Help with picking a piggy up to apply eye drops

[Skullblits]

Hello.

My piggy needs eyes drops. I haven't even had them a week.

My plan was to let them settle in for the week.

But one has damaged its eye.

Does anyone have any advice for catching a scared piggy and applying eye drops by yourself? All the videos I see are of semi tamed pigs or relaxed ones.

Advice would be great. Thanks

 

[TheLottiediarys]

It's a bit of a hard situation when a new Piggie needs medical treatment, I'm sorry your little guy/girl is poorly.
Now first you need to catch them!

Get yourself something like a Towel or non woolly jumper (You don't want to snag their feet) ready to wrap your Piggie in to keep them calm while your handling them and giving their medicine.
If you have a soft tunnel or even a log tunnel and gently guide them into it and lift them out of the cage inside something like that.
I know it can feel cruel to 'Chase' your Piggie around the cage but it really is best to be quick when 'catching' them, They'll probably be protesting quite loud about it, but guiding them into a corner or tunnel can stop you ending up chasing them around the cage which will obviously stress them out more then quickly guiding into a corner/tube/tunnel/cosy and picking them up.

Now, Grab your towel or something similar and wrap them in it to apply the eye drops, use gentle but firm hands because they can be quite squirmy. Wrap them up a bit like a Burrito, So they can't squirm too much, and carefully apply their eye drops as per vet instructions.

It's a good idea to use this time to give them a little bit of veg as a treat and a cuddle so they don't relate medicine time as such a horrible experience, It's surprising how forgiving piggies can be when food is involved! But they might not be interested in it if they're feeling disgruntled about the whole situation

 

[Piggies&buns]

I had this exact thing happen also. Two weeks after I got my piggies one of them had a hay poke and an ulcer and needed eye drops. I felt awful having to force him to be held so soon and when he really didn’t like it, he still doesn’t like being held now 4 months on. Anyway, I just had to do it in the quickest way possible and for me, luckily, they were (and still are) both very happy to walk into the pet carrier when I pop it into their cage (they had already associated it with being put out in the run which helped!) and it was much easier to pick him up out of the carrier (rather than from straight from the cage) wrap in a towel, and then quickly pop the drops in. So getting piggy into a tunnel, box or carrier can help I had a practise with the drops just onto a towel to gauge how quickly it came out prior to putting them in the eye.

 

[Skullblits]

Ughhh she wouldn't go near the tunnel. And was wiggling around. Got them in. It seems pritty thick.

My girlfriend helped me. Dunno how I'm gunna do this on my own

 

[sport_billy]

Sorry to hear you are having problems.

Have you tried the techniques here How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Can you girlfriend help you each say? One hold piggy and other use the dropper? Would your piggy eat lettuce leaf as you are doing it? Food is a great distraction.

 

[Skullblits]

She has work unfortunately. And we are still trying them on a new food atm. Can try. But they don't come out yet when my hand is in the cage.

My plans for getting them use to slowly are on tatters

Also I think she might be blind in her eye. And I got my hand right and close to her bad side. She turned and saw it with the good one and scatterd.

But I'm sure we I'll manage. Theses things have to be done.


I might gently pin her down in her cage and try it that way. I know it's probably not best. But it will probably be less stressful for her.

 

[sport_billy]

What happened to her eye?

 

[sport_billy]

You will take her after this... It will just take a little longer. Herding them into somethings keys the stress out a little. Once back in cage give her some food in her house.
When does the vet want to recheck her eye?

 

[Skullblits]

No idea what happend. But 50% of her eye surface is scratched.

Have to take her back this thrusday. Hopefully it's better by then..

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I had to use an old horse leg bandage to secure my baby pig for eye drops. Also had to have another pair of hands, but if I didn’t have them, I would probably have managed with her all burrito’ed up

 

[Skullblits]

That looks like a good idea.