Hey Pokes - Help!

[MushiiPeas]

Hey everyone,

So I've had issues with hay pokes before but normally catch them very early on and get the hay out and had no issues with the piggies recovering.

However yesterday patch got some hay in her eye, we got it out but her eye is now really red and a little sunken. I have a vert appointment for her tomo after i finish work as they didn't have any appointments today and wouldn't see her as an emergency but hopefully tomo they can give her some eye drops and flush her eye out tomo.

Anyho i have six piggies and hay pokes seem to be a very common problem we have, i give them hay via a plastic hay rack on the side of the cage but they still seem to get them. Is there any other way i could give them hay that won't cause any more hay poke injuries?

I'd really appriaciate your ideas in preventing this keep happening!

Thank you in advance!

Jenny

 

[Adelle]

If you are able to get to the vet today, id call back and say the eye is deteriorating and you are worried about damage- eye injuries are an emergency, and they should be aware of this.

You sound like you are doing all u can to prevent these, sadly it must just be a case of bad luck! Do they have any other hay that they lay in? Perhaps its a little too stalky?

I hope the vet sees you soon x

 

[Wiebke]

Hey everyone,

So I've had issues with hay pokes before but normally catch them very early on and get the hay out and had no issues with the piggies recovering.

However yesterday patch got some hay in her eye, we got it out but her eye is now really red and a little sunken. I have a vert appointment for her tomo after i finish work as they didn't have any appointments today and wouldn't see her as an emergency but hopefully tomo they can give her some eye drops and flush her eye out tomo.

Anyho i have six piggies and hay pokes seem to be a very common problem we have, i give them hay via a plastic hay rack on the side of the cage but they still seem to get them. Is there any other way i could give them hay that won't cause any more hay poke injuries?

I'd really appriaciate your ideas in preventing this keep happening!

I am very sorry; can you see a vet sooner? It sounds like serious injury that needs to be seen as soon as possible.

Could you switch to softer hay? Stalky timothy hay is more prone to cause eye injuries.

Thank you in advance!

Jenny

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Good that you are getting her seen by a vet tomorrow I really don't like hayracks of any kind for this very reason, I always serve their hay in a tray lined with newspaper so it's on the floor. I give it a good shake before putting it down for them. So far no hay pokes in 6 years If it is above their heads there is a much higher chance they will pull hay down along with dust or hay seeds or small pieces that can lodge in the eye.

 

[MushiiPeas]

@Wiebke @Poppy'sMum @Adelle

Hey guys,

Thanks for the info,patchy is back from the vet and already seems much happier, she had a grass seed that was stuck on the under side of her eye. Patch was super good in the vet but she did have a little pee! The vet got it out, and has given us two eye drops to give her 3 times a day, they are maxitrol and viscotears liquid gel. One is a hydration drop and the other is antibiotic and anti inflammatory.

I give my piggies meadow hay as i had tried timothy before but thought it was really rough and stakly, the pigs liked it but i didn't. I've bought some liter trays so going to give that a go instead of hay racks!

Thank you again!

 

[VickiA]

So glad she's seen the vet. Hope her eye quickly improves with the drops.

 

[Wiebke]

You should see a quick improvement within 2-3 days. Thankfully, eye issues tend to go down as quickly as they come up if you are diligent in applying the drops/ointments especially in the first few days; the sooner you can have an eye issue seen, the less bad things get.

If you find that applying the drops is difficult, try to distract your piggy with a bowl of grass, veg or fresh hay and wait until it is fully absorbed. Piggies don't multitask!

 

[MushiiPeas]

You should see a quick improvement within 2-3 days. Thankfully, eye issues tend to go down as quickly as they come up if you are diligent in applying the drops/ointments especially in the first few days; the sooner you can have an eye issue seen, the less bad things get.

If you find that applying the drops is difficult, try to distract your piggy with a bowl of grass, veg or fresh hay and wait until it is fully absorbed. Piggies don't multitask!

Haha thanks Wiebke, the first time we did it didn't go great but now we've been using herbs and dandelions as bribes. The cloudyness has already gone and it's no longer swollen or sunken, just a little red, i can't believe how quickly the drops are working!