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I need serious help here! My guinea pig has a bad eye injury...

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Here are some pictures of S h a g g y's eye, with and without the flash on.

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What happened: I keep S h a g g y, (2 year old coronet), in the same cage as Nibbler (A 3 month old regular piggy). Sometimes they have little dominance displays, but it never got violent or serious. One night I heard a lot of noise from the cage, but I never heard and vocalization, so I assumed they were running around like they so often do.
Later that night I picked up S h a g g y and noticed his horrible eye. I freaked out a bit.
Nibbler is completely docile, but S h a g g y would sometimes chase him and scare him. When Nibs is scared he runs extremely fast and kicks out his legs and throws shavings around. Could he have kicked him in the eye?


What has happened to my poor piggies eye!? There isn't a discharge, and I know it's not cataracts. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with his eye, and what I can do for him?

I'm pretty sure he'll be blind in that eye for the rest of his life.
 
So sorry to hear about ****gy - I dont have enough knowledge to help you but if it was me I would try to keep it clean and take him to my vet.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge will be along soon
x
 
I'm a Dispensing Optician, his eye is cloudy which shows there's oedema in there, which means his eye is inflamed. I think he's got a corneal ulcer, so if the nervous system of a Piggle's eye is anything like ours, that'll be painful. I think you should get him to the vet asap! He'll be able to have some antibiotic eye drops. The vet will tell you better than I, I'm sure there's way more qualified people on this forum, but I do think you need to get him to the vet soon.
 
One of my pig'd kicked the other in the eye and it just filled up with blood she's fine but i would go to the vet's because that look's really bad
 
The sad part is I don't have any money for a vet, I'm currently unemployed and my parents won't pay 70 bucks to take a 20 dollar rodent to the vet. They're dog people.

Would they have eye drops at the pet stores that would help? Something a bit more affordable?
 
Definitely would go to the vets with this.

Looks like your piggy eye has got injured in the scuffle. It will probably need some drops..

Let us knw how yo get on

Lx
 
You need to convince them that he needs to go to the vets - pet shops products are usually useless really.
 
I'll try to convince them, but money is tight... it might come down to food for the family, or a vet visit.

I'm stuck and I feel awful.
 
Does anyone know if he has a chance of turning out okay?

I hate to consider it, but if he doesn't have a chance I would have him put down. I don't want him to suffer. But, I also don't want it to come to that.

Any recommendations?
 
This happened to my first piggy a few months ago, you definatly need to get him to the vets asap. Apparently its very painful for the piggies, although quite often enough they don't show they are in pain (mine didn't). The vet will probs give him some painkillers and eye drops that you have to put in twice a day, its actually not that expensive, it was £26 for mine. Then you will have to take him back to the vets in a few days so they can check if he's improving or not. Seen as your piggies only 2 years old, I wouldn't consider anything else until you have tried the drops, he's not very old so has more than a good chance of a full recovery.

Please take him to the vet asap :)

Rachel x
 
i wont turn OK it could become infected and the eye could shrivel up...

do you have anything like brolene eye drops or optrex eye drops= for infected eyes, over there?

its used for humans and can be brought from the chemist/pharmacy, if you can get the drops its 1 drop twice a day until clear normally in 6-7 days if it doesn't clear then he will need to see the vet.
 
Thanks for posting pictures, that helps a lot in the advice you receive.

I have a pig here who attained a similar injury, his eye really does not look good and I did have the CCT examine him in case it was serious enough to warrant surgery.

(Note: The pig has pink eyes naturally, but they are still very bloodshot and the indentations you can see are the result of an impact injury - in this case a suspected nip from his cagemate, as hay pokes (the other possible theory) are not as likely to become ulcerated).

Sideye8Nov.jpg


It was not in the CCT's opinion too serious to warrant either observation by someone better qualified than me or surgical intervention. The pig is on an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops. This is the very least I would do for your pig as well, I would certainly not leave it to heal alone as infection is both likely and probable.

To help you find any possible alternatives in OTC eye drops, the drops recommended to you contain chloramphenicol 1%.

I do hope you are able to talk your parents around to taking veterinary care seriously, just because ****gy is a guinea pig does not mean he is any less entitled to veterinary assistance - I know you know this, and it is hard standing up on issues when you are standing up to your parents, but you need to know that your parents are behind you with this. As much as I hate to say it - and I should say that I have been in this position before, needing to have parents onside to help me, and I still rely on my mother to run piggies down the road to the CCT/vet despite me being 21 - you just can't keep an animal fully responsibly without parental backup. For everything that I do, if I did not have my mother to do that one job she does for me, I could do absolutely nothing - I would have to give my pigs up because that one thing she does that I cannot do, taking a pig to the CCT/vet because I cannot, is so vital, and I would feel grossly irresponsible for taking on pigs knowing that I could not take them to a vet and that I had no-one else to. The reason I can keep pigs and I can take on medical cases, is because I have my mother onside to take the pigs when I need a second opinion or when something is beyond my skill, knowledge or resources.

Especially if you are a minor (under 16 years of age) ****gy is your parents responsibility, however much the guineas are your pet, if you are recognised as a minor, then your parents are legally responsible for the animals.

Apologies if this sounds like a lecture, it is not aimed directly at you, but goes for anyone reading this thread who has the same situation of being unsure if they can get their pig veterinary care.
 
Thanks for posting pictures, that helps a lot in the advice you receive.

I have a pig here who attained a similar injury, his eye really does not look good and I did have the CCT examine him in case it was serious enough to warrant surgery.

(Note: The pig has pink eyes naturally, but they are still very bloodshot and the indentations you can see are the result of an impact injury - in this case a suspected nip from his cagemate, as hay pokes (the other possible theory) are not as likely to become ulcerated).


It was not in the CCT's opinion too serious to warrant either observation by someone better qualified than me or surgical intervention. The pig is on an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops. This is the very least I would do for your pig as well, I would certainly not leave it to heal alone as infection is both likely and probable.

To help you find any possible alternatives in OTC eye drops, the drops recommended to you contain chloramphenicol 1%.

I do hope you are able to talk your parents around to taking veterinary care seriously, just because ****gy is a guinea pig does not mean he is any less entitled to veterinary assistance - I know you know this, and it is hard standing up on issues when you are standing up to your parents, but you need to know that your parents are behind you with this. As much as I hate to say it - and I should say that I have been in this position before, needing to have parents onside to help me, and I still rely on my mother to run piggies down the road to the CCT/vet despite me being 21 - you just can't keep an animal fully responsibly without parental backup. For everything that I do, if I did not have my mother to do that one job she does for me, I could do absolutely nothing - I would have to give my pigs up because that one thing she does that I cannot do, taking a pig to the CCT/vet because I cannot, is so vital, and I would feel grossly irresponsible for taking on pigs knowing that I could not take them to a vet and that I had no-one else to. The reason I can keep pigs and I can take on medical cases, is because I have my mother onside to take the pigs when I need a second opinion or when something is beyond my skill, knowledge or resources.

Especially if you are a minor (under 16 years of age) ****gy is your parents responsibility, however much the guineas are your pet, if you are recognised as a minor, then your parents are legally responsible for the animals.

Apologies if this sounds like a lecture, it is not aimed directly at you, but goes for anyone reading this thread who has the same situation of being unsure if they can get their pig veterinary care.


I'm not a minor. I'll try to work them over. They do spend a lot of money on my younger sister's puppy, you'd think it would only be fair that they help me with S h a g g y.
It's just hard when you somewhat rely on people who value the life of one animal over the other. I love my guinea pigs just as much as my dog, but my parents don't feel the same way, despite the fact that they're hippies.
 
I think we have drops for pink-eye. Could I use them on S h a g g y?
Could it help?

What do the drops contain, what's the active ingredient in them? Without knowing what it contains and whether it is safe, it would automatically have to be a no.

Understood on the situation you are in, it crops up frequently, just not especially helpful for you and your pig in the situation.
 
It's okay. I'm not expecting any of you to know the answers to my problems, I just wanted to see what my options are for helping S h a g g y.

He seems like he's normal. He's acting like he usually does aside from tilting his head to use his good eye.
 
You have had the piggy like that for awhile, and i do understand not having much money as i have none especially this time of year with three kid's but i know there are people i could ask for a loan if my piggie's got i'll or that i could work something out to pay for treatment, i just couldn't sit there and look at my piggy like that knowing he may be in pain and not do anything. Can you phone up a vet and get a quote on consultation and treatment if you tell them what has happened they will know what they will prescribe, tell them you don't have much money so you need to know exactly what it will cost so you can raise the money call a few vet's see who will help the most sell your stuff to pay for it.

I would tell my parent's i was going to ask neighbour's for donation's for it's care lol they may pay then
 
I think where the OP comes from small animals are not regarded as pets worthy of vet care as such, and many vets and humane societies will laugh in your face for taking a guinea pig the vets...

this is what was red on another thread from someone in the same situation and many people from the USA and areas agreed that vet care for small animals is basically not heard of, general human health care cost loads..

and the type of help which us UK people get is almost non existent in USA and areas...

the only thing the OP could try is contact the humane society as they do free vet treatment ,so i believe for people on low income BUT i don't know if this just includes dogs and cats...

sadly many small animals get PTS via humane societies and vets as they are not as worthy as say a dog or cat. sadly:(

there is a few guinea rescues in USA and areas that takes in guineas but not many.
the way there country and the way ours is when it comes to small animals is sadly very,different to the way ours is!
 
I wasn't trying to be horrible to OP I just know what I would do, and trying to give suggestion's on what she could do, I realise it is very different in their country.
 
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