eye

[puddlebuddy]

About 5 days ago I noticed that one of my guinea pigs eye was all swollen and pussy almost looked like she had no eye. I took her to the vet and they said it was a ulcer on her eye from something poking it. They put her on 5 different types a medication and said if it does not get better by this Wednesday she will need her eye removed. I really hope it gets better because i don't want to have her eye removed. Has anyone had this problem before?

[Kayleigh]

Im sorry to hear about Bailey. Sadly this does happen due to large pieces of jagged hay or straw. Hopefully the medications work. I know many guinea pigs who can cope very well with one eye if it comes down to it.

Let us know how Bailey gets on,

Kayleigh

[Orlaith]

I've had hay poke injuries with my pigs before and the eye has gone all white and weepy but there was no pus. The medication we were prescribed was Genticen drops (containing gentamycin) and LacriLube (a paraffin-based ointment) and they worked really well, but our pigs only had crapes on the surface of the eye. Perhaps your piggy got a worse poke than mine. As Kayleigh said, lots of pigs survive well without an eye and pigs don't see all that well anyway.

Also, did you or the vet ever get anything out of her eye? Is there a chance there's still something in there that's stopping the eye getting better?

[puddlebuddy]

this is what Bailey's eye looks like a week after it happened It does not look that much better since taking her to the vet and on medication. Does anyone know if this is what it would normally look like after something pokes there eye or is it bad that it wont heal and she will loose a eye

When I took her to the vet they did not find anything in the eye or pull anything out

[puddlebuddy]

I took Bailey to the vet again today and they said there as been no improvement since it happened. they wanted to just remove the eye but i want to keep trying with the drops. Does anyone know how long it could take to heal its been a week so far could it still heal with the drops. Its just to much money for the surgery and they said there is a chance she may not make it though surgery

[Kayleigh]

IF Bailey is in no pain and the eye isnt deteriorating then I would keep going with the drops. although if the drops arent working and the eye cannot be left then the only option would be surgery. How old is Bailey? How good is your vet? Have they performed surgery on many g.pigs?

Kayleigh

[puddlebuddy]

Bailey is in pain but the eye is not getting worse but its not getting better. The vet said i could use the drops for a month but there is no guarantee it would get better and in the end it would cost at lot of money to use the drops and have surgery. She is only 1 years old. There is not many vets here the deal with guinea pigs my friend has dealt with this vet before with her guinea pigs and she had no problem. I'm not to sure if they do alot of surgery on guinea pigs. They gave me different drops to try so i am just hoping this works now

[Orlaith]

Don't be afraid to ask questions of your vet. For example:

1. How many surgeries have they performed on guinea pigs?
2. What surgeries are most common? E.g. neutering.
3. Has your vet ever removed a guinea pig's eye before?
4. What is the survival rate of guinea pigs after surgery?
5. What post-op complications might you expect?
6. What anaesthetic do you use? (Isoflurane or sevoflurane are commonly used anaesthetics for piggies)
7. What facilities exist if you have an emergency with your pig after the operation? Is there a night-time number you can call?
8. What is the aftercare? Will your vet see Bailey in the 1-2 weeks following the operation? Is this appointment (and antibiotics required) included in the cost of the operation?

Just as a guide, when I got Xander neutered, the cost of the operation covered his operation and his follow-up appointment 10 days after his operation but I had to pay for the course of antibiotics separately. Xander also developed an abscess a few months after his operation and the vet didn't charge me for lancing and cleaning the abscess because it was connected to the operation, but again I did have to pay for his antibiotics.

So I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that at the very least, the follow-up appointment will be included in the cost of the operation. Be sure you're aware of all the costs.

[puddlebuddy]

The ulcer on baileys eye is not covering the whole eye anymore just the middle of the eye is that a sign that it is getting better or not?

[Kayleigh]

That does sound like it may be getting better. It could mean it may have moved though. Just keep going with the drops and see how the wee man goes.

[puddlebuddy]

Baileys eye looks alot better now there is a reddish mark in the middle and little whiteish but the eye looks like it is strinking is that bad I have to take her to the vet in 4 more days so will see what happens then

[puddlebuddy]

I took Bailey to the vet yesturday and his eye is completly healed She just has alittle bit of a head tilt but i am just so glad that her eye is better.

[Kayleigh]

thats great news

[Orlaith]

Yay!That's great that you didn't need to get the operation.

[puddlebuddy]

so now that baileys eye is good but now she has a head tilt the vet checked her ear and its not a ear infection they don't know what it was caused by she was on so many medications for the eye could it be caused by that has anyone had this problem before with there guinea pig?

[Kayleigh]

Ohh poor Bailey, Iv never heard of this problem, It could be a medical overdose but id like to think vets wouldnt allow this to happen. Has she had any knocks, fallen? Other than that i have no idea what could have happened.

[puddlebuddy]

So its been a few months now since Baileys eye problem and her eye ball has healed but when she closes her eye it stays shut so I have to take warm water and a cotton ball to it to open it When I get it open she got some dry crusty stuff around her eye lids. I just want her to be better she has not been the same since this whole thing happened. Will this problem just heal on its own or is this going to happen for the rest of her life.

[Orlaith]

I've noticed that my girl Hilda, who had an ulcerated cornea as well, hasn't been the same since that happened to her. She doesn't seem as affected as Bailey, but her eye is definitely not as strong as it was and a lot of the time she has it half-closed. It seems to come and go, she's fine for a while and then she looks like she's squinting at us. I'm not sure will it go away for her or Bailey, but if Bailey isn't distressed I wouldn't be too worried. You could always give your vet a call rather than bringing her over. The muscle might just need a bit of time to recover.

[tessie]

My Guinea pig may have an ulcerated eye. How much did the drops cost???