Eye Injury Advice Requested (vet Already Seen)

[Elvendork]

Before I start - I have already seen a vet and will be seeing one again shortly, I am just interested in the advice or suggestions of others who have experienced similar issue with their pigs.

Short version:

Injury to the eyeball, happened on Friday (2 days ago), saw vet 20 minutes after discovery, now on Metacam and "wait and see". Anyone had similar issues and if so, what happened?

Long version:

I have two, two-and-a-half year old short/smooth haired pigs, Morgana and Guinevere.

Morgana has sustained an injury to her eyeball - unknown source. The eyeball itself was pierced by something - we don't know what - and her normally black eye turned red with blood as well as blood and fluid leaking down her face.

This happened while she was in her outdoor run, which at the time contained nothing but a water bottle, a plastic hide (no sharp edges), grass, and the other pig. There are no other marks or injuries on either pig, and they have never before shown any sign of fighting. There were no other animals present. There is about an hour's window that this could have happened in, and she saw the vet 20 minutes after we found her. Even immediately after we found her, she was (and still is) behaving just like her normal self, including cleaning her face without hesitation.

The vet prescribed Metacam for pain/inflammation and said it may well be a matter of wait and see what happens - it might heal by itself. It might also result in her eye being removed. He didn't seem very sure as he is not experienced in this area (he was the only one available on such short notice, I think) but he called an ophthalmologist for us - who is booked up until mid-May, so no joy there.

Morgana is now indoors, away from Guinevere (just in case, although we are socialising them under supervision so they don't get lonely/stay used to each other) in her winter cage so we can keep a closer eye on her. She has no hay, in case it gets into the injury. She is behaving just as normal and taking her Metacam well. The eye looks better than it did - less bloody, the wound seems closed, and there is no more leakage. We are keeping it clean with boiled-and-cooled water and cotton pads. We are booking an appointment with a more experienced vet ASAP to get it checked.

Does anyone have experience with these issues? Could you tell me what happened with your case? Is there anything else we can do to help her? Do you have any idea what might have caused it? What did your vets say?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wheekallweek]

I have no advice or experience in this unfortunately but I know she should definitely still be having hay; it’s so important in a piggy’s diet and they need constant access to it. If you’re worried about it getting in her eye I would feed it from the floor, that way bits aren’t falling from any hay racks into her face.
Best of luck, I hope it does get better on its own!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Poor little girl! I echo @Wheekallweek she still needs constant access to hay, which I know is a worry but hopefully she'll take a bit of care with it

Were you prescribed any antibiotics for her? With any sort of injury I'd recommend getting some just in case.

Have you got a photo so we can see the extent of the injury? Eye problems vary so much, I've got a pig with a bad eye and although she can't see out of it and it's tiny because it's still alive and "healthy" we won't need to operate. I think eye removal is a last resort kind of thing.

Is it worth contacting a more piggy savvy vet? There's a vet locator on the forum that may help. I think it's definitely worth seeing someone more specialised to piggies if you can and get some antibiotics and a good check over.

Do you weigh her weekly? I'd start weighing her at the same time every day to make sure she's not losing any weight

 

[Elvendork]

Thank you for your prompt responses.

I have given her some hay (I know it's important, I'm just worried about her hurting herself more), flattened on the floor and checked for any particularly chunky/bristly bits as I am concerned about it poking her in the injured eye and aggravating it, e.g. if she sticks her whole head into a pile of it (she really likes sticking her head in things to investigate them, even when they're not food).

We do not have antibiotics, but we will discuss it with the vet - we have been recommended a more experienced local one who we will be contacting tomorrow.

She has always been on the heavy side, so we're used to keeping an eye on her weight! She has a good appetite and we will continue to monitor her weight to be sure.

I'm not sure I can get a decent photo - her eye is naturally black (although discoloured at the moment), her fur is black, and the injury itself is right in the corner, so the lighting has to be quite good to get a proper detailed look even without wielding a camera at the same time.

 

[Elvendork]

Update:

We have now seen the more experienced vet, who seemed pleased with Morgana's progress. We have antibiotic eye drops to apply twice a day, and she has another check up in 5 days. She is also back with Guinevere as this vet said it was unlikely to be a fight and it would be comforting for them to stay together. Morgana is still behaving exactly like her normal self. We are still keeping them both inside for observation for a few more days though.

Thanks again for your support guys.

 

[Merab]

Just caught up with this and wanted to say welcome.
Sorry you’re having an anxious time but glad the second vet could give you some reassurance.
Hope Morganna’s eye continues to heal well