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Is her eye ok

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diva

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My guinea pig Luna ate some English ivy last week she didn't have any symptoms but today her eye is a bit red she does have droopy eyes in general but that's because she is nearly 4 years old now but I'm just a bit worried about it is it connected or is it normal I washed it out with some water but I just want to be sure
 

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Poor Luna. It’s hard to say from that picture.

It’s probably not connected to the ivy. It could be a hay poke. I’d get her seen by the vet. It’s best to nip things in the bud quickly. Good luck. 🤞🏻
 
Hi, poor Luna, her eye does look sore 😞 Sadly no, her eye doesn’t look ok and it looks rather like she has a hay poke injury going from the little white spot and the cloudiness. She likely has a corneal ulcer and will require eye drops prescribed from a vet. She would also benefit from some pain killers and and corneal repair gel all from a vet.

Please see a vet asap as a matter of urgency as eyes can deteriorate quickly where they will put a special dye in her eye to check for foreign bodies in the eye (such as hay or grass seed) and to check for a corneal ulcer x
 
diva said:
My guinea pig Luna ate some English ivy last week she didn't have any symptoms but today her eye is a bit red she does have droopy eyes in general but that's because she is nearly 4 years old now but I'm just a bit worried about it is it connected or is it normal I washed it out with some water but I just want to be sure
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Hi

Her conjunctiva looks OK and healthily pink to me?

Please see a vet asap if you notice other symptoms.
First Aid: Immediate Care Measures and Non-medication Products
 
Claire W said:
Hi, poor Luna, her eye does look sore 😞 Sadly no, her eye doesn’t look ok and it looks rather like she has a hay poke injury going from the little white spot and the cloudiness. She likely has a corneal ulcer and will require eye drops prescribed from a vet. She would also benefit from some pain killers and and corneal repair gel all from a vet.

Please see a vet asap as a matter of urgency as eyes can deteriorate quickly where they will put a special dye in her eye to check for foreign bodies in the eye (such as hay or grass seed) and to check for a corneal ulcer x
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Apologise, please ignore my advice unless Luna’s eye is cloudy. I’ve just zoomed in on your photo and it looks like the white spot is just a reflection of light? Does her eye look cloudy or is it just the conjunctiva you’re concerned about? If so, that part of her eye looks healthy to me x
 
It's just the reflection but she has also been moving a bit odd too like she is very slow and she like moves her head up and down a lot when she is walking or coming over to me when she didn't before and I'm very nervous
 
diva said:
It's just the reflection but she has also been moving a bit odd too like she is very slow and she like moves her head up and down a lot when she is walking or coming over to me when she didn't before and I'm very nervous
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Please always ring your vet clinic asap if you have acute concerns and a reason for them, especially if you suspect poisoning, like we recommend in our First Aid guide in the entrance under poisoning (link in my first post).

Switch from your usual weekly weigh in to weighing daily on your kitchen scales first thing in the morning in order to monitor her food intake. Offer syringe feed and water if the weight drops more than 50g from one day to the next.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency

If you just fret, you cannot help and will only make your own anxiety worse.
 
you we have concluded that she has neurological issues with the head bobbing and she more drags herself like she can't support her own weight but we don't have money to go to an emergency hospital as its 180 just for a consultation so we are going to give her some crushed charcoal and liquid paraffin to help
 
I’m sorry but please do NOT give Luna anything without a vet’s advice and guidance as you could make things worse
😞

Could you see if your vet will offer a payment plan or if not, could you borrow the money from a friend or family member? I’m sorry you’re in this position 😞 x
 
Sadly I can't and it's my mum who said she done research online and found out what to get to flush her system but so far we haven't been able to find it so my mum might take her to the vet tomorrow as I have an exam instead of me
 
diva said:
Sadly I can't and it's my mum who said she done research online and found out what to get to flush her system but so far we haven't been able to find it so my mum might take her to the vet tomorrow as I have an exam instead of me
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Hi

You can try the activated charcoal, which is safe to use but please stay off the paraffin. :yikes:

These are very old fashioned, very rough and generally no longer used treatments dating back to the 80ies that are going to more likely make her worse and not necessarily better; especially the paraffin. Neither is going to catch the poison that is already metabolised.
 
Good news everyone she is doing good she had an ear infection but it was very severe which is why she was unable to walk properly and stuff and he gave her two medications 1 to take once a day the other 2 times a day and if it doesn't get better then we take her back I feel super bad for not noticing
 
diva said:
Good news everyone she is doing good she had an ear infection but it was very severe which is why she was unable to walk properly and stuff and he gave her two medications 1 to take once a day the other 2 times a day and if it doesn't get better then we take her back I feel super bad for not noticing
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Glad that she has been seen by a vet and is now on the proper medication. I wish her a good recovery.

Without a head tilt it can be difficult to notice what is exactly going on as the symptoms can be rather vague. We can only react to what you are telling us but we haven't got any direct access to your piggy to pick up on things we might with our own.

Please weigh her first thing in the morning on your normal kitchen scales for best day to day comparison but both the pain of the ear infection and the antibiotics can impact on the appetite and cause weight loss. It is important that you support feed to help keep up the weight to help her recover. Guinea pigs cannot afford to fast. An ear infection is very painful and it makes it also very painful to chew tough grass/hay fibre.

Please be aware that over three quarters what piggies eat in a day is hay, which you cannot control by eye only and that pellets and veg are basically only the snacks you yourself would have during the day.
Here is our guide how to improvise if you do not have any recovery formula at home: How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency
 
I am glad that Luna has been seen by a vet and has a diagnosis and treatment. I hope she has a swift recovery.

Please don’t feel bad for not noticing sooner. Guinea pigs hide illnesses very well.

I once had a guinea pig with an ear infection but as Ellen was already being treated for a UTI, we didn’t realise until she had practically recovered and the vet said she’d had an ear infection why she had the UTI all because she had a little wax in her ear on her last vet visit for the UTI which explained her wobbliness x
 
Yes she has lost weight I believe she was 2. Something before and at our recent one she is now 1.05kg so a big drop I did try to weigh her before but it said she was still 2. Something but I believe my scale is wrong as it is pretty old but what I did want to find out is how to prevent ear infections because the medication she is on make her super sleepy after like almost instantly she eats some hay and then sleeps so we make sure that after meditation she is separated from my other two so she can rest a bit in at least glad she is doing much better
 
Oh also thank you so much everyone for the support honestly love this forum so much everyone is so nice and helpful
 
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