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It's been a tough week..

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Sari

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Hi
I'm not really writing to ask for advice, I've just had an upsetting time this week with one of my guinea pigs and some difficult decisions to make.
I've also not had my piggies for long so it has been quite overwhelming.

Suddenly, over the weekend, Sundae's eye seemed to be sticking right out and the side of his face was swollen. He couldn't seem to blink his eye, which was then becoming sore and cloudly. I immediately took him to the vets, and he was put on antibiotics and eye drops for a couple of days.
The swelling increased, and his eye got much worse, so I had to quickly decide what to do. I definitely didn't want him put to sleep :( (which they were already suggesting!) I asked for and Xray, but nothing was found, so he had to have his eye removed :( They found a huge abcess behind his eye, so deep they couldn't remove it all, so they drained it and stitched him up.
The vets have done a great job operating on such a small animal, but there's no guarantee that there arent going to be further problems in that area.
Sundae is home now, but still not fully recovered from the anaesthetic (quite subdued) and hasnt got much of an appetite at the moment.

I'm just hoping I made the right decisions, hoping he is going to fully recover from the op, hoping the same thing isn't going to happen again, and that he will live a normal happy life with only one eye.
 
I am so sorry your little one had to lose an eye. I know how you feel as my little Marble was thought to have to have her eye removed too. The thing is although you can see that he looks different he will adapt so well and it will not impair his life in anyway. He will still be able to see well from his healthy eye. He will soon recover from his surgery and be back to normal.
 
I'm so sorry for you and your piggy, but i think a lot of pigs have eyes removed and they really adapt well, you will be amazed i am sure.

Hope he is feeling better soon x
 
To ensure the abscess has completely gone a course of the antibiotic Zithromax would be the best thing. Your vet may not have used this antibiotic before, but my vet would speak with yours if they wanted further info.

I used to have a piggie who had her eye removed and she lived a completely normal life afterwards and it didn't affect her at all.
 
I had a one eyed piggy when I was younger and she was fine. She had the run of the garden and could always find her way back to her hutch whenever she wanted to.
 
((HUGS!)) Poor little guy! Is he on an antibiotic? I would ask for a course of Zithromax or another good abscess-fighting antibiotic to help to clear any remaining infection. Is he on some pain relief? If he's not, being sore may be a reason why he is not active or eating well. I don't think the loss of the eye itself will be problem- animals are less dependent on eyesight than humans are. I've had animals that went completely blind later on in life (dogs and mice!) and they all adapted very well using their other senses. I hope your little Sundae makes a quick recovery (I have a pig named Sundae as well and she certainly sends her best wishes!)
 
Thankyou so much for all your support and advice. I feel much more positive now that Sundae will do well with just one eye. He is eating a bit more now, but is still quiet.
To furryfriends and Freela, yes Sundae is on a daily oral antibiotic (Baytril) but I will mention Zithromax at his follow-up appointment.
Thanks again for replying to my message, I really appreciate it x
 
(I have a pig named Sundae as well and she certainly sends her best wishes!)[/QUOTE]

I passed Sundae's message to Sundae :) Thankyou! Interesting to find another Sundae out there hehe!
 
Freela;1140659(I have a pig named Sundae as well and she certainly sends her best wishes!)[/QUOTE said:
I passed Sundae's message to Sundae Thankyou! Interesting to find another Sundae out there hehe!
Click to expand...
 
Oh no poor Sundae:(. It sounds like you did all you could do for him and the good news is he's home now and will hopefully make a fantastic recovery.

Keep us updated and I love his name!

Jenny xx
 
Sari said:
I passed Sundae's message to Sundae Thankyou! Interesting to find another Sundae out there hehe!
Click to expand...

Just curious, but how did you come up with the name? My Sundae is a lilac/buff/white mix with red eyes, and when we got her one of my kids said that she looked like an ice cream cone- her pointy little lilac nose was like the cone and her buff/white mixed body was like butterscotch ice cream. Based on that she ended up being Sundae, like an ice cream sundae. I've never run into another one before! Our other pig is named Linney, after a character in Wonderpets, also chosen by the kids. I expected to run into a ton of pigs nammed Linney based on the show but so far I haven't.
 
I took in a rescue who had his eye removed and also had a huge absess removed from underneath.

His absess did flare up again once the eye was out - he was on baytril for quite a while but he did get better and was rehomed to a TGPF member a few months later.
 
Freela, it was actually my other half who named Sundae. His colouring is a mix of brown, white and black, and my other half thought that his coat looked like different elements of an ice cream sundae swirled together. I find it fun knowing how people decide on their pets (or childrens!) names!
 
Sari said:
Freela, it was actually my other half who named Sundae. His colouring is a mix of brown, white and black, and my other half thought that his coat looked like different elements of an ice cream sundae swirled together. I find it fun knowing how people decide on their pets (or childrens!) names!
Click to expand...

LOL! Kind of funny, apparently both of our pigs resemble desserts! How is he doing today?
 
Thanks everyone for your encouraging coments.
Sundae is eating and drinking better today, and taking his antibiotics. He is still rather subdued, but seems to be managing to move round his home quite well with one eye!
We are going to the vets tomorrow for a follow-up appointment!
Fingers crossed! x
 
Do make sure to ask for some pain relief for him (if hes not on it already, i didnt see an answer to the previous question about it) Pain relief is particularly essential for piggies as pain can stop them eating causing gut stasis and this is very hard to treat (can even cause death) :) Its not hard for the vet to prescribe, metacam is the usual one.
 
I'm glad he is eating and drinking- let us know how the vet appt goes tomorrow!
 
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