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Watery Eye

YvonneBlue

YvonneBlue

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So, i had Mavis at the vets (Ashleigh Vets, Chorlton) a couple of weeks ago as her eye was watery and i had noticed that Peggy would quite often lick it clean for her. We had some eye drops for a week but her eye didn't really get any better.

Today we have been to the vet again and she has had a good examination of her eyes and teeth, and her breathing checked, etc. The vet suspected a blocked tear duct and we stayed for 20 mins to see if the drops from her eyes would eventually leak out of nose, which they didn't. So blocked tear duct was diagnosed. We now have metacam for two weeks (dog metacam 0.8ml twice a day) just in case the blockage is caused by some inflammation/irritation.

The vet said that if this doesn't resolve the problem then there isn't really much they can do as unblocking tear ducts in such small animals is difficult and risky. He also said that it shouldn't cause Mavis any long term problems and isn't causing her any pain.

Mavis certainly seems happy enough in herself and is eating the same as usual and has not lost any weight.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of a blocked tear duct in their piggy or can offer any other advice.
 
My Hafina had blocked tear ducts as a result of an untreated massive eye infection before she was found dumped in full sun on a hot day on somebody's door step together with some other same breed sows (one of them actually a lactating sow). Thankfully the owner made an unplanned earlier return! Her bad eye infection could be cleared by the rescue she was handed into, but the tear duct issue could not be solved. I adopted her because she was unlikely to find a home between her unsightly eyes and her no longer being young but she was not in any way ill or in need of permanent vet care to warrant her becoming a sanctuary piggy.

Her eyes were regularly licked clean by her mates, but keep a closer eye on the eye because of a slightly increased risk of infection.

Hafina is the ginger in my old avatar where Telyn is performing exactly that eye cleaning service for her:
IMG_3229_edited-4.webp
 
Wiebke said:
My Hafina had blocked tear ducts as a result of an untreated massive eye infection before she was found dumped in full sun on a hot day on somebody's door step together with some other same breed sows (one of them actually a lactating sow). Thankfully the owner made an unplanned earlier return! Her bad eye infection could be cleared by the rescue she was handed into, but the tear duct issue could not be solved. I adopted her because she was unlikely to find a home between her unsightly eyes and her no longer being young but she was not in any way ill or in need of permanent vet care to warrant her becoming a sanctuary piggy.

Her eyes were regularly licked clean by her mates, but keep a closer eye on the eye because of a slightly increased risk of infection.

Hafina is the ginger in my old avatar where Telyn is performing exactly that eye cleaning service for her:
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Thanks @Wiebke. Your story makes me feel a lot happier about her long term prospects. I will see if the Metacam makes a difference but i'm not expecting it will. Her watery eye doesn't bother us and Mavis seems quite happy having it cleaned by Peggy. I will of course be vigilant and check that it doesn't get any worse or become infected.

The vet did say that there was a rough area on the surface of her eye probably scarring from a previous injury or infection (she is a rescue piggy so we don't know her history) so maybe this could be part of the cause of the blocked tear duct.
 
I've seen a couple of piggies with this issue and to be honest, as long as their eyes are regularly cleaned (just using some homemade saline in my case) although it looks troublesome, it's actually not too big of a deal as long as there is no infection. I quite like having a "quirky" piggy!
 
VickiA said:
I've seen a couple of piggies with this issue and to be honest, as long as their eyes are regularly cleaned (just using some homemade saline in my case) although it looks troublesome, it's actually not too big of a deal as long as there is no infection. I quite like having a "quirky" piggy!
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Thanks Vicki. My OH wears contacts so we always have saline solution in the house. Mavis seems totally unbothered by her eye, although she is still miffed with me about the visit to the vet. I've just put a pile of fresh grass from the garden in the cage so maybe I'll be forgiven now.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
What does your piggy weigh? That’s a very hefty metacam dose, if it’s the dog variety xx
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She weighs 1.3kg. I haven't given her any yet though. It is definitely dog Metacam as it says so on the box. Do you think this is too high. She isn't in any pain it is just acting as an anti-inflammatory.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I’ve never given a dose higher than 0.3 mls twice a day, to be honest. I’ve heard of 0.5 mls being prescribed but never higher.
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I will call them to check. Thanks for the advice, I don't want to give her an overdose.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I’ve never given a dose higher than 0.3 mls twice a day, to be honest. I’ve heard of 0.5 mls being prescribed but never higher.
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I have spoken to the vet Aiden Raftery and he says the dose is fine for a 1.3kg guinea pig. I also double checked that he knew it was dog Metacam. I am now a bit worried about giving her so much.
 
@YvonneBlue and @furryfriends (TEAS) I have also had 0.8mls dog metacam prescribed for a 1.3kg piggy for a short period. I don’t actually find that particularly alarming. In the short term it will do no harm both according to my own vets and by my own experience.
 
VickiA said:
@YvonneBlue and @furryfriends (TEAS) I have also had 0.8mls dog metacam prescribed for a 1.3kg piggy for a short period. I don’t actually find that particularly alarming. In the short term it will do no harm both according to my own vets and by my own experience.
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My concern is this piggy isn't in pain, so why is such a large dose given. I had a guinea pig arrive at TEAS a couple of years ago, who was peeing blood. He was on 1 ml of dog Metacam once per day. Simon immediately reduced it and the blood stopped. I have to say I have never given such a large dose, but I know the exotic specialists dose at 0.5 ml per kilo body weight, so you would still only be giving 0.75 ml for a 1.5 kg pig. Sorry if I have worried anyone, but I know my vet wouldn't give a dose that large, so was very shocked and worried it was a mistake, so felt I had to speak up.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
My concern is this piggy isn't in pain, so why is such a large dose given. I had a guinea pig arrive at TEAS a couple of years ago, who was peeing blood. He was on 1 ml of dog Metacam once per day. Simon immediately reduced it and the blood stopped. I have to say I have never given such a large dose, but I know the exotic specialists dose at 0.5 ml per kilo body weight, so you would still only be giving 0.75 ml for a 1.5 kg pig. Sorry if I have worried anyone, but I know my vet wouldn't give a dose that large, so was very shocked and worried it was a mistake, so felt I had to speak up.
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You make a very good point Debbie. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
I know my vets give big doses of metacam. I first became aware of it several years ago when I put my piggies into boarding and one was on Metacam. The animal hotel queried it first with me, then with my vets and then with their own. To me it was normal because that’s what my vets had always prescribed. I’m very aware from this forum that prescribing habits vary. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
 
I am so grateful for everyone's advice. I would always rather make a phone call to the vet to double check a dosage than risk harming my piggies by giving them an overdose. As we all know, vets can make mistakes.
 
I have never dealt with a blocked tear duct but my late Enoch had an untreated torn conjunctiva (before he came to me) he often had conjunctivitis and a watery eye which we had to give eye drops for but he was a happy little lad and his wives would keep it clean for him
 
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