Floating white spot in eye

[lexie]

Hello Everyone,

Another little pig has made its way to a rescue that has some medical issues. The boar is approx. 2 or 3 months old. They told me that he seems healthy with the exception that he has a white spot in one eye. They said that it isn't adhered to his eye; it floats and when they turn his head the spot also moves. They can't seem to tell if he's blind. They said that he doesn't respond when they hold their hand in front of him. For the present, they have placed him in with the little guy with the broken foot that I intend to adopt. If they are getting along I probably will take them both. I'm just curious if anyone has any thoughts on what the floating white spot might be & if there is a procedure to determine if the baby is blind or not. Thank you so much for all your help.

Lexie

[Dawn - Admin]

Hmmm it could be a blind spot but without seeing it I can't be sure. Where abouts in the eye is it? If it's at the bottom near the lid it could be fatty eye.

[lexie]

Thank you Dawn for replying. I called the rescue to check on him & my little broken foot baby. I left a message on their answering machine and as soon as they call me I'll post their answer. I just remember the comment that they had never seen anything like this before and when you turn the baby's head it also moves to a different position. They said that he doesn't seem to respond to any stimulus concerning his ability to see. I've all ready made my mind up that I want to adopt him. I'll take him to my vet once I get him home, but in the meantime I'm curious if anyone had ever experienced such an occurance with their pigs. Thanks again.

Lexie

[Dawn - Admin]

Very strange, I look forward to knowing what they think it is

[celia]

I cant think of anything this could be . I have a rabbit here who is blind in one eye , well i think its only one . Its very hard to tell if its both because it doesn't hold her back , she can follow my hand and voice . The reason i think its both eyes is because if you let her out for a run about she takes her time and noses everywhere first , but inside her cage she jumps about like any normal rabbit . My rabbit it a BEW nethie , after she was born her eye went cloudy and even with eye drops it stayed the same . It could just be an eye defect , result of inbreeding , infection that was not treated , its the same with my rabbit we just might never know . I hope all goes well with them both , and good luck with the adoption x

[lexie]

Hello Everyone,

I know it's been quite a while since I posted. The piggie is home with me now & has been examined & completed treatment by my vet. Unfortunately, the news isn't good. My vet feels that some kind of trauma happened to the pig before he was rescued, such as being dropped on stepped on. BOTH eyes have floating lenses very similar to a cataract condition. The vet also had his associate examine him before coming up with a diagnosis. He prescribed a round of steroids, then a round of Baytril. There has been no improvement in his condition. Last week I determined that he is also deaf. I have been in contact with my vet throughout this whole ordeal and bottom line is the vet feels there is no reason to put him down. He seems happy; eating & drinking well. I also adopted a baby texel so that he would have a buddy. The vet said as long as he is in a safe & protected enclosure he should do fine. My vet wants me to bring him in periodically so that he can check on his condition. The pig is a real sweetheart & I have absolutely no regrets in adopting him. I know I tried everything I could to help him & now will focus on giving him lots of love and attention. He loves to be held & touched. Thank you Dawn & Celia. I'll try to get some pics of him -- he's a real cutie.

Lexie

[piggyslave]

I'm so glad that this little piggy has found his way to you, as i am deaf i feel for him, but as he has lost his sight and hearing you may find that his sense of smell maybe heighten, as normally if you lose some senses others are heighten, he may also have a higher sense of taste. good luck to you both

[abby]

Your post is very touching Lexie, you sound like you're the perfect mum to him. For all his trials, he's a very lucky piggie :-)

[Dawn - Admin]

Oh I can't wait to see pics of the little guy I am glad he is happy at last with you and I bet he is much happier to have a little friend to share his life with

[celia]

Cant wait for pics :-) . It sounds like a similar problem i have with my blind rabbit , dont worry they know when you are there because they smell you

[lexie]

I'm amazed how independent he is. He does rely on his sense of smell a lot. I worry more about him being deaf than blind. I know I sometimes startle him when I walk in the room. I've made it a habit now to bang my foot on the floor so that he can feel the sensation. He loves to be held & cuddled. I wrap him in a blanket so that he can snuggle & be secure. He also loves the little Texel that I adopted for his buddy. I just sit & watch him; he was washing his face yesterday then took a big yawn & curled up next to the Texel. My main concern is that he remain happy & content. I took some pics which didn't turn out too well. He became totally disoriented & started to stress out. I'll probably post one just so everyone can see what a darling piggie he is. Thank you for all your kind words & concern.