Sparkle has another hay poke 😞

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Deleted member 114675

It's my Birthday this weekend and hubby organised something which meant and overnight stay. Fortunately, I have met someone locally who has also adopted BARC guinea pigs who offered to pet sit. This person is rapidly becoming a very good friend - she helped me out last week when the vet wanted Sparkle to have eye drops 4. times a day and now she is helping me out again :hug:

So, I checked and fed all my guineas in the morning before we left and everything was fine.

That very afternoon, I got a message from my friend to say Sparkle's eye is bad.

These are the pictures

IMG-20191108-WA0001.jpgIMG-20191108-WA0000.jpg

She took her to the vet and Sparkle is back on eye drops and Metacam.

There has been a thread recently where some senior members have said it is OK to leave guineas unattended for a night away. I personally do not agree with this. I appreciate that I am very lucky to have this friend..... but, before I knew this person, I would always book my guinea pigs into boarding if I knew I would be away more than 24 hours..... And what has happened to Sparkle is the reason why.

I appreciate there may be a time when someone has a family emergency which means they need to go away at short notice and may not be able to find a pet sitter or boarding but, please this does not mean "they'll be fine". Please accept that leaving your guinea pigs unattended for more than 24 hours is sub optimal and can best be described as "doing what you can under the circumstances".

I also appreciate that guineas will get by if they don't have a spot clean every day... and will get by diet wise as long as they have plenty of hay and water.... But, as I said in the previous thread, it's also about making sure that are not ill or injured.... and getting them to a vet promptly if they need medical attention.

I have had a lovely time but I am tired and at least I am travelling home knowing my guineas have been cared for while I have been away . Without the care from my friend, I would be coming home very tired later this afternoon/ evening to discover Sparkle had had this eye injury for 24+ hours.

I thank everyone who has read this post. I am sorry if you do not agree with me. I am worried sick about Sparkle's eye.... But at least I know she is getting the right care and attention.
 
Veggies Galore said:
It's my Birthday this weekend and hubby organised something which meant and overnight stay. Fortunately, I have met someone locally who has also adopted BARC guinea pigs who offered to pet sit. This person is rapidly becoming a very good friend - she helped me out last week when the vet wanted Sparkle to have eye drops 4. times a day and now she is helping me out again :hug:

So, I checked and fed all my guineas in the morning before we left and everything was fine.

That very afternoon, I got a message from my friend to say Sparkle's eye is bad.

These are the pictures

View attachment 126196View attachment 126197

She took her to the vet and Sparkle is back on eye drops and Metacam.

There has been a thread recently where some senior members have said it is OK to leave guineas unattended for a night away. I personally do not agree with this. I appreciate that I am very lucky to have this friend..... but, before I knew this person, I would always book my guinea pigs into boarding if I knew I would be away more than 24 hours..... And what has happened to Sparkle is the reason why.

I appreciate there may be a time when someone has a family emergency which means they need to go away at short notice and may not be able to find a pet sitter or boarding but, please this does not mean "they'll be fine". Please accept that leaving your guinea pigs unattended for more than 24 hours is sub optimal and can best be described as "doing what you can under the circumstances".

I also appreciate that guineas will get by if they don't have a spot clean every day... and will get by diet wise as long as they have plenty of hay and water.... But, as I said in the previous thread, it's also about making sure that are not ill or injured.... and getting them to a vet promptly if they need medical attention.

I have had a lovely time but I am tired and at least I am travelling home knowing my guineas have been cared for while I have been away . Without the care from my friend, I would be coming home very tired later this afternoon/ evening to discover Sparkle had had this eye injury for 24+ hours.

I thank everyone who has read this post. I am sorry if you do not agree with me. I am worried sick about Sparkle's eye.... But at least I know she is getting the right care and attention.
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Absolutely the best call Lisa. That eye looks awful. Poor Sparkle. They do pick their moments don't they.
Happy birthday by the way!
 
Happy birthday to you 🎂
Your friend is one of a kind. I’m glad she was there to spot your Sparkle’s injury. Hopefully it’s not too badly damaged to recover. Healing wheeks from our four
 
Siikibam said:
Happy birthday to you 🎂
Your friend is one of a kind. I’m glad she was there to spot your Sparkle’s injury. Hopefully it’s not too badly damaged to recover. Healing wheeks from our four
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:agr: she is very special 👍🏻. I suspect she is doing it more for Sparkle than me..... But that's fine. ☺️
 
Happy Birthday! 🎂 🎈 🍰 🎊 🍾 🍷 🍻 🍹 🎁 🥂
Orca's just given me the regular hay poke vet visit hassles!
2haypokes in 3wks, been on Clinigel then Tiacil, Baytril & loxicom, rather an icky dramatic haypoke by her standards too! :(

Poor Sparkles looks inflamed & sore, healing vibes being sent your way for a full & speedy recovery xx
Fab friend :tu: :hug: expect an extra Christmas present will need to be wrapped this year from Sparkle ;) xx
 
GPTV said:
Happy Birthday! 🎂 🎈 🍰 🎊 🍾 🍷 🍻 🍹 🎁 🥂
Orca's just given me the regular hay poke vet visit hassles!
2haypokes in 3wks, been on Clinigel then Tiacil, Baytril & loxicom, rather an icky dramatic haypoke by her standards too! :(

Poor Sparkles looks inflamed & sore, healing vibes being sent your way for a full & speedy recovery xx
Click to expand...
Thank you :hug:

They are a worry aren't they
 
Happy Birthday. I hope you managed to enjoy it despite the worrying phone call. What a lovely friend you have to take such good care of your piggies. I agree with you, I wouldn't leave mine overnight. I only go away if my OH is home to look after the piggies in the manner to which they are accustomed!
Sending Sparkle healing vibes, poor girl, that eye does look sore.
 
Hope you had a lovely birthday, sending vibes to Miss Sparkle x
 
Veggies Galore said:
It's my Birthday this weekend and hubby organised something which meant and overnight stay. Fortunately, I have met someone locally who has also adopted BARC guinea pigs who offered to pet sit. This person is rapidly becoming a very good friend - she helped me out last week when the vet wanted Sparkle to have eye drops 4. times a day and now she is helping me out again :hug:

So, I checked and fed all my guineas in the morning before we left and everything was fine.

That very afternoon, I got a message from my friend to say Sparkle's eye is bad.

These are the pictures

View attachment 126196View attachment 126197

She took her to the vet and Sparkle is back on eye drops and Metacam.

There has been a thread recently where some senior members have said it is OK to leave guineas unattended for a night away. I personally do not agree with this. I appreciate that I am very lucky to have this friend..... but, before I knew this person, I would always book my guinea pigs into boarding if I knew I would be away more than 24 hours..... And what has happened to Sparkle is the reason why.

I appreciate there may be a time when someone has a family emergency which means they need to go away at short notice and may not be able to find a pet sitter or boarding but, please this does not mean "they'll be fine". Please accept that leaving your guinea pigs unattended for more than 24 hours is sub optimal and can best be described as "doing what you can under the circumstances".

I also appreciate that guineas will get by if they don't have a spot clean every day... and will get by diet wise as long as they have plenty of hay and water.... But, as I said in the previous thread, it's also about making sure that are not ill or injured.... and getting them to a vet promptly if they need medical attention.

I have had a lovely time but I am tired and at least I am travelling home knowing my guineas have been cared for while I have been away . Without the care from my friend, I would be coming home very tired later this afternoon/ evening to discover Sparkle had had this eye injury for 24+ hours.

I thank everyone who has read this post. I am sorry if you do not agree with me. I am worried sick about Sparkle's eye.... But at least I know she is getting the right care and attention.
Click to expand...

Ouch; that looks very sore and will indeed need regular attention and medication around throughout the day! :(
Anyway, I hope that the injury hasn't totally spoiled your birthday celebrations!

I am very happy for you that you have been so lucky as to find a friend who is able and willing to look after Miss Sparkle and can care for her/was able to take her to the vet in a pinch. It is going to make a big difference with Sparkle's eye injury!
But I fervently wish that every forum member would be in that same comfortable position and not be one of the ones coming here because they have been badly let down by a relative or a friend, or whose boarder is refusing to take on a medical piggy.

Unfortunately, even with the best provisions you can never completely close out any risk like an unexpected injury or a sudden death. The two piggies that I have lost while away would have died just the same if I'd stayed at home; one never woke up from her after dinner nap at a savvy friend's, who has on other occasions saved piggies of mine (for which I am eternally grateful), and the other piggy died overnight on the day we were coming home. :(

How long we leave any of our piggies unattended is a very emotive subject where opinions differ as much as they do on when is the right time to pts/euthanise or to battle on; each of us is also often constrained by the demands of an individual situation and available options, more so especially in emergencies.


Wishing your poorly girl a good and speedy recovery! Definitely not the kind of birthday present you want to get!

PS: Please look for some artificial tear gel from a pharmacy if your vet hasn't prescribed a lubricant to help with the healing process. Kim Maddock has always insisted with any serious eye injuries of mine that she is giving me some; I now have always got some at home. It is making a real difference in terms of comfort and helping with healing the eye.
You always have to wait at least half an hour before you can apply any gel after medicating to allow any treatment to be fully absorbed. Kim recommends to give the gel as often as possible, ideally up to 6 times in 24 hours.
 
Happy birthday, and hope Sparkle's nasty eye injury recovers soon! That does look very sore, good job your friend was there to spot it straight away. Maybe Sparkle needs some sort of safety goggles for hay diving...
 
Poor Sparkle - hope that mends soon for her.
@GPTV - hope Orca’s eye heals up quickly too.

It sounds as if we need a dedicated haypoke thread given the number of forum piggies currently suffering
 
Wiebke said:
Ouch; that looks very sore and will indeed need regular attention and medication around throughout the day! :(
Anyway, I hope that the injury hasn't totally spoiled your birthday celebrations!

I am very happy for you that you have been so lucky as to find a friend who is able and willing to look after Miss Sparkle and can care for her/was able to take her to the vet in a pinch. It is going to make a big difference with Sparkle's eye injury!
But I fervently wish that every forum member would be in that same comfortable position and not be one of the ones coming here because they have been badly let down by a relative or a friend, or whose boarder is refusing to take on a medical piggy.

Unfortunately, even with the best provisions you can never completely close out any risk like an unexpected injury or a sudden death. The two piggies that I have lost while away would have died just the same if I'd stayed at home; one never woke up from her after dinner nap at a savvy friend's, who has on other occasions saved piggies of mine (for which I am eternally grateful), and the other piggy died overnight on the day we were coming home. :(

How long we leave any of our piggies unattended is a very emotive subject where opinions differ as much as they do on when is the right time to pts/euthanise or to battle on; each of us is also often constrained by the demands of an individual situation and available options, more so especially in emergencies.


Wishing your poorly girl a good and speedy recovery! Definitely not the kind of birthday present you want to get!

PS: Please look for some artificial tear gel from a pharmacy if your vet hasn't prescribed a lubricant to help with the healing process. Kim Maddock has always insisted with any serious eye injuries of mine that she is giving me some; I now have always got some at home. It is making a real difference in terms of comfort and helping with healing the eye.
You always have to wait at least half an hour before you can apply any gel after medicating to allow any treatment to be fully absorbed. Kim recommends to give the gel as often as possible, ideally up to 6 times in 24 hours.
Click to expand...
She is on Chloramphenicol eye drops.... And remend corneal repair gel 4 times a day
 
Get well soon Sparkle healing wheeks from the girls. An especially loud wheek from Rose who had a hay poke at the start of the year.
 
Veggies Galore said:
She is on Chloramphenicol eye drops.... And remend corneal repair gel 4 times a day
Click to expand...

Great - exactly what she needs! All the best for getting her through this!

I would still add the tear gel as it also works for any more deep seated infections where the drops reach only just beyond the surface, according to Kim Maddock.
 
Wiebke said:
Great - exactly what she needs! All the best for getting her through this!

I would still add the tear gel as it also works for any more deep seated infections where the drops reach only just beyond the surface, according to Kim Maddock.
Click to expand...
Will get some of these too 👍🏻
 
A very happy birthday to you Lisa. Sorry to read that Sparkle's eye has deteriorated again. I hope she gets better soon.

Personally, I would never leave my piggies unattended overnight as I would be too worried that they could become ill. Anyhow one of them is on twice daily medication so it would never really be an option.
 
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