Discharge in eye?

[SavyCavyGirl]

I was on my bed doing lap time with Roxi , my Guinea pig when I noticed she had some whiteish gunk under her eye. I put her back in her cage along with her cage mate Luna (in case you need it they are in a 16 square foot cage, just them two girls. They are on fleece bedding, constant access to hay and water, a tablespoon each of pellets in the morning and a cup of fresh veggies each in the night.). Lately I’ve also noticed Roxi has been excessively grooming herself, and I looked for a skin issue but couldn’t find it. I checked her teeth, bottom, ears, nose, feet, and skin and couldn’t find anything that was a problem. After I had done some research I pulled her back out of the cage to take a look at her eye and I couldn’t find any of the discharge I had seen before. I think she must’ve wiped it on something or rubbed it off while grooming. Her current weight is 1050 grams which is average for her. I also forgot to mention that when I got her about a year ago the shelter did tell me that they had noticed some excess discharge from her eye, and had checked it and decided it wasn’t problematic. However I have never seen any discharge on her eye in my time with her. Anyways, because I can’t find anything wrong besides that I’m trying to decide if I should take her to the vet or not. Thanks! (The images are pictures I took of her eyes (after she rubbed the goop off), and her overall so you can see her size. Thanks! Also the eye with the orange around it is the one I saw that had discharge.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Sorry, but I can't see anything untoward.

Guinea pigs have milky white cleaning fluid, which can occasionally spill over and not be fully reabsorbed via the tear duct.

Watery tear fluid is always a sign of an irritation or an injury in the eye; it dries translucent. See a vet promptly (i.e. as soon as possible within 24 hours) if it is ongoing and especially if the eye is drawn in or blinking a lot - it is usually the sign of an injury or an infection,

Light bluish/greyish gunk comes from an ulcerating (i.e. infected) eye injury, whether that is a surface scratch, something solid stuck under an eyelid or an eye poke. See a vet promptly as eye injuries can deteriorate very quickly. In the UK, they are prioritised as injuries by vets and fitted in as soon as possible.
Eye treatment and medication is the same as in cats or dogs, so seeing a general vet quickly is better than waiting for over a day to see an exotics vet.

Yellowish/greenish thick gunk that glues the eye and nostrils together is dried mucus from a well developed untreated upper respiratory tract infection. Please see a vet promptly.

You may find more piggy quirks that can throw you in this link here: Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

You also may find our extensive practical information resource very helpful and may want to bookmark, browse, read and re-read at need: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[SavyCavyGirl]

Thank you so much! It was a milky white- so I think I’ll just watch it and see if it gets worse.

 

[Freela]

Pretty girl! Generally, white liquid in the eyes is cleaning fluid which they use to groom themselves. Clear discharge, or discharge that leaves the eyes gunky or crusted in the mornings, is the kind of discharge you need to be concerned for. White tears that pool in the inner corner and then go away after grooming are generally fine.