Need Hay Poke Treatments

[Piggie buddies]

Hi!

I know eye pokes are common and my blonde piggie had it before. Just a few hours ago when i was feeding the guinea pigs I noticed zazu (grey) got a hay poke but no hay in his eye. His eye was cloudy blue and a black lump near the top of the eye and at the top was quite red. Is there a way to treat this at home? I would think the vets would be a better and safer option but I just want to know if there is any treatment at home encase this happens again and vets are unavailable.

thx

 

[GPTV]

i usually give the eye a bathe with some slightly salted water (a pinch in an eggcup full of water) not too much or it will sting his eye.

dissolve the salt in some boiled then cooled/tepid water & just drip into the eye off of a clean kitchen towel or similar (often easier if a heap of hay or veg is in front of piggy they don't take any notice then),this will also help to remove any debris/dust if he has any left in his eye.

then take him to the vets tomorrow to check for any damage or ulceration. He will probably need eye drops to help mend it & prevent infection or pain. usually Fulcalthmic (sp?) Tiacil or Isathal drops are given to guineas.
if it's caught quickly they usually heal really well & quickly, but don't leave it unchecked as eyes develop complications really quickly too

(Edit: My vet recommended I bathe eyes with this saline solution if i couldn't get same day veterinary advice/treatment - but get him to a vet tomorrow to get it checked
& healing vibes for a speedy recovery xx )

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

I know eye pokes are common and my blonde piggie had it before. Just a few hours ago when i was feeding the guinea pigs I noticed zazu (grey) got a hay poke but no hay in his eye. His eye was cloudy blue and a black lump near the top of the eye and at the top was quite red. Is there a way to treat this at home? I would think the vets would be a better and safer option but I just want to know if there is any treatment at home encase this happens again and vets are unavailable.

thx

Please always have any eye injury seen by a vet promptly, as they can deteriorate quickly and end up with permanent damage or even removal of the eye. There is no safe way to home treat; you can easily make things worse instead of better. Unless you have lots of gunk or hay stuck in the eye, I would not even use saline solution personally.
Please see a vet as soon as you can during regular hours.

The good news is that with prompt appropriate treatment, they also heal off again pretty quickly unless they are very severe. If necessary, distract your piggy with its favourite food until it is fully absorbed in munching and is forgetting about the rest of the body. As long as the eye is painful and sore, it can be somewhat tricky to get the drops or gel that you are prescribed into the eye.

 

[Piggie buddies]

Hi!

I went to the vets early this morning for they were full up yesterday and unfortunately our vet was off today and had someone else. She wasn't as good as our vet as I noticed her using her hand to cough and did not wash her hands...Other than that she was ok with the Zazu like she handled him well, did check ups and examined his eye thoroughly. Then She dyed the eye and found that the black lump near the top was the scratch. She told me to give him eye drops 4 times a day and go back to the vets on Thursday. I'm just not to keen that the fact that she coughed then a min later handled him then washed her hands....