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Cloudy eyes and nail quick

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Sophia_9313

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Hi all, one of my guinea pigs is four and a half years old and when we were cutting her nails we noticed that her eyes were a bit clouded (had bluish tint kind of) and we have been very worried. Additionally we accidentally cut the quick of her nail and it bled kind of a lot, we don’t have styptic powder, but we put neosporin on it and I cleaned the cage out. Please I’m extremely worried on both ends, will her eyes be okay? Is it a sign of something terrible? And do you think her foot will become infected? Calling the vet first thing in the morning but would appreciate some advice until I can schedule and appointment.
 
If I accidently cut a quick on nail clipping I dip it in a bit of cornflour to stop the bleeding. Hope get on at the vets.

If it is cataracts she has she will adapt OK. My Betsy has cataracts and is as blind as a bat. She's had them for years. You wouldn't know though except sometimes she can't find any food that is right in front of her face. It was hard for her when she was going through the "I can see fine er ... Oh no I can't!" transition phase as she would bump into things and miss entrances to hideys but she soon adapted to it. One thing I found did help her first of all when I went to pick her up is I would tap the ground next to her so she knew that something was there so it didn't surprise her that much. She was a bit bitey at first during the transition from seeing to not seeing which is understandable.
 
Sophia_9313 said:
Hi all, one of my guinea pigs is four and a half years old and when we were cutting her nails we noticed that her eyes were a bit clouded (had bluish tint kind of) and we have been very worried. Additionally we accidentally cut the quick of her nail and it bled kind of a lot, we don’t have styptic powder, but we put neosporin on it and I cleaned the cage out. Please I’m extremely worried on both ends, will her eyes be okay? Is it a sign of something terrible? And do you think her foot will become infected? Calling the vet first thing in the morning but would appreciate some advice until I can schedule and appointment.
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Hi!

If there is a bluish film on the eye surface, then seeing the vet as promptly as you can is important because you are dealing with an ulcerating (i.e. infected) eye injury. They can deteriorate very quickly but also heal the easier the sooner treatment can kick in.

If the cloudiness is inside the eye, then you are more likely dealing with a cataract, which is not uncommon in the elderly. Sadly, unlike humans, there are no cataract operations for guinea pigs to remove the increasingly opaque lens.
Cloudiness in the eye can in some cases also be a remnant of an eye infection that has penetrated deeper into the chamber in front of the eye ball while the surface has already healed up. It is much less likely as you would have noticed signs of an eye infection/injury before as a caring and observant owner.
It is however always better to have a cataract confirmed by a vet. Thankfully, sight is the weakest sense in guinea pigs whereas it is the strongest in humans, so they cope much better with it and learn to compensate with their other stronger senses to lead a perfectly normal life. Make sure that you do not keep their furniture too well cleaned and use surfaces that retain scent well as that will help with the everyday navigation for piggies with cataracts in both eyes.
I've had fully blind 8 year old cataract piggies still enjoying to create a new zoomies loop by laying a new scent spoor and following it happily round and round, even though by then the run was very much an arthritic waddle - but there was nothing wrong with the youthful enjoyment and the zest for life! :)

If you apply some homemade saline solution as a disinfectant
 
Claire W said:
Hi, she could have cataracts but a vet will be able to tell you for certain. As for the toe nail, we’ve all done it. You can bathe the toe in a shallow dish of warm salty water if you’re worried but just keep an eye on it for any swelling but she should be fine
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Just went to the vet, said there was a difference because she’s getting old and he lenses, the clear liquid on it slowly starts to crystallize giving a slightly opaque or gray look. Glad she’s okay thank you so much for your advice!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

If there is a bluish film on the eye surface, then seeing the vet as promptly as you can is important because you are dealing with an ulcerating (i.e. infected) eye injury. They can deteriorate very quickly but also heal the easier the sooner treatment can kick in.

If the cloudiness is inside the eye, then you are more likely dealing with a cataract, which is not uncommon in the elderly. Sadly, unlike humans, there are no cataract operations for guinea pigs to remove the increasingly opaque lens.
Cloudiness in the eye can in some cases also be a remnant of an eye infection that has penetrated deeper into the chamber in front of the eye ball while the surface has already healed up. It is much less likely as you would have noticed signs of an eye infection/injury before as a caring and observant owner.
It is however always better to have a cataract confirmed by a vet. Thankfully, sight is the weakest sense in guinea pigs whereas it is the strongest in humans, so they cope much better with it and learn to compensate with their other stronger senses to lead a perfectly normal life. Make sure that you do not keep their furniture too well cleaned and use surfaces that retain scent well as that will help with the everyday navigation for piggies with cataracts in both eyes.
I've had fully blind 8 year old cataract piggies still enjoying to create a new zoomies loop by laying a new scent spoor and following it happily round and round, even though by then the run was very much an arthritic waddle - but there was nothing wrong with the youthful enjoyment and the zest for life! :)

If you apply some homemade saline solution as a disinfectant
Click to expand...
So we Just went to the vet, said there was a difference because she’s getting old and he lenses, the clear liquid on it slowly starts to crystallize giving a slightly opaque or gray look. Glad she’s okay thank you so much for your advice!
 
Good to hear the good news about her eyes.
I often end up with a cut quick when nail trimming. None of my piggies have any concept of being still.
The cornflour is always at hand.
 
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