye. When Elvis had his veggies earlier I noticed he was squinting and blinking the eye he got the hay in. He also had white cleaning fluid in that eye but not the other but it's since gone away again. And when compared to his other eye and both Eddie's eye it looks slightly sunken into his head too. I noticed him squinting the other day also when he was eating his veg but I thought I was being paranoid and it was a one off. His eye didn't seem sunken then. I didn't manage to get any photos of his eye because he was moving his head to much but I'll try and have another good look later and see if I can get some photos then. He's not off his food or acting different but I'm now worried I should have gone to the vets in the first place ☹️
What does everyone else think?
 
I definitely think it would be worth getting his eye checked by a vet.
One of my guinea pigs had a watery eye and when my vet had a look, it turned out she had got a grass seed stuck under her eyelid
 
Ok I'll see when I can get him booked in. Do you think I should have gone when he first got poked? Or could this be unrelated?
 
On closer inspection his eye isn't sunken like I thought it was but it's definitely watery and squinty. I managed to get a video that I can send to the vets because actual appointments are more difficult (if they say he needs to be seen I won't hesitate to take him though).
 
I forgot to mention that his eye isn't watery and squinty all the time. I had a quick look just now and at the moment it looks normal. It was only watery and squinty for 30 seconds or so when I took the video for the vet earlier.
 
I forgot to mention that his eye isn't watery and squinty all the time. I had a quick look just now and at the moment it looks normal. It was only watery and squinty for 30 seconds or so when I took the video for the vet earlier.
Just wait to see what the vet says . Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a foreign body there that needs washing out.
 
Definitely a good idea to get him checked over. Hope it’s easily treated and he’s ok :) x
 
A vet trip is a good plan.
My Phoebe has a slight watery and squint eye which only shows occasionally.
When I took her to the vet yesterday she was diagnosed with a slight infection.
It really is worth the visit to be sure about your boy’s eye.
Hope it’s nothing to worry about
 
I don't think the hay poke from before would still be causing problems but it could be a second hay poke. he may need help getting the hay out and will probably need eye drops which you need to get from the vet. the vet will also be able to put dye in his eye to check if there is any damage to the surface of the eye.
 
Thank you for all the replies everyone 😊 I'll send the email to the vets when I get home. I hope it's nothing serious...
 
don't worry too much Gundham's had hay poke 6 times over lock down, it's surprising how quick their eyes heal.
 
Poor Gundham! That's good to know how quick they heal though so thank you
Here's the video I got of his eye by the way
 
Yes its so tricky right now isnt it when vet trips are still quite restricted, to know at the time if a haypoke "near miss" without symptoms is worth it... but eye watering and squinting do suggest there is something that needs vet attention, paws crossed the vet can easily see if something is still stuck and if there is a corneal scratch, and send him home with any hay bits removed and some antibiotic eyedrops to help heal it up! X
 
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