Cataracts Starting

[katew]

I would really appreciate any advice on this.

Our little problem piggy, Valentina, came back from her holiday stay with something in her eye. We went to the vets and luckily it was just something on her eyeball and not a hay poke. However, the vet noticed the very early signs of cataracts in both eyes. She said this could be genetic or due to diabetes.

Valentina is only 18 months old. We got her from a breeder (never again) and we have had a range of behavioural and health issues with her, so another problem wouldn't surprise me - I think she may be quite inbred.

I will use the technique discussed on the site for getting a urine sample and get her sugar levels tested but this may take a bit of time as she is a stressed piglet and can be hard to handle. I will also look at adjusting diet just in case.

The only other diabetes symptom she may have is a very soggy bottom but she is a long hair and not good at grooming. We haven't noticed her drinking more than normal.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of this? My gut feeling is that she doesn't have diabetes and the cataracts are just bad luck. I was also wondering how long cataracts take to develop.

Thanks

 

[Freela]

One of our pigs developed cataracts due to age. She went through a period of time where it was obvious that she didn't see well- she had trouble judging distance and lacked confidence climbing ramps, getting in and out of the cage, etc. However, as she lost more vision she adapted and led a normal life for the rest of her days (she probably went blind around 5 or so and lived to be a couple months short of 7, so she had cataracts for a good long time.) She did benefit from having a sighted companion who she seemed to follow around quite a bit. It's unfortunate if she develops cataracts so young, but at the same time pigs rely on scent and hearing more than sight, and you will probably be amazed how well she adapts to her declining vision.

 

[katew]

Thank you - that is very reassuring.

Valentina is in with another piggy and she follows him around a lot anyway so I imagine he will help her out. Fingers crossed it will be while before they develop.

 

[VickiA]

I haven't had any cataract piggies but @Wiebke has so I've tagged her for you. Sure she will be along sometime today.

 

[Toffee321]

two of my guinea pigs toffee and cutie, aged 8 and 7 have cataracts. Toffee can hardly see at all.

 

[Wiebke]

I would really appreciate any advice on this.

Our little problem piggy, Valentina, came back from her holiday stay with something in her eye. We went to the vets and luckily it was just something on her eyeball and not a hay poke. However, the vet noticed the very early signs of cataracts in both eyes. She said this could be genetic or due to diabetes.

Valentina is only 18 months old. We got her from a breeder (never again) and we have had a range of behavioural and health issues with her, so another problem wouldn't surprise me - I think she may be quite inbred.

I will use the technique discussed on the site for getting a urine sample and get her sugar levels tested but this may take a bit of time as she is a stressed piglet and can be hard to handle. I will also look at adjusting diet just in case.

The only other diabetes symptom she may have is a very soggy bottom but she is a long hair and not good at grooming. We haven't noticed her drinking more than normal.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of this? My gut feeling is that she doesn't have diabetes and the cataracts are just bad luck. I was also wondering how long cataracts take to develop.

Thanks

Hi!

Please do not worry too much about the diabetes angle; it is actually pretty rare and usually connected with suddenly and sustained increased drinking and weight loss. Guinea pig shave naturally high glucosamine in their urine. There has been a time just after diabetes became more regocnised as a health issue that guinea pigs can get where it became over-diagnosed. Generally the rule is that cataracts as the result of diabetes only come into play if there are noticeable symptoms. Mild to medium diabetes is mostly controlled with a grain-free (pellets!), fruit and starchy/sugary root veg-free diet.

Congenital cataracts typically manifest in the second year of a piggy's life. They are the ones that a guinea pig is born with the disposition to develop. At the extreme, a baby can already be born with developed congenital cataracts. The onset and development can vary massively. Some develop very quickly within a matter of weeks, others do so slowly over the course of months or even years.

The transition period, especially with fast developing cataracts, is the most difficult as the other senses have not yet had time to compensate. This process is much more gradual with slow developing cataracts.
Sight is thankfully the weakest sense that guinea pigs have; which means that they can lead a perfectly normal, enriched life with free roaming, lawn trips, shallow ramps and furniture changes. Don't make the mistake of wrapping cataract piggy in cotton wool. The more you challenge it to keep up with its seeing mates, the more quality of life it is ultimately going to have!
Sense of smell is very important; my fully blind cataract piggies did follow their own or other piggies' scent spoors. Materials that hold scent well can help. I have for instance double-taped old carpet cut-offs onto ramps for good grip and its scent holding qualities and never had any accidents with my cataract piggies using them. We had to alter the angle to get the worst affected, Taffy, to use a new shallower ramp. You will always see blind piggies with their nose in the air to sniff out any news!
Hearing: Guinea pig hearing is much keener than human hearing, and it goes up another notch when a piggy loses its sight. Train your piggy to respond to audio cues while it still has sight. I was able to get my Mischief to come to me over the distance of several yards by constantly giving her vocal updates on whether she was still on course or had gone wrong. By this method, she was even able to free roam (under my supervision) on the lawn and to turn herslef back into their moved run, provided I stood next to the entrance flap and directed her. I would only go to pick her up if she really got lost and was not able to regroup and try again.
Touch (feet and whiskers): not to be underestimated!

Mind mapping: Guinea pigs are territorial. While domestic guinea pigs have actually a smaller brain compared to the wild species because they need less mind mapping space due to much smaller territories, they still use mind mapping to get around and they are much better than wild piggies to deal with new challenges. Guinea pigs use all their senses for mind mapping, not just sight (which is useless for getting around in the dark anyway). Once cataract piggies lose their sight, especially when that happens very quickly, they have to rebuild their mind map with their other senses, but once they have done so, they are perfectly fine to free roam and to go an explore the world.
My Mischief was able to navigate my back garden and its borders just fine again, and my old lady Mali happily followed the scent spoors of some other explorers to discover hall and kitchen under her own steam.

I have (and have had) a number of cataract piggies, several of them with congenital cataracts. From 2011-2015 I even had a dedicated cataract group.










And here is a little video of Mali still having scent spoor zoomies at 7 years old when she was rather arthritic and blind. She actually had just figured out a new loop only two days before her sudden death at 8 years of age...

https://www.facebook.com/

PS: if your piggy is one of those long-haired ones with hair that acts like sponge, please keep the hairs at the bum end, around teh the genitalia and legs, strictly cut short.

 

[Toffee321]

Toffees cataracts

 

[katew]

Hi!

Please do not worry too much about the diabetes angle; it is actually pretty rare and usually connected with suddenly and sustained increased drinking and weight loss. Guinea pig shave naturally high glucosamine in their urine. There has been a time just after diabetes became more regocnised as a health issue that guinea pigs can get where it became over-diagnosed. Generally the rule is that cataracts as the result of diabetes only come into play if there are noticeable symptoms. Mild to medium diabetes is mostly controlled with a grain-free (pellets!), fruit and starchy/sugary root veg-free diet.

Congenital cataracts typically manifest in the second year of a piggy's life. They are the ones that a guinea pig is born with the disposition to develop. At the extreme, a baby can already be born with developed congenital cataracts. The onset and development can vary massively. Some develop very quickly within a matter of weeks, others do so slowly over the course of months or even years.

The transition period, especially with fast developing cataracts, is the most difficult as the other senses have not yet had time to compensate. This process is much more gradual with slow developing cataracts.
Sight is thankfully the weakest sense that guinea pigs have; which means that they can lead a perfectly normal, enriched life with free roaming, lawn trips, shallow ramps and furniture changes. Don't make the mistake of wrapping cataract piggy in cotton wool. The more you challenge it to keep up with its seeing mates, the more quality of life it is ultimately going to have!
Sense of smell is very important; my fully blind cataract piggies did follow their own or other piggies' scent spoors. Materials that hold scent well can help. I have for instance double-taped old carpet cut-offs onto ramps for good grip and its scent holding qualities and never had any accidents with my cataract piggies using them. We had to alter the angle to get the worst affected, Taffy, to use a new shallower ramp. You will always see blind piggies with their nose in the air to sniff out any news!
Hearing: Guinea pig hearing is much keener than human hearing, and it goes up another notch when a piggy loses its sight. Train your piggy to respond to audio cues while it still has sight. I was able to get my Mischief to come to me over the distance of several yards by constantly giving her vocal updates on whether she was still on course or had gone wrong. By this method, she was even able to free roam (under my supervision) on the lawn and to turn herslef back into their moved run, provided I stood next to the entrance flap and directed her. I would only go to pick her up if she really got lost and was not able to regroup and try again.
Touch (feet and whiskers): not to be underestimated!

Mind mapping: Guinea pigs are territorial. While domestic guinea pigs have actually a smaller brain compared to the wild species because they need less mind mapping space due to much smaller territories, they still use mind mapping to get around and they are much better than wild piggies to deal with new challenges. Guinea pigs use all their senses for mind mapping, not just sight (which is useless for getting around in the dark anyway). Once cataract piggies lose their sight, especially when that happens very quickly, they have to rebuild their mind map with their other senses, but once they have done so, they are perfectly fine to free roam and to go an explore the world.
My Mischief was able to navigate my back garden and its borders just fine again, and my old lady Mali happily followed the scent spoors of some other explorers to discover hall and kitchen under her own steam.

I have (and have had) a number of cataract piggies, several of them with congenital cataracts. From 2011-2015 I even had a dedicated cataract group.
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And here is a little video of Mali still having scent spoor zoomies at 7 years old when she was rather arthritic and blind. She actually had just figured out a new loop only two days before her sudden death at 8 years of age...

https://www.facebook.com/

PS: if your piggy is one of those long-haired ones with hair that acts like sponge, please keep the hairs at the bum end, around teh the genitalia and legs, strictly cut short.

Dear Wiebke

Thank you so much for this. It confirms what I was thinking about the diabetes. We will monitor her closely and adjust accordingly as her sight fails. It is really reassuring to know that they can cope and enjoy life. She has a companion that she already follows around a lot so I hope that will help her out.

We do try and clip her bottom as much as possible but she really hates it. Last time I did nails and bum in one session and by the end of it she was jumping about a foot in the air and nearly spitting at me. We are due another one soon and I am not looking forward to it !

Thanks again - this ste has given me such good advice.

 

[Wiebke]

Dear Wiebke

Thank you so much for this. It confirms what I was thinking about the diabetes. We will monitor her closely and adjust accordingly as her sight fails. It is really reassuring to know that they can cope and enjoy life. She has a companion that she already follows around a lot so I hope that will help her out.

We do try and clip her bottom as much as possible but she [you]really[/you] hates it. Last time I did nails and bum in one session and by the end of it she was jumping about a foot in the air and nearly spitting at me. We are due another one soon and I am not looking forward to it !

Thanks again - this ste has given me such good advice.

Try some piggy whispering tricks and assert your authority after starting with telling her that you really love her. You can give her a special treat afterwards! I have also found it helpful to take my 'karate perus' out of the piggy room for a haircut. They are usually better behaved when out of their comfort zone.
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

 

[katew]

Try some piggy whispering tricks and assert your authority after starting with telling her that you really love her. You can give her a special treat afterwards! I have also found it helpful to take my 'karate perus' out of the piggy room for a haircut. They are usually better behaved when out of their comfort zone.
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

Thanks - I will try that.

She is a biter (not like any pig we have had before) and we often give her a towel to savage as well, which distracts her a bit. We have done lots of piggy whispering over the last year or so and she is definitely improving but there is the odd relapse - especially when she is stressed. We are going to try a bum clip alongside a bath tonight.