Eye Infection And Removal :(

[Morticia]

Good afternoon everyone,

Yesterday and this morning I took my 4 year old guinea pig, Luna, to the vet because her right eye is so swollen and red and it looks so much bigger than the left one, both vets said she'll probably have to have her eye removed. This morning they took some X-rays and she has an ear infection, the roots on her teeth are starting to look not normal and she may have something between her eye socket and the eyeball
I feel so shitty when I see her, she's not moving around, she's not squealing when she hears me playing with lettuce or playing with plastic bags, she just sits there and does nothing
They gave me antibiotics and ointments and meds to see if it heals, I won't wait the two weeks, it's too long for her but I do want to give it a few days to see if the meds help, I don't want her to lose her eye if she doesn't have to.
What would you guys do if you were in my shoes? I joined last year because she had a foot injury and the vet gave her meds but she also said she wouldn't give her more than a week to live... ONE year later, my little Luna is still here with us, that's why I'm hopeful that the meds and God (sorry if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but I do believe in God) will help my Luna once again. I can't even stand the thought of losing her
Thank you all for reading.

 

[Wheekallweek]

If it’s was me I’d take the chance on having the eye removed; it doesn’t sound to me like there’s much chance of the eye being saved.
I’d say leave it a few days with the medication you’ve got and see what your vet says then.
I’d definitely agree with not leaving it two weeks as she is, and the longer you leave the eye the worse it may get.
But that’s just what I personally would do, you’re the best person to judge the situation and how your piggy is feeling, so make the decision that’s right for you both with the help of your vet.
Whatever you choose, best of luck to you both!

 

[Janice C]

Did they say what they think is wrong with her eye?

 

[Wiebke]

Good afternoon everyone,

Yesterday and this morning I took my 4 year old guinea pig, Luna, to the vet because her right eye is so swollen and red and it looks so much bigger than the left one, both vets said she'll probably have to have her eye removed. This morning they took some X-rays and she has an ear infection, the roots on her teeth are starting to look not normal and she may have something between her eye socket and the eyeball
I feel so shitty when I see her, she's not moving around, she's not squealing when she hears me playing with lettuce or playing with plastic bags, she just sits there and does nothing
They gave me antibiotics and ointments and meds to see if it heals, I won't wait the two weeks, it's too long for her but I do want to give it a few days to see if the meds help, I don't want her to lose her eye if she doesn't have to.
What would you guys do if you were in my shoes? I joined last year because she had a foot injury and the vet gave her meds but she also said she wouldn't give her more than a week to live... ONE year later, my little Luna is still here with us, that's why I'm hopeful that the meds and God (sorry if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but I do believe in God) will help my Luna once again. I can't even stand the thought of losing her
Thank you all for reading.

Hi! I am very sorry for your problems. A blown up eye is usually not good news.
An operation is not something any of us would opt for with joy, but we have several members whose guinea pigs needed an eye removed and have recovered and got on well afterwards.

The piggies adapt well to the loss of eyesight in one eye. They generally do not appreciate being approached from their blind side, but eyesight (unlike in humans) is not their strongest sense and they tend to compensate well with their other stronger senses over time.

If need an operation, here are our post-op care tips: Tips For Post-operative Care

@furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[Freela]

I'm so sorry. Poor little Luna! Honestly, in your place I would probably opt for the surgery. Guinea pigs don't rely on their sight as much as we do and generally adapt well to losing vision or losing an eye. And it sounds as though it's not until they get in there that they will know for sure what is going on between her eye and the eye socket. ((HUGS)), I know it's not an easy decision to make.

 

[Morticia]

The X-rays showed she has an ear infection and the roots on her teeth are not normal. There may be an abscess underneath her eye

Just now I was taking care of her eye and I could be seeing wrong but it looks like her other eye is starting to look a bit red-ish. I'll see in the morning how she is.

I have a feeling ill be calling to schedule her surgery sometime next week

Thank you all so much for your responses and your good wishes.

 

[Redribbon]

Really hope she's feeling better soon

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Which antibiotic have you been prescribed? It does sound like a retrobulbar abscess (abscess behind the eye). We have had a few piggies, here at TEAS, have eye removal and all have recovered well and have not seemed to have had any issues adapting to one eye.

 

[helen105281]

I would opt for surgery too, my Tim had a retrobulbar abscess and his eye was removed. He adjusted well and 2 years on he is now over 6 and really happy. He stayed at TEAS for a while after his op.

 

[Morticia]

Hello everyone!

So my Luna did end up having her eye removed and I've been giving her all of her antibiotics and her ear drops and stuff and she's pretty much back to normal, I think she's still getting used to only having one eye but she's squealing again and demanding to be fed like she used to before this ordeal. She had an abscess under her eye and I won't lie, she still kind of freaks me out when I see that green gauze in her eye socket but she's as beautiful as she's ever been and she's getting back to healthy so I'm really happy with the results I'm seeing.
Thank you all for giving me advice and letting me know she'd be okay even with her little eye missing!

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

I'm so glad that your vet found out what was wrong and Luna is making a good recovery from the op.
I wish I had known about this forum when we first got guinea pigs, one of our first two boars had an eye problem that sounded similar to Luna's. Our vet at the time wasn't cavy-savvy and couldn't work out what was wrong, even with an x-ray, and poor little Beaver died 2 weeks or so later. If I'd been on this forum then, I'm sure they would have been able to tell me what was going on and point me to a good vet...