Think my derek is losing his sight

[amber horner]

Hi all my gorgeous boy Derek is 2 1/2 yrs old and I think he's losing his sight. He's bumping into everything and when I call his name he looks in the opposite direction I have to put my hand on the floor near him so he can smell me then he turns his head towards me. I'm taking him to the vets to get him checked out but does anyone have advice on how I can help him if he is losing his sight my poor baby x

 

[Hetja]

I have had a blind piggie some years ago. We tried to avoid moving the things around as good as possible and she stayed more ore less in the same are of the cage. One of her cage mates helped her a lot and guided her back to her spot when she got lost. She really pushed her in the right direction until she realized where she was.
It will probably take one or two weeks until he learns how to move around in the cage and use his whiskers.

 

[amber horner]

Thank you I'm going to make his pen more open plan for him his buddy Dave is being very good with him so far he waits for him when they come out for floor time really hope he isn't losing his sight but I think he is x

 

[Merab]

I have a blind piggy.
Merab has cataracts and copes very well.
She can get in and out the cage and still wanders around but not so far these days.
She moves more slowly ( but she is nearly 6)
She does play on her blindness to ensure I put veggies right under her nose so she doesn’t have to move for them.

 

[helen105281]

My Dulcie also had cataracts which came on very suddenly. Can you see anything on his eye? with her I thought she had an ulcer at first but the vet diagnosed cataracts. We used to try to keep her cage the same layout as much as possible and she did adjust very well as long as she was within her comfort zone. Their sight isn't great anyway so they do tend to adjust quickly. Do you think it is a sudden development?

 

[amber horner]

Yeah I think it has come on suddenly poor Derek all your words have given me much encouragement that he will still have a happy life thank you all x

 

[Reenie]

I fostered a couple of blind piggies and frankly, you would never have known - except that you had to be extra careful when handling them, as they couldn't see to know not to jump away when they were being carried. Piggies sight is not their primary sense - they go more by smell and hearing, so they tend to cope very well.

 

[DM030819]

@amber horner It's good that you're getting him checked over, just in case. Unless there's something obvious on his eye(s) then I wonder if it could be something neurological instead.

Sight isn't the most important thing to pigs. I have a foster pig who is a lethal and he can't see. It doesn't bother him at all. In fact when him and his cagemate are having floor time he's the more active one dashing around and sniffing things.

 

[amber horner]

I've looked in his eyes and I can't see anything there's not cloudiness in his eyes his eyes look clear but he's still bumping into things and turns his head the wrong way when I call him x