Vet visit

[VanessaC]

I’m going to need to take Jed to the vet on monday as he had a piece of hay stuck in his eye, it’s slighty red and watery but doesn’t seem to be bothering him.
My question is though, should I take Zeb too for company? I think I read somewhere that when one guinea needs to see the vet then you should take them both as they get if they’re separated?
Thanks in advance

 

[VanessaC]

I’m going to need to take Jed to the vet on monday as he had a piece of hay stuck in his eye, it’s slighty red and watery but doesn’t seem to be bothering him.
My question is though, should I take Zeb too for company? I think I read somewhere that when one guinea needs to see the vet then you should take them both as they get scared if they’re separated?
Thanks in advance

 

[Hannah_xx]

I sometimes take one of the more outgoing piggies to the vet just to keep the more nervous quiet piggy company
Good luck, hope his eye isn’t too sore!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m going to need to take Jed to the vet on monday as he had a piece of hay stuck in his eye, it’s slighty red and watery but doesn’t seem to be bothering him.
My question is though, should I take Zeb too for company? I think I read somewhere that when one guinea needs to see the vet then you should take them both as they get if they’re separated?
Thanks in advance

Please don’t delay when it comes to eyes, please take him to an out of hours rather than wait. Eyes can deteriorate very quickly. It may not appear to be bothering him, but it will be scratching the eye and likely causing ulcers. He should be given a dye to check damage, antibiotic eye drops and a pain killer.

Yes, do take his friend. I don’t ever separate my two Boys. If one needs a vet, they both go

 

[VickiA]

Please don’t wait til Monday. I’m afraid eye injuries deteriorate so quickly.

 

[Claire W]

I also agree. He needs to see a vet ASAP and yes, do take them both for company

 

[alpacasqueak]

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Yes, if at all possible take a 'paw holding' companion with your ill piggy.

When it comes to eye injuries, the sooner you treat, the greater the chances of a full and straight forward recovery. Eye injuries deteriorate very quickly and the true extent of the damage can only be seen with a special die under UV light. The greater the risk of germs penetrating deeper into the eye, the harder to treat an infection is and the greater the risk of an eye removal operation if medical treatment can't get on top of it.

The good news is that with prompt treatment most hay pokes and ulcerations heal pretty quickly and without complications.
Medical treatment for eyes is the same for all pets, so you do not need to wait for a specialist to open. Any general vet should able to deal with it and have the appropriate medication (fucithalmic acid (brand names vary) or in severe cases chloramphenicol available).
Metacam as a painkiller and anti-inflammatory can help with the comfort in the first days.

I would also strongly recommend to get plain artificial tear gel from a pharmacy if they have it; it is longer lasting in its effect than plain artificial tear drops with no additives, but drops can also help if gel is not available. Hydration is very important as a support for the healing process and penetrates deeper than the antibiotics. My own piggy savvy vet always prescribes with any eye injury and I have noticed an improvement in the healing process of my own hay poke piggies since they have started to do so.
Apply 3-6 times a day and always wait at least half an hour to allow any eye medication to be absorbed.

 

[VanessaC]

Thanks all for your advice, after bathing and flushing it on the Saturday, by Sunday morning it looked so much better. I flushed it again a couple of times, then by Monday it was complete back to normal thankfully.