Post by Dawn - Admin on Jun 28, 2006 10:24:51 GMT
Eye injuries.
The most common eye injury is the result of the guinea pig rooting around in the hay and getting poked in the eye by a piece of it. If you notice a guinea pig with a watering eye check the surface of the eye for any scoring. Obviously, also check at the same time to see if there is any foreign body in it. More often than not it is not until the eye goes opaque about a day after the injury that it is noticed and by this time the eye is well on the mend. A dab of Brolene eye ointment is recommend and the eye should be monitored for a few days of course.
Sometimes the eye can become very badly infected and bulge out of it's socket if it is not noticed and treated early. A huge ugly scab can form on it and it looks very inflamed. Even this can very effectively treated by antibiotic drops and injections. So long as the infection stays encapsulated within the eye ball and does not spread behind then the animal's life is not at hazard.
If the infection does get behind the eye then serious thought must be given to having the eye removed surgically, and very quickly indeed. The removal of an eye is the least risky of all operations. Everything depends of course on how quickly it is done or how far the infection has spread. Needless to say infections of this nature have to be dealt with by a vet
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis, which is basically inflamation of the white of the eye can be cause by bacteria or anything which can cause an allergic reaction. It can also be caused by a blocked tear duct.
As guinea pigs are so low to the ground it is important that whatever bedding they are on it is dust free. This is why sawdust or shavings are a no no, and in saying this I am going against what I stated in my 'Proper care of guinea pigs.' I can only say that eight years on I am older and wiser!.
The symptoms can be redness, discharge, and nearly always irritation which is usually made worseby the guinea pig scratching.
First check to make sure there is no foreign body, see Eye injury, the hay husk is the most likely, then treat as follows.
Towel wrap the guinea pig and lay it on it's side. Flush out the eye with Optrex eye wash a couple of times. I always use the small dropperbottles which make it easier to administer the wash. Follow this up by puttinga small dab of Brolene eye oinment in. This usually stops the irritation and consequently, the guinea pig from continuing to scratch.
Any ailment of the eye has to be carefully monitored and if an improvement is not seen within twenty four hours, or it becomes more inflamed then it is almost certainly to be a bacterial infection and a visit to a vet will be necessary for it will need an antibiotic, something like Chlormycetin. This seldom fails to succeed.
If the problem is caused by a blocked tear duct what looks like a discharge is nothing but the saline fluid which continually cleans the eyes. With the tear duct blocked, the fluid cannot drain away, internally, and overflows the bottom eyelid. This also sometimes causes the hair to fall out under the eye where the skin is constantly wet.
There is seldom the redness and the irritation is more likely to be in the area which has the hair loss.
Towel wrap, put a couple of drops of Optrex in the eye then massage just in front where the tear duct drains down into the nasal passage. Sometimes the guinea pig will snuffle or sneeze asthe blockage is cleared and the Optrex flushes through. Repeat the procedure a couple of times to make sure that any debris is properly cleared.
Source: www.oginet.com/pgurney
The most common eye injury is the result of the guinea pig rooting around in the hay and getting poked in the eye by a piece of it. If you notice a guinea pig with a watering eye check the surface of the eye for any scoring. Obviously, also check at the same time to see if there is any foreign body in it. More often than not it is not until the eye goes opaque about a day after the injury that it is noticed and by this time the eye is well on the mend. A dab of Brolene eye ointment is recommend and the eye should be monitored for a few days of course.
Sometimes the eye can become very badly infected and bulge out of it's socket if it is not noticed and treated early. A huge ugly scab can form on it and it looks very inflamed. Even this can very effectively treated by antibiotic drops and injections. So long as the infection stays encapsulated within the eye ball and does not spread behind then the animal's life is not at hazard.
If the infection does get behind the eye then serious thought must be given to having the eye removed surgically, and very quickly indeed. The removal of an eye is the least risky of all operations. Everything depends of course on how quickly it is done or how far the infection has spread. Needless to say infections of this nature have to be dealt with by a vet
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis, which is basically inflamation of the white of the eye can be cause by bacteria or anything which can cause an allergic reaction. It can also be caused by a blocked tear duct.
As guinea pigs are so low to the ground it is important that whatever bedding they are on it is dust free. This is why sawdust or shavings are a no no, and in saying this I am going against what I stated in my 'Proper care of guinea pigs.' I can only say that eight years on I am older and wiser!.
The symptoms can be redness, discharge, and nearly always irritation which is usually made worseby the guinea pig scratching.
First check to make sure there is no foreign body, see Eye injury, the hay husk is the most likely, then treat as follows.
Towel wrap the guinea pig and lay it on it's side. Flush out the eye with Optrex eye wash a couple of times. I always use the small dropperbottles which make it easier to administer the wash. Follow this up by puttinga small dab of Brolene eye oinment in. This usually stops the irritation and consequently, the guinea pig from continuing to scratch.
Any ailment of the eye has to be carefully monitored and if an improvement is not seen within twenty four hours, or it becomes more inflamed then it is almost certainly to be a bacterial infection and a visit to a vet will be necessary for it will need an antibiotic, something like Chlormycetin. This seldom fails to succeed.
If the problem is caused by a blocked tear duct what looks like a discharge is nothing but the saline fluid which continually cleans the eyes. With the tear duct blocked, the fluid cannot drain away, internally, and overflows the bottom eyelid. This also sometimes causes the hair to fall out under the eye where the skin is constantly wet.
There is seldom the redness and the irritation is more likely to be in the area which has the hair loss.
Towel wrap, put a couple of drops of Optrex in the eye then massage just in front where the tear duct drains down into the nasal passage. Sometimes the guinea pig will snuffle or sneeze asthe blockage is cleared and the Optrex flushes through. Repeat the procedure a couple of times to make sure that any debris is properly cleared.
Source: www.oginet.com/pgurney
poor bloke, I knew he was ill but I had no idea
