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Cloudy Eye

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Beans&Toast

Beans&Toast

Adult Guinea Pig
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I just had Beans out for cuddles there and I noticed her left eye looked cloudy, almost like there was some kind of film covering it.. With a slightly blue tinge?..
It doesn't seem to be watering or anything at the moment, just looks like a film over it, as if she's got a contact lense in if that makes sense..

I've never noticed this before so it must be new..

As Beans was a rescue I don't know much about her past health, apart from I know she's had problems with this same eye, just before I got her she was on eye drops for a watery eye.

Anyone know what this could be?
Should I be worried/making a vet appointment?

She's absolutely fine in herself and is running around/eating/drinking fine


If she needs to see a vet the only thing is my normal cavy savy vet is closed now and I just couldn't afford the out of hours charge as I've spent well over £300 on Toast the last month.
There is another vet who open now, Vets4Pets, they are okay, not particularly cavy savy but is this something that requires a specialist exotics vet to deal with or could a "normal" vet deal with this?
 
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Any vet can help with this. They put a drop onto the eye to check for fluorescence. Fluorescent areas show damage/ulceration. They can then give you AB eye drops and there is also a corneal repair gel called Remend which works wonders. Piggies'eyes heal very quickly with the right treatment but you do need to act promptly. Vets4pets will be fine for this x
 
Just back from the vets and beans has slight cararacts in one eye and the other one, the one that was hazy, is inflamed.
I've been given Maxitrol eye drops to give 3x daily for a week. Does this sound right?
 
It wouldn't be my first choice of eye drops as I believe they contain steroids. There is some debate as to whether you should give eye drops containing steroids to piggies. My vet never uses eye drops containing steroids. There is a link here regarding the use of steroids. The Problems With Steroids And Why They Shouldn't Be Used.
 
It contains a steroid dexamethasone and two antibiotics.
I have read about the steroid issue with piggies and I did bring this up and she said although guinea pigs can be sensitive to them, because it's topical it should be fine.

I did see some threads on here about pigs being prescribed maxitrol and people said it worked wonders...

I don't know whether whether to give them now :soz:
 
Beans&Toast said:
Just back from the vets and beans has slight cararacts in one eye and the other one, the one that was hazy, is inflamed.
I've been given Maxitrol eye drops to give 3x daily for a week. Does this sound right?
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Some vets hold that using steriods for inner eye and skin problems is OK; as long as the steroids don't get into the body (eyeballs are a closed, encapsulated system) so PLEASE don't panic and give those eye drops - it is important to get on top of the infection. I have had them prescibed in years past, and my piggies have been just fine and did not suffer any lasting damage. It is one of the areas that is currently still disputed amongst vets, but unlike systemic steroids, topical steroids do not pose an acute risk of fatality.

Cataracts can cause infections occasionally. I am sorry because it is never a great diagnosis, but piggies adjust to them and will be able to enjoy a perfectly normal, enriched life.
 
Wiebke said:
Some vets hold that using steriods for inner eye and skin problems is OK; as long as the steroids don't get into the body (eyeballs are a closed, encapsulated system) so PLEASE don't panic and give those eye drops - it is important to get on top of the infection. I have had them prescibed in years past, and my piggies have been just fine and did not suffer any lasting damage. It is one of the areas that is currently still disputed amongst vets, but unlike systemic steroids, topical steroids do not pose an acute risk of fatality.

Cataracts can cause infections occasionally. I am sorry because it is never a great diagnosis, but piggies adjust to them and will be able to enjoy a perfectly normal, enriched life.
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Thank you. I've given her one drop now. Does 3 drops a day sound correct?
I think I'm just panicking because it wasn't my normal piggy vet I seen, and no disrespect to this vet I did see, I just worried as I've heard so many bad things about steroids.

Is there anything I should keep a look out for in the next 24 hours? Anything that might be a bad reaction to the steroid or a sign that the infection has got worse?
She did tell me that I should hopefully see an unproven within 48 hours and if it gets worse I've to take her right back in
 
Beans&Toast said:
Thank you. I've given her one drop now. Does 3 drops a day sound correct?
I think I'm just panicking because it wasn't my normal piggy vet I seen, and no disrespect to this vet I did see, I just worried as I've heard so many bad things about steroids.

Is there anything I should keep a look out for in the next 24 hours? Anything that might be a bad reaction to the steroid or a sign that the infection has got worse?
She did tell me that I should hopefully see an unproven within 48 hours and if it gets worse I've to take her right back in
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Give the drops as prescribed. You should hopefully see an improvement within 24 hours; if not, contact your regular vet. There should not be any negative response (the steriods are not getting into the body).
 
Please don't panic. Mr Ted had a chronic eye condition and was given Maxitrol drops 3 times a day. They were used for short periods ( a week or less) and worked well for him. He always responded within a few days to them, we continued for a day or 2 afterwards and then stopped using them. This lasted for well over a year and he suffered no ill effects.

I was warned not to give Metacam while he wa on drops. Not able to remember why, now, but I just folllowed the advice.

Cataracts are quite common in piggies.

Hope she picks up over the weekend. :)
 
VickiA said:
Please don't panic. Mr Ted had a chronic eye condition and was given Maxitrol drops 3 times a day. They were used for short periods ( a week or less) and worked well for him. He always responded within a few days to them, we continued for a day or 2 afterwards and then stopped using them. This lasted for well over a year and he suffered no ill effects.

I was warned not to give Metacam while he wa on drops. Not able to remember why, now, but I just folllowed the advice.

Cataracts are quite common in piggies.

Hope she picks up over the weekend. :)
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Thanks, I think I just live on my nerves when it comes to the pigs.
I feel like there's so many things that can go wrong with them and there's very little I can do to prevent it, just feeling a bit powerless right now.
I really hope these drops work, can't stand seeing them in any kind of discomfort.
 
Maybe I'm really over thinking this, but if the steroid drops are only okay as long as they're topical and not getting into her body... what about when Beans cleans herself? Surely when she licks her paws and cleans her eyes that would mean she could be getting some in her mouth? Which I thought steroids orally could be fatal?..
 
Beans&Toast said:
I wasn't given any and I wouldn't now anyway. Do you know why they don't mix? Sorry I'm just very interested in all things piggy..
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From what I understand, it can damage the GI tract. I wouldn't worry too much about whether a small amount might be ingested. Some vets prescribe steroids for piggies anyway. Have you read the link I added to a previous post?
 
Yeah I had read it before. My vet suggested giving Toast a steroid injection a while ago and I didn't agree to it (even though this is a highly recommend cavy vet) That's why I debated with the vet yesterday about the eye drops but she seemed confident that as it's topical it would be fine.
To be perfectly honest I'm still not comfortable with giving them and I think I'll phone my normal vet tomorrow.. I'm just worried about her ingesting some if she's cleaning herself.
How long does it take for the drops to absorb into the eye?
 
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