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Specialist Sore eye

F

Flip Flop

New Born Pup
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Hello! Long time lurker, but first time poster. I hope you lovely lot can help.

My beautiful girl, Blossom, a dark eyed buff short hair, has been struggling with what I thought was conjunctivitis for a few weeks now. I’ve been treating her with Optrex Infected Eyes (chloramphenicol) but it’s not really doing much. She’s wet too, like a UTI, but then it goes, however, seems to have a dirt bum on/off and it’s getting lots of botty baths.

This is my worry. I lost her friend last year. She had the same symptoms, and despite many vets trips, it just wasn’t fair any longer as she was peeing neat blood and loosing weight, so she was PTS.

I can’t lose this one. She is so very special. The vets round here (I went to 3) were useless, and I feel they really let my other piggie down. There isn’t a vet on the list near to me, but obviously I’ll travel if I have to.

Do you think this is conjunctivitis or something else? I’m querying chlamydia too?

Bedding is dust free meadow hay and megazorb. I can give Mrs Hinch a run for her money, so it’s all very clean.

Going on holiday in a few weeks, so really need to get her 100% before I go. (She’ll put weight on whilst I’m away... my sitters grow veg and dandelions especially for my piggies!)
 
I’m so sorry to hear your piggy is ill right now - what did the vets say?
I’m no expert at all but it could be a combination of conjunctivitis and a UTI/bladder stones and an awful coincidence that your pig has both.
Definitely keep doing what you are doing and go back to the vet, demand they do an x-ray and urinalysis to get your piggy properly diagnosed and on the mend ASAP.
Let us know how you get on. 💕
 
Please get your piggy to see a Cavy savvy vet. If you can get a urine sample to take to the vet for testing that will help determine whether she has a UTI or whether it is something else. In my experience a wet undercarriage can be UTI, stones, sludge, or pyometra . All of these require diagnosis and treatment by a Cavy savvy vet. We can’t diagnose by description or photo, I’m afraid, even if we wanted to. A vet needs to examine her and carry out investigations. A urine sample will help the vet with their diagnosis. How To Collect A Urine Sample
As for the eyes, again a vet needs to see, diagnose and prescribe treatment.
Where are you based?
 
Pigsalways said:
I’m so sorry to hear your piggy is ill right now - what did the vets say?
I’m no expert at all but it could be a combination of conjunctivitis and a UTI/bladder stones and an awful coincidence that your pig has both.
Definitely keep doing what you are doing and go back to the vet, demand they do an x-ray and urinalysis to get your piggy properly diagnosed and on the mend ASAP.
Let us know how you get on. 💕
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VickiA said:
Please get your piggy to see a Cavy savvy vet. If you can get a urine sample to take to the vet for testing that will help determine whether she has a UTI or whether it is something else. In my experience a wet undercarriage can be UTI, stones, sludge, or pyometra . All of these require diagnosis and treatment by a Cavy savvy vet. We can’t diagnose by description or photo, I’m afraid, even if we wanted to. A vet needs to examine her and carry out investigations. A urine sample will help the vet with their diagnosis. How To Collect A Urine Sample
As for the eyes, again a vet needs to see, diagnose and prescribe treatment.
Where are you based?
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I’m in Lancashire. I’ve been a guinea pig owner for over 30 years, she really isn’t showing usual UTI symptoms constantly, just every so often, she will be wet. She is moody (standard in creams) and will just sit in one spot from time to time, so I usually take it with a pinch of salt and keep a close eye on her. When I say this happens from time to time, perhaps once every 3 weeks. I’m mindful of the fact she is large and her bits could be touching the floor, hence why they are kept so clean.

My query is, the persistent eye issue, and the fact my other sow started with an eye problem, which then morphed into a UTI. (She was not moody, or cream, or big and didn’t sit still - it was certainly a UTI that caused her death).

I’m sure a vet would just give the usual baytril, and it never seems to work. As I previously posted, all the vets I’ve seen with my other girls have been next to useless
 
I’m so sorry that you lost one piggy and are concerned about the other. All I can suggest is perhaps seeing a specialist exotics vet for through examination and diagnostic testing if required. Can you get to any of the vets on the recommended list? Recommended Guinea Pig Vets. Mine have never fobbed me off with baytril.
 
Flip Flop said:
Hello! Long time lurker, but first time poster. I hope you lovely lot can help.

My beautiful girl, Blossom, a dark eyed buff short hair, has been struggling with what I thought was conjunctivitis for a few weeks now. I’ve been treating her with Optrex Infected Eyes (chloramphenicol) but it’s not really doing much. She’s wet too, like a UTI, but then it goes, however, seems to have a dirt bum on/off and it’s getting lots of botty baths.

This is my worry. I lost her friend last year. She had the same symptoms, and despite many vets trips, it just wasn’t fair any longer as she was peeing neat blood and loosing weight, so she was PTS.

I can’t lose this one. She is so very special. The vets round here (I went to 3) were useless, and I feel they really let my other piggie down. There isn’t a vet on the list near to me, but obviously I’ll travel if I have to.

Do you think this is conjunctivitis or something else? I’m querying chlamydia too?

Bedding is dust free meadow hay and megazorb. I can give Mrs Hinch a run for her money, so it’s all very clean.

Going on holiday in a few weeks, so really need to get her 100% before I go. (She’ll put weight on whilst I’m away... my sitters grow veg and dandelions especially for my piggies!)
Click to expand...

Hi!

Can you get to one of our recommended vets? Recommended Guinea Pig Vets

Unfortunately we can see the problem only through your own lens, not having access to your piggy or the necesary veterinary training, so our guesses can be at the very best only be guesses.
We can't even judge whether you are dealing with two different issues, an eye problem and possibly a sterile interstitial cystitis (IC) or whether they are actually connected.

To my knowledge chlamydial conjunctivitis (which is VERY rare, highly contagious between guinea pigs and very often quickly fatal) can affect the respiratory but does not affect the urinary tract system. Nor do I know of another connection between eyes and occasional wetness at the bum end.

I am linking in our medically more experiences members for you. @Jaycey @Abi_nurse @furryfriends (TEAS)
 
@FlipFlop What is the issue with her eye, is it swollen, watery? Is it both of them?
 
@Flip Flop I ask because I had a pig with blocked tear ducts and eye drops didn't help.

How is her breathing? I currently have a pig with breathing issues and he has both crusty eyes and sometimes pees on himself. He's not as proactive about cleaning himself as it puts a strain on his breathing.
 
Jaycey said:
@FlipFlop What is the issue with her eye, is it swollen, watery? Is it both of them?
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No, not swollen. It’s red, and white discharge. It looks bloodshot (on the tiny white bits that she has). It’s mainly one eye, but treating both. My other sow that is with her has really odd coloured eyes anyway, so hard to tell if red, but appear clear.
 
Jaycey said:
@Flip Flop I ask because I had a pig with blocked tear ducts and eye drops didn't help.

How is her breathing? I currently have a pig with breathing issues and he has both crusty eyes and sometimes pees on himself. He's not as proactive about cleaning himself as it puts a strain on his breathing.
Click to expand...

Breathing is okay, this girly coughs and splutters a fair bit though (has done since she was a pup) not snotty or anything concerning, I think it’s something to do with her incredibly flat nose!

Glad you said that about cleaning.... she doesn’t move round to clean herself due to her shape. So that could be why she’s mucky sometimes
 
Sorry i have not had a chance to pop in to look in.

Do you have any photos? With what your explaining it may be either a conjunctivitis or maybe a blocked tear duct. No matter what though it sounds like it needs further specialist looking into it. Eyes are tricky and without a full ophthalmic exam from an experienced vet and even potentially some samples to look at under the microscope it may be impossible to treat.

Abi
 
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