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Stanley's Eye

Helen82

Helen82

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I wondered if anybody can advise me on what to do for the best because I'm struggling to make a decision at the moment. Last Sunday about lunchtime I noticed that Stanley had a squinty, slightly watery eye so I took him to the out-of-hours vets. She couldn't find any hay in his eye but the dye showed that the upper third of his eye was ulcerated. He was prescribed Isathal twice a day for a week. I started with the eye drops on the Sunday and he had his last dose this teatime today. After a day or so he stopped squinting and it all seemed to be going fine (both he and Primrose have had haypokes before so we've all done this before). They even had a special tea today to celebrate the end of Stanley's treatment... Well - a couple of hours ago I thought his eye (the same eye) was looking a bit watery, and since then he's started closing it and squinting again. I've had a look and I can't see anything stuck in his eye (though obviously I'm not a qualified person) and I gave him another squirt of eye drops, in desperation really.

I'm not sure whether I need to (1) ring the out-of-hours vets again and take him tonight, bearing in mind the earliest we'd get there is half past midnight (and if there's nothing in the eye perhaps they'd just tell me to carry on with the Isathal). Or (2) should I go to bed now and see what he's like in the morning and if it's not better take him tomorrow at a more civilised hour. Or (3) if it looks better in the morning carry on with the Isathal and try and get him at the normal vet on Monday when it won't be so expensive.

Of course I want Stanley to be well and I will pay for any treatment he needs. It's just that it cost me £200 last Sunday (because it was a Sunday) and I'll be looking at least another £170 at the cheapest if I take him tonight or tomorrow. This is added on to the fact that my mobile phone has died, my vacuum cleaner has died, I'm now without a washing machine because it's part of the Hotpoint recall, added to which I'm full of cold, utterly exhausted, have got rather a heavy workload tomorrow and Monday...basically I'm frazzled and I don't know what to do. I don't want Stanley's eye to deteriorate but I'm just a bit wary of a trip to the out-of-hours vets only for them to not find anything stuck in his eye and just tell me to carry on longer with the eye drops and have to shell out all that money when I'd rather he was seen by his usual vet on Monday (that's if she's still working and not on Christmas holidays yet...) Help!
 
Just bumping this if anybody is reading - I know nobody on here is a qualified vet I'm just really tired and I'd welcome a bit of advice because I can't seem to think straight and make a decision. Really I just want to have a lie down in a darkened room and have a bit of a cry, but obviously I want Stanley to be okay.
 
I would go to the out of hours, just incase it end up he has to have his eye out because you decided not to. Its a tough one, because I don't really know. All the best 👍. I'm bout to go zzzzzzz
 
I would try and ask for advice over the phone first. Normaly a vet nurse will be on the phone line at night.
 
I know it’s tough and the money could do with being out towards something else, but I think I would take Stanley back to the vets. Or try and speak to them on the phone. Did his eye stop improving after you stopped the eye drops? And would you be able to get an appointment for Monday at your usual vet?
 
Thanks @Siikibam and thanks @SkyPipDotBernie for the kick up the backside! Just got back from the out-of-hours vets; the one I saw this time seemed rather more effective than the one I saw last weekend. When I got there Stanley's eye had opened but you could see it was starting to ulcerate again. At first the vet couldn't see anything in it but after giving him a general check over she had another look and there was a small piece of hay stuck under his eyelid. (I don't know whether this piece has been lurking all the time or whether he's just managed to get hay in the same eye twice in a week.) She took him out back to give him some local anaesthetic in his eye and got the bit out; also gave him an injection of painkiller. So we've got another week of Isathal and also to try to get in him in on Monday or poss Tuesday, if first choice vet is working those days, for a check-up. If not it'll have to be at second choice vets.

At least I now know that the hay is out and I'll be sending a little prayer to the hay fairy that he doesn't get any more in his eye (at least not for a while and please Stanley, if you must, can you do it on a Tuesday or something next time please). Primrose was not at all happy about having to go paw-holding so soon again and my poor little Stanley was weeing all over the table (and himself) at the vets. And now we'll all try and get some sleep!
 
Oh bless him. My Lily had an ulcerated eye that looked so bad my vet was preparing me for having it removed but the eyedrops worked fairly quickly, we just needed to continue for around 3 weeks for it to be fully healed. Sending healing wheeks to Stanley
 
Well done for trusting your instinct and getting the poor fellow checked again. It’s rotten luck getting a second hay poke on the same eye. Hope he’s soon feeling better.
 
Thanks @Lady Kelly and @VickiA - he's not exactly a happy chappy today, which is not surprising, but he's eating okay, just rather sore and tired I think. In fact they both seem to have been sleeping most of the day to make up for their early hours vet trip! Sadly their servant has had too much work on today to be able to have a nap!
 
Thank goodness you’re his mum and got it sorted quickly. Get well soon Mister Stanley. It’s almost Christmas and there may be a treat or two in store .
 
Poor Stanley, dont these piggies have the worst timing getting ill and injured! Great job getting him to the vet so fast though, sooner is always better with delicate eyes! Healing wheeks for Stanley and a super-piggy-mummy-medal for you x
 
Yay to the slave 🎉 YOU did it we just gave you a nudge ☺️ Perhaps the hay was there when you took him first time. Glad it’s been spotted. Now to get better Stanley. Healing wheeks 😘
 
Thanks all for your nice messages! I've got another decision to make now, as I've just rung up the practice that my preferred vet works at and she's not in today or tomorrow, but she is in on Friday. Stanley seems perkier this morning and his eye is open and non-blinking, though I can still see his ulcer. Do I wait until Friday when I know he will be examined by an expert who is a specific guinea pig vet, or do I just take him to see a general vet today? (I was thinking maybe if I waited til Friday than I could also book a general health check for both Stanley and Primrose aswell, but will that be too long to wait for a vet to have a check-up of his eye?) It's tough being the sole decision-maker! Also the first out-of-hours vet wouldn't give me any pain relief as she said it inhibited the effectiveness of the eye drops (…) but Stanley seemed okay, the second out-of-hours vet I saw gave him a pain relief injection in the early hours of Sunday morning, but does he need some Metacam/Loxicom now? I can't now remember if Primrose had some when she had her haypoke in August, but I think Stanley did when he had his previous haypoke in February. I had a bit of a chat on the phone with the lady at the vets and she's going to ask someone else and ring me back, but I'm just trying to gather my thoughts and work out what to do for the best!
 
I usually go back a couple of days after an eye injury just to check that the ulcer is healing satisfactorily and that the drops are working and don’t need changing or anything else adding. A general vet can do this just as well as the exotics vet. I’ll be honest, I worry so much about eye injuries I wouldn’t want to wait until Friday for a check.
 
I think seeing a general vet would be the best thing rather than waiting for Friday.
You can always ask if the specialist wants to see him on Friday as well. By then he would have had almost a weeks worth of drops so you would hopefully be seeing some improvement (particularly given the offending hay piece was only removed yesterday)
 
Thanks @VickiA and @Piggies&buns - after changing my mind a couple of times I have now got Stanley booked in with a general vet today to check his eye and potentially sort out any painkiller, and then I've got both guinea pigs booked in with the specialist vet on Saturday for a general health check and a follow up for Stanley. Hopefully this will keep us on top of everything over Christmas!
 
Helen82 said:
Thanks @VickiA and @Piggies&buns - after changing my mind a couple of times I have now got Stanley booked in with a general vet today to check his eye and potentially sort out any painkiller, and then I've got both guinea pigs booked in with the specialist vet on Saturday for a general health check and a follow up for Stanley. Hopefully this will keep us on top of everything over Christmas!
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I think this is definitely the right call. let us know how you get on
 
I think you have made the right decision. You could always ask the general vet to check that you have enough of the eye drops until your next appointment and to prescribe some pain relief to keep you ticking over. Lily was prescribed metacam alongside her eye drops but that was the beginning of this year and I was going through a traumatic experience myself so I can't for the life of me remember what eye drops she was prescribed
 
Definitely a good decision, at this time of year a vet check before Christmas and a vet check after will both set your mind at rest and hopefully avoid a giant out of hours emergency vet bill- our emergency vet prices start at a £200 minimum consultation charge on Christmas day, so if you can get an appointment tomorrow much better! X
 
Good call. Hopefully by Saturday Stanley’s eye would have improved some.
 
Thanks all! I got another tube of eye drops at the out-of-hours vets on the weekend @Lady Kelly as when I am trying to get some into Stanley's eye it usually starts off on his face or on my sleeve first! But I got an extra tube so we should be okay!
 
We've been to the vets this evening and thankfully it looks like his ulcer has already reduced in size, so it looks like the Isathal is working its magic. I got some Loxicom just in case - the vet said she didn't think he was bothered by it, but I thought I would get some in reserve if needed. So good news, though there was a terrible moment when Stanley nearly succeeded in making a bid for freedom from the examining table :yikes: Hopefully all will be well over Christmas 🤞 and then they'll both have a health check on Saturday with the specialist vet.

It was funny when I arrived at the vets: I'd put a towel in to line their carrier and I just checked they were okay before we went in...all there was was a towel but with two suspiciously guinea pig-shaped bumps underneath it! They're not exactly masters of disguise!
 
Helen82 said:
We've been to the vets this evening and thankfully it looks like his ulcer has already reduced in size, so it looks like the Isathal is working its magic. I got some Loxicom just in case - the vet said she didn't think he was bothered by it, but I thought I would get some in reserve if needed. So good news, though there was a terrible moment when Stanley nearly succeeded in making a bid for freedom from the examining table :yikes: Hopefully all will be well over Christmas 🤞 and then they'll both have a health check on Saturday with the specialist vet.

It was funny when I arrived at the vets: I'd put a towel in to line their carrier and I just checked they were okay before we went in...all there was was a towel but with two suspiciously guinea pig-shaped bumps underneath it! They're not exactly masters of disguise!
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Great news that the ulcer has already reduced in size. Sounds like you have this well under control x
 
Great news! They always find the least convenient time to get ill. I remember a Christmas eve dash to the vets for a very minor issue before it potentially got hugely expensive. No treatment needed but you never know.
 
Just to update - been to see their usual vet this morning and Stanley's eye has now healed up and no more drops required! They've also both had thorough health checks and are fine; Primrose has lost a little bit of weight but as she is in good health otherwise and still a healthy weight it's not really a cause for concern.
 
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