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Small Eye.

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Cavy Kung-Fu

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I've been meaning to post about this for a while, one of my new babies has got an eye that appears to have stopped growing.

After taking her to the vets they've confirmed that it's very unlikely that she can see out of it, they think it may have a cataract in it too. They've said that it's possible that it's a birth defect and it just hasn't grown with the rest of her (it wasn't prominent as an issue when I first got her).

They've said to keep an eye on it (apologies) to make sure it doesn't get any smaller, if it does it could mean that it has died and needs removing, but I don't think it has.

Has anyone got any experience with this? She's a very healthy (and vocal) piggy otherwise, although she can run into things it doesn't cause a lot of problem.

Any advice would be appreciated!
 
This was taken a while ago, image.webpSmaller eye above.

image.webp
Normal eye here.

There's a bit more of a difference now as she's grown.
 
Just keep an eye on the eye in case there are any changes (either getting smaller or suddenly getting larger); in both cases you need to see your vet promptly. There is not a lot you can do.

The good news is that sight is not the strongest sense and that your little girl will compensate with her other senses. I have a number of cataract piggies that have adapted to loss of sight well and have still been able to enjoy a perfectly normal, enriched life with roaming time, popcorning, and lawn trips. Your girl has the advantage that she has never known differently and therefore doesn't know that she has a deficit; it is just normal for her.

She may not like being approached/surprised from her blind/less well sighted side though, so if you can, alert her to it with your voice or a gesture on her other side.
 
@Wiebke thank you, it's reassuring to hear that. I know it really but I do feel sorry for her sometimes. Especially when a piggy approaches her from her blind side and she runs away and into something lol bless her.

Any idea what could be the cause for it being so small? Her bottom eye lid is a bit droopy where the lid is normal but her eye isn't, I'm constantly checking it for debris or infection but it's been okay so far. It's probably half the size of her normal eye.
 
Did they check the tear production in her small eye using a little strip? Sometimes when they have a condition called dry eye, the eye can be small and sunken If not treated.

It's simply treated with lubricating eye drops, artificial tear type drops applied at regular intervals throughout the day to keep the eye moist.
 
@Adelle they didn't use a strip, but her eye is quite watery anyway (possibly because of her droopy eye lid) and I seem to remember her saying that the tear duct is working due to this, does that sound right? Thanks :)
 
@Adelle they didn't use a strip, but her eye is quite watery anyway (possibly because of her droopy eye lid) and I seem to remember her saying that the tear duct is working due to this, does that sound right? Thanks :)
Yeah the eye wouldn't be watery if it was dry eye.

Just a thought, can she blink with that eye? Sometimes if there's a nerve issue and they can't blink they eye will be runny and the lid droopy. If you gently touch the inside corner of her eye (on the rim) she should blink.

Just running ideas off the top of my head! It is a strange one x
 
Yeah the eye wouldn't be watery if it was dry eye.

Just a thought, can she blink with that eye? Sometimes if there's a nerve issue and they can't blink they eye will be runny and the lid droopy. If you gently touch the inside corner of her eye (on the rim) she should blink.

Just running ideas off the top of my head! It is a strange one x

Yes she can blink if you touch near her eye, I don't think it's any different, just a delayed reaction as she can't see it coming.

Yes it is a strange one. I've not heard of anything like it before. I just don't want there to be an underlying issue, or for it to go bad quickly. I know she can have it removed if needs be but I'd be too worried about surgery if she doesn't need it.

I'll try to get a better picture in the next few days, she just doesn't like having her bad eye facing you so it's a bit tricky lol x
 
if her eyelid droops down it may be a bit of pea eye/fatty eye, its usually more common in older pigs but not unheard of in younger ones, as Adelle suggests it may be worth asking the vet if you can try dry eye drops to keep it moist.

hmm if its watery, see if you can see any signs of entropion (ingrowing eyelashes) this may be scratching her eye affecting its growth & watery'ness, making it appear smaller than the other eye. get the vet to check for this if you can. Usually a couple of stitches is all thats needed to pull the ingrowing hairs away from the eyeball so they point outwards instead of inwards irritating the eye.
if it has a blue'ish grey'ish tinge to it it may be where its slightly ulcerated the surface of the eye & not cataracts.

Have you tried Tiacil drops to see if they help with the colour at all?
Shes still a pretty piggy though :)

edit
try getting her teeth checked too on that side, just to make sure its not an abscess brewing, making the surrounding area swell up & pushing the cheek out making the eye look smaller. xx
 
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if her eyelid droops down it may be a bit of pea eye/fatty eye, its usually more common in older pigs but not unheard of in younger ones, as Adelle suggests it may be worth asking the vet if you can try dry eye drops to keep it moist.

hmm if its watery, see if you can see any signs of entropion (ingrowing eyelashes) this may be scratching her eye affecting its growth & watery'ness, making it appear smaller than the other eye. get the vet to check for this if you can. Usually a couple of stitches is all thats needed to pull the ingrowing hairs away from the eyeball so they point outwards instead of inwards irritating the eye.
if it has a blue'ish grey'ish tinge to it it may be where its slightly ulcerated the surface of the eye & not cataracts.

Have you tried Tiacil drops to see if they help with the colour at all?
Shes still a pretty piggy though :)

Thank you, I'll have a look for that. I don't [think] so but it's not something I've specifically looked for so may have missed something.

You can see that it's grey but only when you shine light into it, the vet thought she saw cataract but said it was a bit hard to tell as the eye is so small. Would there be something visible to the naked eye actually on it?

I'm not sure what those drops are, how do you mean for the colour? Sorry, this is all very new to me XD
 
And thank you! She may be a pretty piggy but she knows it! XD She may look cute and danty but she's a cow to her sister sometimes lol!
 
Thank you, I'll have a look for that. I don't [think] so but it's not something I've specifically looked for so may have missed something.

You can see that it's grey but only when you shine light into it, the vet thought she saw cataract but said it was a bit hard to tell as the eye is so small. Would there be something visible to the naked eye actually on it?

I'm not sure what those drops are, how do you mean for the colour? Sorry, this is all very new to me XD


if the eye is ulcerated then it has a cloudy grey/blue tinge to it, the more ulcerated it is the more cloudy it will appear.
If it was badly ulcerated as a hay poke can sometimes go, the eyeball nearly goes white/grey cloudy, usually showing signs that the white of the eye is bloodshot too.
it would probably appear more cloudy on the surface of the eye than a cataract would though.

Tiacil drops are an eye drops that have an anti inflammatory & anti bacterial/ antibiotic qualities, they should help if its any of the basics that have caused her problems.

surely that cute face wouldn't be a cow?!:no:

xx
 
if the eye is ulcerated then it has a cloudy grey/blue tinge to it, the more ulcerated it is the more cloudy it will appear.
If it was badly ulcerated as a hay poke can sometimes go, the eyeball nearly goes white/grey cloudy, usually showing signs that the white of the eye is bloodshot too.
it would probably appear more cloudy on the surface of the eye than a cataract would though.

Tiacil drops are an eye drops that have an anti inflammatory & anti bacterial/ antibiotic qualities, they should help if its any of the basics that have caused her problems.

surely that cute face wouldn't be a cow?!:no:

xx

Thanks! I'll probably be taking her back soon for a check up so I'll definitely mention it when I do. It's worth a shot!

I know, she's so sweet until she decides she wants to kick poor Dom out of the house or chase her round the cage XD Considering her disability and that Drom is way bigger than her now she manages quite well :))
 
Just taken these pics, sorry they're not great quality.

image.webp
^ Good eye.

image.webp
^ Small eye.

Idk if you can see the droopy lid which is slightly brown inside.

Hope these pics are clearer, I had to pay curly kale for these photos! :))
 
If she has had it since birth it may simply be an inherited birth defect and you would just have to watch it for any changes and get it checked out if any appear. If it's any consolation, she should do just fine with no vision in that eye. One of my pigs developed cataracts in both eyes in old age and adjusted just fine. The vet said at this stage she probably really only sees light and dark, but you would never know she was blind watching her go about her daily routine. The only thing is she is easier to startle than the pigs who can see things coming, but it's really not an issue at this point.
 
If she has had it since birth it may simply be an inherited birth defect and you would just have to watch it for any changes and get it checked out if any appear. If it's any consolation, she should do just fine with no vision in that eye. One of my pigs developed cataracts in both eyes in old age and adjusted just fine. The vet said at this stage she probably really only sees light and dark, but you would never know she was blind watching her go about her daily routine. The only thing is she is easier to startle than the pigs who can see things coming, but it's really not an issue at this point.

Thanks, the vets think she may have had it since birth and it just became more prominent as she grew but that eye didn't. Guess I'll just have to hope nothing changes!

Yes she doesn't seem to worry about it too much, just bumps into things now and then bless her XD

Glad to hear your piggy has taken it in her stride! :)
 
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