Guinea Pig Eye Swollen/Bulging

[Dom R]

The antibiotics I mention aren't licensed for guinea pigs, but I've used them many times, over many years and they have worked wonders for anything abscess related. When Benjamin had a retrobulbar abscess we initially started him on Zithromax, and although that held things at bay, we weren't seeing any significant improvement. After changing to the combination of Marbocyl and Metronidazole, Benjamin's eye improved. He was on antibiotics for many weeks, to make sure we had definitely eradicated the abscess.

Marbocyl is a tablet and Zithromax and Metronidazole are liquid.

Here is a video showing me giving Zoltan Marbocyl and Metronidazole

Medicating your guinea pig - Instructional video on Facebook

Just got back from the vets, they gave me some antibiotic eye drops as he's developed an ulcer on his eye now, too. They also tried selling me Metacam licensed for guinea pigs (which was 3ml of cat metacam and for him to have 6 drops per day). I knew that wouldn't be strong enough so I argued and had to sign a consent form for dog metacam, it's a bit daft if you ask me, I've never had to sign anything for metacam before.

They also didn't stock any of the other antibiotics, so I'm going to have to hope it settles at least until Monday, when I see Ellie. They also argued that Sulfatrim was good enough for the abcsess, and that they've had good success with it in the past. They want me to go back next Thursday, but I think I'll see what Ellie says and go from there; I do trust Ellie a lot more.

 

[Wiebke]

Just got back from the vets, they gave me some antibiotic eye drops as he's developed an ulcer on his eye now, too. They also tried selling me Metacam licensed for guinea pigs (which was 3ml of cat metacam and for him to have 6 drops per day). I knew that wouldn't be strong enough so I argued and had to sign a consent form for dog metacam, it's a bit daft if you ask me, I've never had to sign anything for metacam before.

They also didn't stock any of the other antibiotics, so I'm going to have to hope it settles at least until Monday, when I see Ellie. They also argued that Sulfatrim was good enough for the abcsess, and that they've had good success with it in the past. They want me to go back next Thursday, but I think I'll see what Ellie says and go from there; I do trust Ellie a lot more.

Fingers firmly crossed that the sulfatrim is stong enough for yours, at least until Monday.

 

[Dom R]

Fingers firmly crossed that the sulfatrim is stong enough for yours, at least until Monday.

I hope so too, going to try my best to keep him going, he deserves every penny we put towards getting him better.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Hopefully the Sulfatrim will hold things at bay until Monday! Glad you were able to get dog Metacam. Licensing cat Metacam for guinea pigs, was such a bad decision, as so many vets will only prescribe that now.

 

[Dom R]

Hopefully the Sulfatrim will hold things at bay until Monday! Glad you were able to get dog Metacam. Licensing cat Metacam for guinea pigs, was such a bad decision, as so many vets will only prescribe that now.

Yeah its not great, as I've never heard of anyone having issues giving piggies dog metacam. What got me is that I was only getting 3ml for £8 extra compared to the 10ml dog one. Quite extortionate and really expensive for so little.

 

[Dom R]

Figured I may add, it seems the swelling has gone down a little bit more, as he's able to half close his eye now, whereas before he couldn't close it at all. Seems to be heading the correct direction, but I dont think he's been on the medication long enough for a definite answer as of yet.

 

[Wiebke]

Figured I may add, it seems the swelling has gone down a little bit more, as he's able to half close his eye now, whereas before he couldn't close it at all. Seems to be heading the correct direction, but I dont think he's been on the medication long enough for a definite answer as of yet.

As stated before, if you are lucky, the sulfatrim will do the trick or at least tidy you over until Monday. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the case.

The whole piggy world is not happy with cat metacam being licensed but not dog metacam.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

It’s probably draining into the mouth. If so, you’ll hopefully be able to save the eye!

 

[Dom R]

As stated before, if you are lucky, the sulfatrim will do the trick or at least tidy you over until Monday. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the case.

The whole piggy world is not happy with cat metacam being licensed but not dog metacam.

It’s probably draining into the mouth. If so, you’ll hopefully be able to save the eye!

Hopefully. Anyways, thank you guys for the help, and if I remember I will update on Monday after we see Ellie, hopefully little Oscar will recover and become his chilled little self again.

 

[Dom R]

Just wanting some advice if possible. His eye has gotten a lot better, but his appetite hasn't. He's also now refusing to swallow food that I'm syringe feeding, he's definitely the most stubborn pig I've had when syringe feeding.

Is there anything I could do to encourage him to swallow the food, as he's just holding it in his mouth. He chews a couple of times then just stops and tries to go to sleep. I'm struggling to even get 5 1ml syringes full of food in him today. I'm putting the syringe around 1/2 an inch into his mouth and pointing it towards his molars/cheeks, I've had much success with him the last couple of days, a bit of stubbornness but not this bad. I've also never had a piggy hold food in its mouth when syringe feeding, so I'm pretty new to that aspect.

I think there may be something else wrong with him, as his eye doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, or could it still be that?

 

[Wiebke]

Just wanting some advice if possible. His eye has gotten a lot better, but his appetite hasn't. He's also now refusing to swallow food that I'm syringe feeding, he's definitely the most stubborn pig I've had when syringe feeding.

Is there anything I could do to encourage him to swallow the food, as he's just holding it in his mouth. He chews a couple of times then just stops and tries to go to sleep. I'm struggling to even get 5 1ml syringes full of food in him today. I'm putting the syringe around 1/2 an inch into his mouth and pointing it towards his molars/cheeks, I've had much success with him the last couple of days, a bit of stubbornness but not this bad. I've also never had a piggy hold food in its mouth when syringe feeding, so I'm pretty new to that aspect.

I think there may be something else wrong with him, as his eye doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, or could it still be that?

Hi! I am very sorry!

How much painkiller is he getting?

It is worrying that he is refusing to eat/swallow. Give 1/10 of a syringe and wait until that has gone down. Every feeding session takes ages unfortunately.
You can find more information in this guide here: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

 

[Dom R]

Hi! I am very sorry!

How much painkiller is he getting?

It is worrying that he is refusing to eat/swallow. Give 1/10 of a syringe and wait until that has gone down. Every feeding session takes ages unfortunately.
You can find more information in this guide here: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

I'm giving him 0.4ml of dog Metacam twice daily, so its a decent dose. He's been on higher before for his chest issues but yeah.

With the current rate of me feeding him, it's basically impossible to keep his weight on, so I'm having to aim to minimise the loss, simply because he won't eat much. With the 5 syringes I use, it took me around 1.5 hours to get him to eat it yesterday, and now I'm struggling to get past 2-3 syringes every couple of hours.

I'll have a read through that guide, and see if there's anything I could use that I didn't know before, thank you.

 

[Wiebke]

I'm giving him 0.4ml of dog Metacam twice daily, so its a decent dose. He's been on higher before for his chest issues but yeah.

With the current rate of me feeding him, it's basically impossible to keep his weight on, so I'm having to aim to minimise the loss, simply because he won't eat much. With the 5 syringes I use, it took me around 1.5 hours to get him to eat it yesterday, and now I'm struggling to get past 2-3 syringes every couple of hours.

I'll have a read through that guide, and see if there's anything I could use that I didn't know before, thank you.

If he's been on higher metacam, then please go to the limit he can have as a crisis like this is when you start chucking the kitchen sink at it. Can you get hold of an out-of-hours vet for gut stimulants?

Continue to try and get into him as much he can take as long as he can swallow; if he can't, then it is unfortunately likely that his body has stopped being able to process food and may have started to close down.

I am holding you firmly in my thoughts.

 

[Dom R]

If he's been on higher metacam, then please go to the limit he can have as a crisis like this is when you start chucking the kitchen sink at it. Can you get hold of an out-of-hours vet for gut stimulants?

Continue to try and get into him as much he can take as long as he can swallow; if he can't, then it is unfortunately likely that his body has stopped being able to process food and may have started to close down.

I am holding you firmly in my thoughts.

I'll see what I can do. He does eat some of it, but its definitely getting reduced the the further into the feeding I get. The vet place I've been taking him has a 24 hour emergency clinic, so I'll give them a ring to see if they could provide some gut stimulant. But I don't think its looking good for him, I'm not giving up yet though. I'm just going to give him cuddles on a nice soft sheet so he's comfortable and warm.

 

[Wiebke]

I'll see what I can do. He does eat some of it, but its definitely getting reduced the the further into the feeding I get. The vet place I've been taking him has a 24 hour emergency clinic, so I'll give them a ring to see if they could provide some gut stimulant. But I don't think its looking good for him, I'm not giving up yet though. I'm just going to give him cuddles on a nice soft sheet so he's comfortable and warm.

Please read the emergency care guide and contact the clinic. Just try to increase the frequency of feeds the less you can get in in one go while he is still accepting a little.

I have been there more often than I care to think about, so I truly feel for youQ

 

[alpacasqueak]

Lots of healing vibes from me and my piggles, everything crossed for your little man xx

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

When they’re really struggling to swallow the food, something like this goes down much better!

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

This is sounding like a tooth root issue. I think the eye is looking less bulgy, due to the pus draining into the mouth. The teeth are probably becoming very overgrown, which makes manipulating the food around the mouth, very difficult and almost impossible.

 

[Dom R]

Please read the emergency care guide and contact the clinic. Just try to increase the frequency of feeds the less you can get in in one go while he is still accepting a little.

I have been there more often than I care to think about, so I truly feel for youQ

His chin seems to be wet most of the time at the minute, and even after an hour or so he's holding his food still. All he's basically doing is sleeping and not much moving.

I'm not sure there's much else I can do for him, he might be too far downhill. Do you reckon it'd still be worth trying to get gut stimulants, even if he can't swallow, or is it some form of injection or something?

What would you guys do in this situation?

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

This is sounding like a classic case of severe tooth overgrowth, which is preventing the jaw moving. I’ve seen it happen a lot, as many piggies arrive here, with the same issue. Once the teeth are sorted, the drooling ceases and they are able to get the food into the right place to swallow it.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Some subcutaneous fluids could help as he’ll be becoming dehydrated.

 

[Wiebke]

His chin seems to be wet most of the time at the minute, and even after an hour or so he's holding his food still. All he's basically doing is sleeping and not much moving.

I'm not sure there's much else I can do for him, he might be too far downhill. Do you reckon it'd still be worth trying to get gut stimulants, even if he can't swallow, or is it some form of injection or something?

What would you guys do in this situation?

It sounds like he can no longer chew and his tongue is becoming trapped by overgrowing spurs, making swallowing very difficult.

The tiredness comes from lack of energy. Unfortunately teeth that are no longer ground down will overgrow very quickly.

Keep on feeding to keep him alive until he can be seen (every extra ml you can get into him will help) and he can be seen treated by Ellie.

Any medication he can get by injection, including fluids to prevent dehydration, will help as that means there is a few more mls of food you may be able to get in that would otherwise be taken up by the medication.

 

[Claire W]

I have no advise but I hope your little boy gets better soon x

 

[Dom R]

Lots of healing vibes from me and my piggles, everything crossed for your little man xx

I have no advise but I hope your little boy gets better soon x

Thank you, to both of you.

This is sounding like a classic case of severe tooth overgrowth, which is preventing the jaw moving. I’ve seen it happen a lot, as many piggies arrive here, with the same issue. Once the teeth are sorted, the drooling ceases and they are able to get the food into the right place to swallow it.

It sounds like he can no longer chew and his tongue is becoming trapped by overgrowing spurs, making swallowing very difficult.

The tiredness comes from lack of energy. Unfortunately teeth that are no longer ground down will overgrow very quickly.

Keep on feeding to keep him alive until he can be seen (every extra ml you can get into him will help) and he can be seen treated by Ellie.

Any medication he can get by injection, including fluids to prevent dehydration, will help as that means there is a few more mls of food you may be able to get in that would otherwise be taken up by the medication.

I'll keep him going till Ellie tomorrow, I've been giving him a lot of water and he seems to be okay when drinking that. His skin also returns back to the original position really quickly (although this probably isn't a definite way of checking it) on his shoulder blades.

Would it be worth making his food more watery for him, would that be easier?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, to both of you.




I'll keep him going till Ellie tomorrow, I've been giving him a lot of water and he seems to be okay when drinking that. His skin also returns back to the original position really quickly (although this probably isn't a definite way of checking it) on his shoulder blades.

Would it be worth making his food more watery for him, would that be easier?

He still needs fibre but see if more watery food is going in more easily. You can also try to get some dioralyte from the pharmacy (follow advice for preparation on the packet) to use for any fluid you get into him in whichever form. However, a sub-q injection is so much more effective and can really perk up a piggy.
(PS: It is one of the tips in the emergency care guide link)

I am keeping my fingers crossed that you can get him through the next night and to Ellie! Good that you have got that appointment!

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

More watery food would be great. That's why I use the smooth baby foods for those who arrive unable to move their jaw properly. If you could get some subcutaneous fluids injected under the skin it could really give him a huge boost.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Keeping you both in my thoughts x

 

[Dom R]

Hi all,

Even after visiting the emergency vets yesterday, and with gut stimulants and some Doxycycline to help with his chest (His chest is crackling and his breathing is quite bad), he hasn't improved, he wont even swallow liquids anymore.

Unfortunately I think it would be more fair on Oscar to let him cross the rainbow bridge, I have him booked in at the vets in a couple of hours to get it done. He's really not happy and I can't really put into words to explain what signs he's showing, but he went downhill really quickly, a lot quicker than I've seen before in piggies.

I really wish I could've kept him going a little longer in order to see Ellie, but I think this is the correct decision, and I think he's passed too far for recovery.

 

[Claire W]

I’m very sorry but it sounds like you’re making the hardest yet kindest decision.

(((Hugs)))

 

[Dom R]

I’m very sorry but it sounds like you’re making the hardest yet kindest decision.

(((Hugs)))

I'm doing it in the best interest for Oscar, tried my hardest and lost many hours of sleep in order to try and keep him going, but if I try any longer it is just unfair for him. He currently has a respiratory infection that came on and got progressively worse, he's really prone to these but no doubt it added to all of the issues.

Despite the stress over the last few days, I'm really glad I tried, and I'm glad that I have had you lovely people here to help me and give me tips. I really appreciate all of you, and I hope you all have an amazing day.

Below is an image of Oscar cuddled up in an old blanket, this was before any of these issues came on.