Laaaauren
Junior Guinea Pig
Hello,
One of my guinea pigs, Cookie, is suffering with an eye issue and until we see our exotics vet on Wednesday - which was the earliest appointment I could get - I don’t quite know what to do. She has been seen by two other vets but needless to say I was left very dissatisfied with both.
Last Monday I noticed that there was something wrong with my Cookie’s left eye. She has pea-eye in both eyes and I have even brought this up to vets before, but so far it hasn’t presented any issues. But her left lower eyelid seemed to have fallen further and the only way to describe it was as if the tissue around the eye was causing it to bulge. I immediately called the vets and was referred to the out-of-hours clinic as it was late in the evening.
I’ll keep it short, but essentially she was seen by one vet on Monday evening, and a checkup appointment with a different vet on Friday. Both only took a very cursory glance at her eye and I was the one to bring up the possibility of a hay poke with the vet on Monday, and that her left eye was bulging on Friday. The attitude from both vets seemed very nonchalant, almost “oh yeah” - not what you want to hear when you’re stressed about your pet’s health. They both believe it’s an ulcer, but their attitudes were not one of concern. There was more that upset me about these two visits but it would take a while to explain so I’ll leave it there!
Cookie’s eye seems to be going through phases of looking better, then going back to looking bad. At the minute her eye is cloudy, it’s squinting and she can’t seem to close it fully, it looks as if it’s bulging slightly and I can see a scratch on the surface of the eyeball. But because it felt like those two vets did not care much for the issue, I’m hesitant to book with anyone other than our exotics vet (who is absolutely fantastic). However, if I feel that Cookie is suffering I’ll absolutely do it.
I’ve continued using both the drops and anti-inflammatory meds as recommended, and so far she seems well enough in herself. She’s eating and drinking fine, she’s vocal for veg, and her weight has remained stable. I hate the thought of her suffering, but it seems pointless to see vets who don’t have experience with guinea pigs. I tried to take a picture but I can’t seem to get a clear image. As mentioned it seems to go back to normal for a time, but then reverts to how it was before.
I’m sort of at a loss. She’s acting normally and after a negative experience with those two vets I feel like I can only trust our exotics vet. But if Cookie is in pain or at risk of it getting worse I will absolutely take her regardless.
Should I continue monitoring her since only our exotics vet seems to be good with piggies? Or is it too risky to leave it? Any advice is appreciated!
One of my guinea pigs, Cookie, is suffering with an eye issue and until we see our exotics vet on Wednesday - which was the earliest appointment I could get - I don’t quite know what to do. She has been seen by two other vets but needless to say I was left very dissatisfied with both.
Last Monday I noticed that there was something wrong with my Cookie’s left eye. She has pea-eye in both eyes and I have even brought this up to vets before, but so far it hasn’t presented any issues. But her left lower eyelid seemed to have fallen further and the only way to describe it was as if the tissue around the eye was causing it to bulge. I immediately called the vets and was referred to the out-of-hours clinic as it was late in the evening.
I’ll keep it short, but essentially she was seen by one vet on Monday evening, and a checkup appointment with a different vet on Friday. Both only took a very cursory glance at her eye and I was the one to bring up the possibility of a hay poke with the vet on Monday, and that her left eye was bulging on Friday. The attitude from both vets seemed very nonchalant, almost “oh yeah” - not what you want to hear when you’re stressed about your pet’s health. They both believe it’s an ulcer, but their attitudes were not one of concern. There was more that upset me about these two visits but it would take a while to explain so I’ll leave it there!
Cookie’s eye seems to be going through phases of looking better, then going back to looking bad. At the minute her eye is cloudy, it’s squinting and she can’t seem to close it fully, it looks as if it’s bulging slightly and I can see a scratch on the surface of the eyeball. But because it felt like those two vets did not care much for the issue, I’m hesitant to book with anyone other than our exotics vet (who is absolutely fantastic). However, if I feel that Cookie is suffering I’ll absolutely do it.
I’ve continued using both the drops and anti-inflammatory meds as recommended, and so far she seems well enough in herself. She’s eating and drinking fine, she’s vocal for veg, and her weight has remained stable. I hate the thought of her suffering, but it seems pointless to see vets who don’t have experience with guinea pigs. I tried to take a picture but I can’t seem to get a clear image. As mentioned it seems to go back to normal for a time, but then reverts to how it was before.
I’m sort of at a loss. She’s acting normally and after a negative experience with those two vets I feel like I can only trust our exotics vet. But if Cookie is in pain or at risk of it getting worse I will absolutely take her regardless.
Should I continue monitoring her since only our exotics vet seems to be good with piggies? Or is it too risky to leave it? Any advice is appreciated!