Bulging/protruding eye

[Lennyandrupert]

About 5 weeks ago, Lenny didn’t seem himself, was eating really slowly, got head tilt and unnoticed his eye was slightly bulging. I took him to the vets, he was treated for an ear infection, he slightly improved but not 100% so he went to an exotic vets.

They did X-rays which looked okay, and also trimmed his teeth. He recovered well, carried on with meds and since then has been eating as normal so I don’t think his teeth are bothering him anymore but his eye continued to get worse, he’s been on loxicom, metronidazole and baytril but I was told to stop his meds on Monday. They’re now wondering if he has an abscess behind his eye, but it’s been 5 weeks now and they’re still not 100% what’s going on. They suggested having a CT scan, but also said if it was an abscess it would have shown on the X-ray so I’m not too sure what’s going on!

I’m thinking of going to a different exotic vets for a second opinion

Has anyone had anything similar happen with their piggy? I’m not sure what to expect and really worried

I’ve attached some pics - it varies between looking worse and then looking better. (The Birds Eye view and front on are from today)

Thank you!

 

[Siikibam]

Sorry to hear about your boys illness. What did the first exotics suggest in terms of moving forward if it’s an abscess? You could get a second opinion if you want, it’s entirely up to you.

Hope your boy will be sorted soon.

 

[Lennyandrupert]

Sorry to hear about your boys illness. What did the first exotics suggest in terms of moving forward if it’s an abscess? You could get a second opinion if you want, it’s entirely up to you.

Hope your boy will be sorted soon.

They said if it’s behind the eye then his eye might need removing, in order to get to the abscess - but he’s still got sight in that eye so that would be last resort! They also suggested he may need his teeth removing, but I’m still a bit confused about how that would help and wouldn’t want him to go through that and then further down the line need his eye removing too!

Thank you

 

[Swissgreys]

Honestly I wold seek a second opinion at this point.
If a vet suggests removing teeth without hard evidence that this is necessary the that seems like quite a drastic action!

Was the vet you saw on the Forum list of approved vets?
Sometimes vets that are described as exotic specialists still might not see many guinea pigs.

I would take a look at the list of recommended vets and see if you can get an appointment with one of them.
Good luck - your boy is very beautiful.

 

[Claire W]

I am very sorry that your boy isn’t well Please don’t let the vet extract his teeth. My Ella ‘may’ need an incisor tooth root removing but my vet has said that as being the worst, worst, worst case scenario and explained that removing teeth really is a very last resort as it’s a tricky op for a guinea pig. Please do seek a second

 

[Lennyandrupert]

Honestly I wold seek a second opinion at this point.
If a vet suggests removing teeth without hard evidence that this is necessary the that seems like quite a drastic action!

Was the vet you saw on the Forum list of approved vets?
Sometimes vets that are described as exotic specialists still might not see many guinea pigs.

I would take a look at the list of recommended vets and see if you can get an appointment with one of them.
Good luck - your boy is very beautiful.

That’s my thought too! I don’t want them to remove his teeth to see if it will help - I don’t want Lenny to go through that and it not be the answer!

Ahh I haven’t had a look at the approved vets, I’ll have a look now - thank you!

My friend suggested a vet who she said is amazing with piggies and managed to just remove her pigs toe when she had cancer, where as every other vet wanted to amputate the whole foot so I’ll see if he’s on the list!

Thanks so much

 

[Lennyandrupert]

I am very sorry that your boy isn’t well Please don’t let the vet extract his teeth. My Ella ‘may’ need an incisor tooth root removing but my vet has said that as being the worst, worst, worst case scenario and explained that removing teeth really is a very last resort as it’s a tricky op for a guinea pig. Please do seek a second

Thank you for your reply it does seem strange about the teeth, like you said I want that to be the absolute last resort but it seems like it might be their next plan. He’s eating/ wheeking as normal and seems happy other than his eye so I don’t want to put him through that unnecessarily! His weight is fluctuating a bit, but he’s around 1140g at the moment which is quite normal for him!

 

[Claire W]

Thank you for your reply it does seem strange about the teeth, like you said I want that to be the absolute last resort but it seems like it might be their next plan. He’s eating/ wheeking as normal and seems happy other than his eye so I don’t want to put him through that unnecessarily! His weight is fluctuating a bit, but he’s around 1140g at the moment which is quite normal for him!

Aw bless him. @furryfriends (TEAS) has lots of experience with abscesses behind the eye and she runs a sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental issues but I’m pretty sure she’ll say the teeth won’t need removing. I’m sure she’ll reply now I’ve tagged her so hold fire x

 

[Lennyandrupert]

Aw bless him. @furryfriends (TEAS) has lots of experience with abscesses behind the eye and she runs a sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental issues but I’m pretty sure she’ll say the teeth won’t need removing. I’m sure she’ll reply now I’ve tagged her so hold fire x

Thanks so much that sounds great. I’ve also called my vets this morning who are going to refer me to a different exotic vets. Poor boy, just want answers for him! X

 

[Claire W]

Good luck but I would definitely mention the possibility of an abscess behind the eye x

 

[Wiebke]

Hi
A retrobulbar abscess (i.e. an abscess sitting behind the eyeball) seems to be the most common cause for a bulging eye in guinea pigs and should always be taken into consideration. All the best with your referral and the examination!

 

[Lennyandrupert]

After his eye looking better, it’s turned really bad this morning and he’s got a head tilt the exotic vet can’t see him until tomorrow morning, so I’ve given him baytril, loxicom and CC for now. We’re seeing a different vet tomorrow for a second opinion, so hopefully we will get answers and Lenny can be on the mend soon

 

[Wiebke]

After his eye looking better, it’s turned really bad this morning and he’s got a head tilt the exotic vet can’t see him until tomorrow morning, so I’ve given him baytril, loxicom and CC for now. We’re seeing a different vet tomorrow for a second opinion, so hopefully we will get answers and Lenny can be on the mend soon

Fingers very firmly crossed.

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck tomorrow. I hope you get some answers and a plan of action for Lenny

 

[Siikibam]

All the best for tomorrow. I hope they can do something to help him.

 

[Bill & Ted]

good luck for tomorrow poor little man

 

[Merab]

Holding you in my heart

 

[Wheekallweek]

Good luck to you and Lenny for tomorrow. If it helps my Larry had an eye removed at about a year old, although it wasn't anything to do with an abscess. Simon and Kim at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton did it and honestly he did so well, you wouldn't have even known he'd had major surgery when he got home

 

[Claire W]

All the best at the vets. I hope you get some answers x

 

[Ginger&Charlieboo]

Looks kind of. Like pea eye my guinea pig has pea eye but don't mark my word on it I'm not a vet.

 

[Lennyandrupert]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies and well wishes it looks so sore now - bless him been up all night with worry. Our appointment is in an hour so I’ll let you know the plan of action! We’re seeing Gianluca at Seers Croft in Horsham x

 

[Lennyandrupert]

Good luck to you and Lenny for tomorrow. If it helps my Larry had an eye removed at about a year old, although it wasn't anything to do with an abscess. Simon and Kim at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton did it and honestly he did so well, you wouldn't have even known he'd had major surgery when he got home

Thank you aww that’s amazing to know. I’m so worried at the thought of the surgery, but he’s still young and seems strong enough so fingers crossed xx

 

[Merab]

Hope all went well this morning

 

[Lennyandrupert]

The vet was so great, so knowledgeable and he spent a full hour with us explaining everything properly. My previous vet was meant to send over his X-ray to the new vet, but didn’t so he had to go in blind! The first thing he did was take some tweezers and started peeling away a layer of Lenny’s eye! I had to look away, but instantly it looked better - he said that it’s not his eye ball, it’s his eyelid which was inflamed and pussing. The confidence he must have to be able to do that he said that he’s sure there is a growth in his head somewhere, he’s just not sure whether it’s behind his eye/jaw/ears/mouth etc. But he said that removing his teeth will be an absolute last resort - which is refreshing to hear as my last vet wanted to remove them just to see if it helped..

He’s booked in next Wednesday morning for a CT scan. He’s going to call me as soon as it’s finished so he can explain what he’s found, but he’s expecting to perform surgery straight after. He’s given Lenny some more antibiotics and painkillers for the time being, so I just need to keep him as comfortable as possible for the next week, and keep giving him as much critical care as he can take

I’m really nervous about the next week, and the procedure, but I’m feeling like such a weight off my shoulders now that I have trust in a vet. I’m so glad I got a second opinion now!

His name is Gianluca at Seers Croft in Horsham if anyone is interested xx

 

[Siikibam]

The vet was so great, so knowledgeable and he spent a full hour with us explaining everything properly. My previous vet was meant to send over his X-ray to the new vet, but didn’t so he had to go in blind! The first thing he did was take some tweezers and started peeling away a layer of Lenny’s eye! I had to look away, but instantly it looked better - he said that it’s not his eye ball, it’s his eyelid which was inflamed and pussing. The confidence he must have to be able to do that he said that he’s sure there is a growth in his head somewhere, he’s just not sure whether it’s behind his eye/jaw/ears/mouth etc. But he said that removing his teeth will be an absolute last resort - which is refreshing to hear as my last vet wanted to remove them just to see if it helped..

He’s booked in next Wednesday morning for a CT scan. He’s going to call me as soon as it’s finished so he can explain what he’s found, but he’s expecting to perform surgery straight after. He’s given Lenny some more antibiotics and painkillers for the time being, so I just need to keep him as comfortable as possible for the next week, and keep giving him as much critical care as he can take

I’m really nervous about the next week, and the procedure, but I’m feeling like such a weight off my shoulders now that I have trust in a vet. I’m so glad I got a second opinion now!

His name is Gianluca at Seers Croft in Horsham if anyone is interested xx

I am so glad it was a thorough appointment and they sound quite well versed. All the best for next week. Of course you will feel nervous about the procedure. When you have an experienced and supportive vet who talks you through everything, I think that’s the biggest help indeed.

Well done to your boy for tolerating all that poking and prodding. Hopefully next week will see him improving

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so pleased to hear the vet was so good. It’s such a relief and also means Lenny will be in great hands for the operation and after care. I really hope it’s something easily fixable

Good luck.

 

[Bill & Ted]

It such a relief when you feel confident after finding a good vet that knows what they are doing. Hope everything goes well for your little man’s CT scan next week and whatever the problem is can be easily fixed

 

[Merab]

So pleased that your second vet opinion has been so good.
Will be holding you in my heart next week

 

[Lennyandrupert]

Lenny update

He had his CT scan which has confirmed it was nothing dental. However, it’s shown that his left tooth is in contact with this eye slightly which he said would be causing the issue and the abscess.

Although Lenny has gained a bit of weight, he said he’s not confident performing the surgery today as he’s still quite weak. As he’s reacting to baytril so well he wants to leave it a few weeks of him on baytril so we can shrink it as much as possible and try and get his weight over 1.2kg so he’s a bit stronger.

He said he will definitely need his eye removing to remove the abscess I feel weird as I really wanted to start the process today, but also grateful that he was honest about needing Lenny in better health first as I wouldn’t want to take any risks. But at least we know now what the surgery will be and can prepare for that x

 

[weepweeps]

I’m pleased you now have a plan of action. Hope Lenny perks up soon and the operation goes well.