4th hay poke of the year, 2nd for addy since july 😵‍💫

[Emx93]

There is nothing worse than waking up at 2am to discover Addy has hay stuck under her eyelid this is Addys second since July! I went years without a hay poke and so far this year we've had Sally with a bad haypoke, Vanilla with haypoke and this is addys second haypoke! We've got some chloramphenicol drops and metacam (dog) from the vet and I still have some remend drops in too but is there anyway to reduce the haypokes. Its awfully worrying when it happens and it was a rather large piece of hay the vet pulled out

 

[Merab]

Hope the eye heals quickly with the drops

 

[Claire W]

Aw poor Addy I hope her eye heals fast

I once had 3 hay pokes in the space of a month two to the same piggy x

 

[Emx93]

Aw poor Addy I hope her eye heals fast

I once had 3 hay pokes in the space of a month two to the same piggy x

Thankyou sorry to hear about your haypoke disasters too! I always worry with eyes

 

[piggieminder]

It's lovely to see you again but I am so sorry about the circumstances. Poor Addy and poor you! I wish I knew how to reduce the number of hay pokes but sadly I don't. I hope the eye clears up quickly.

 

[Emx93]

It's lovely to see you again but I am so sorry about the circumstances. Poor Addy and poor you! I wish I knew how to reduce the number of hay pokes but sadly I don't. I hope the eye clears up quickly.

Full time 12h shifts, 3 kids and 10 Pets don't leave much time for online scrolling anymore I wish I knew too! I've had the odd haypoke before but this year has been haypoke central fingers crossed for little miss addys eye to heal quickly

 

[piggieminder]

You do sound busy. I can understand why we don't see you so often! We had 2 hay pokes (different piggies, different cages) in the same week last year. One rescue boar had only been here a couple of weeks!

 

[Wiebke]

There is nothing worse than waking up at 2am to discover Addy has hay stuck under her eyelid this is Addys second since July! I went years without a hay poke and so far this year we've had Sally with a bad haypoke, Vanilla with haypoke and this is addys second haypoke! We've got some chloramphenicol drops and metacam (dog) from the vet and I still have some remend drops in too but is there anyway to reduce the haypokes. Its awfully worrying when it happens and it was a rather large piece of hay the vet pulled out
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I feel for you.

My vets started looking funnily at me when I turned up with my 8th case in less than a year. Some piggies who like to jump into their hay or have cataracts (or the beginnings of) or more loosely fitting eyelids can be more prone to them.

 

[Emx93]

I feel for you.

My vets started looking funnily at me when I turned up with my 8th case in less than a year. Some piggies who like to jump into their hay or have cataracts (or the beginnings of) or more loosely fitting lids can be more prone to them.

I don't think she has cataracts but she is approaching 5 and does like to jump into hay I'm sorry about your 8 cases, I thought 4 was bad I cant imagine 8 she was such a good girl at the vets though, I was super proud of her as my once most skittish rescue pig she really has come on so much in confidence she was so very patient with the vet and it must've hurt I deliberately only order soft timothy hay or orchard grass hay but this seems to be a big seed head that had somehow gone under her eyelid I've ordered some hay feeder bags but I don't want to stop using big piles really as they enjoy it so much they just make me nervous with their eyes now

 

[Wiebke]

I don't think she has cataracts but she is approaching 5 and does like to jump into hay I'm sorry about your 8 cases, I thought 4 was bad I cant imagine 8 she was such a good girl at the vets though, I was super proud of her as my once most skittish rescue pig she really has come on so much in confidence she was so very patient with the vet and it must've hurt I deliberately only order soft timothy hay or orchard grass hay but this seems to be a big seed head that had somehow gone under her eyelid I've ordered some hay feeder bags but I don't want to stop using big piles really as they enjoy it so much they just make me nervous with their eyes now

I am already up to 4 this year as well, if it is any consolation. As long as I can step in promptly, most can be stopped in their tracks before they can really deteriorate and take lots of care.

Last year Dryw managed to get two pokes, one in each eye, within a day of each other.

 

[Emx93]

I am already up to 4 this year as well, if it is any consolation. As long as I can step in promptly, most can be stopped in their tracks before they can really deteriorate and take lots of care.

Last year Dryw managed to get two pokes, one in each eye, within a day of each other.

Ouch! My rainbow bridge marshmallow hay poked both eyes in the carrier on the way home from removing a massive abcess once that was my worst hay poke before this year sallys this year was possibly the worst looking prompting a Sunday evening trip to the emergency vets but my hammie charmander passed during recovery from eye removal surgery so I always get a little anxious when it comes to eyes xx

 

[Storm1974]

We've never had this issue (In this first year that we've been owning piggies) luckily, think it's because the hay is so soft, plus the OH always goes through it and removes any long hard stalks before he gives it to them!

Hope her eye gets better soon!

 

[poopie]

I have two 4 year old piggies, and have never had hay poke ever. I place the hay in a large ceramic dog bowl and top up as needed. I have not seen my piggies close their eyes, so it is necessary to avoid a hay pile that they dive into to avoid scratches and bits of loose hay going under the eyelid. I hope your piggies eye heals up quickly.

 

[RosieLily]

Hoping for a quick healing!

My Rosie dives head first into her tray and builds magnificent hay tunnels, I’m so lucky for not having had to deal with hay pokes :’)

 

[Ramia]

My Stripe got a a hay poke on the way to the vet but he got the all clear the other day. Took his drops like a champ.

 

[Wiebke]

I have two 4 year old piggies, and have never had hay poke ever. I place the hay in a large ceramic dog bowl and top up as needed. I have not seen my piggies close their eyes, so it is necessary to avoid a hay pile that they dive into to avoid scratches and bits of loose hay going under the eyelid. I hope your piggies eye heals up quickly.

The problem is that hay makes over three quarters of what guinea pigs eat in a day and that diving, playing and sleeping in hay is an important enrichment activity. Guinea pigs have evolved denning in little tunnels in thick undergrowth; burrowing in hay goes very deep down in terms of instinctive comfort and safety. They do not dig into the soil but this instinct of being coccooned in insulating vegetation is still very much alive even after thousands of years of domestication.

I buy soft meadow hay but the quality varies and - as stated - some piggies are more prone to injuries. The hours of enjoyment and comfort that my hay trays give my current and have given my past piggies in comparison to the number of hay pokes over several decades is very much worth it. None of my piggies has ever lost an eye or their sight because of that vital enrichment.

 

[poopie]

The problem is that hay makes over three quarters of what guinea pigs eat in a day and that diving, playing and sleeping in hay is an important enrichment activity. Guinea pigs have evolved denning in little tunnels in thick undergrowth; burrowing in hay goes very deep down in terms of instinctive comfort and safety. They do not dig into the soil but this instinct of being coccooned in insulating vegetation is still very much alive even after thousands of years of domestication.

I buy soft meadow hay but the quality varies and - as stated - some piggies are more prone to injuries. The hours of enjoyment and comfort that my hay trays give my current and have given my past piggies in comparison to the number of hay pokes over several decades is very much worth it. None of my piggies has ever lost an eye or their sight because of that vital enrichment.

I guess it is up to each owner to determine what is the best way to care for their piggies. My piggies eat a huge amount of hay and are a good healthy weight. Being older, they dont want to dive or play , prefering to nap or eat. They have a wooden hide to den in and are very content and happy. I wanted to post my experience in avoiding haypoke as many owners seem to post with this problem which causes much pain for their sweet piggies.

 

[VickiA]

Oh goodness what rotten luck! I hate hay pokes. I’m dead squeamish with eyes and they look so dramatic. Hope that the eye heals quickly.