Hay in Eye

[JaseChase]

Hi,

I am more than likely overthinking this, but I was giving my two boys their weekly weigh/health check this morning and noticed that Tofu had quite a large strand of hay stuck in his eye. I don't think it's actually poking into the eye, he's acting normal (aka chased all the pea flakes...) and the eye doesn't look swollen or different to me. His weight is stable and around what I would expect (1204g).

Here's what the hay looks like, in the second picture you can just about see where the longer bit goes up into the lid:



I'm unsure whether I should try to get the hay out myself, or leave it for him to sort out on his own? I'm sure this happens a lot but I've read about hay poke on here and don't want it to escalate. Should I just keep an eye (no pun intended) on him and make sure there are no changes, or is it better to try to get the hay out? And if there are any changes I will of course pop him up to the vet.

It's also maybe worth noting that I just moved house two weeks ago and this was the first weigh day/health check since then. We moved on a Saturday and weigh day is Sunday and I didn't want to disturb them so soon after a big change. They've both been, understandably, a lot shyer and hiding, but this week they've been hand feeding and I even got a couple of wheeks yesterday and today, but Tofu may be acting differently than normal and I'm just putting it down to the move.

Thanks for the help, I know this is not an emergency so wasn't sure whether to put it in this section, but didn't really know where else it would fit - please feel free to tell me if I should post it in a different bit of the forum though!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

I am more than likely overthinking this, but I was giving my two boys their weekly weigh/health check this morning and noticed that Tofu had quite a large strand of hay stuck in his eye. I don't think it's actually poking into the eye, he's acting normal (aka chased all the pea flakes...) and the eye doesn't look swollen or different to me. His weight is stable and around what I would expect (1204g).

Here's what the hay looks like, in the second picture you can just about see where the longer bit goes up into the lid:

View attachment 214832 View attachment 214833

I'm unsure whether I should try to get the hay out myself, or leave it for him to sort out on his own? I'm sure this happens a lot but I've read about hay poke on here and don't want it to escalate. Should I just keep an eye (no pun intended) on him and make sure there are no changes, or is it better to try to get the hay out? And if there are any changes I will of course pop him up to the vet.

It's also maybe worth noting that I just moved house two weeks ago and this was the first weigh day/health check since then. We moved on a Saturday and weigh day is Sunday and I didn't want to disturb them so soon after a big change. They've both been, understandably, a lot shyer and hiding, but this week they've been hand feeding and I even got a couple of wheeks yesterday and today, but Tofu may be acting differently than normal and I'm just putting it down to the move.

Thanks for the help, I know this is not an emergency so wasn't sure whether to put it in this section, but didn't really know where else it would fit - please feel free to tell me if I should post it in a different bit of the forum though!

Hi
Please have the eye vet checked tomorrow. They have a special dye to check for any invisible damage under UV light. Hay and other objects stuck under a lid can scratch the cornea and cause an ulcerating eye infection. Eye injuries can deteriorate very quickly; the sooner you have it attended to, the less damage there is to heal. Recovery in mild eye infections is generally pretty quick.
Removing hay, especially if it has a sharp edge, needs to be carefully done to avoid further damage to the eye; it is ideally a two people job.
Any eye drops or gel are easiest to apply by gently pulling down the lower lid a little and aiming the meds into the gap.

Unfortunately, it is one of these things where you have to prioritise health over making friends. However, the experience that your new piggy will end up without discomfort thanks to you is not just all stress but also has a positive side. Make sure that you feed a little veg with lots of praise at the end of each application.

Also use our piggy whispering tips to reassure them in their own language: Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

 

[JaseChase]

Hi
Please have the eye vet checked tomorrow. They have a special dye to check for any invisible damage under UV light. Hay and other objects stuck under a lid can scratch the cornea and cause an ulcerating eye infection. Eye injuries can deteriorate very quickly; the sooner you have it attended to, the less damage there is to heal. Recovery in mild eye infections is generally pretty quick.
Removing hay, especially if it has a sharp edge, needs to be carefully done to avoid further damage to the eye; it is ideally a two people job.
Any eye drops or gel are easiest to apply by gently pulling down the lower lid a little and aiming the meds into the gap.

Unfortunately, it is one of these things where you have to prioritise health over making friends. However, the experience that your new piggy will end up without discomfort thanks to you is not just all stress but also has a positive side. Make sure that you feed a little veg with lots of praise at the end of each application.

Also use our piggy whispering tips to reassure them in their own language: Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

Thanks so much Wiebke, I've just gone and had another go at getting it out and succeeded this time - the piggie whispering guide is a life saver!

He's looking much happier with it out of his eye and I'll pop him to the vet tomorrow to make sure there's no damage done. I'm surprised by quite how long the piece was! (Coriander sprig for comparison):



And this is the eye now:



Poor patient is happily back in the cage with his brother now. He was quite forgiving with the coriander's help They're both settling in quite well after the move. They'll turn two years old come January and I've had them about a year and a half now (brought home from the rescue at four months old) so Tofu is luckily quite used to me having to poke around to make sure he's alright - just haven't had hay in the eye before!

 

[Merab]

Hopefully the vet will check the eye and find nothing

 

[Wiebke]

I've had piggies with up to 4 cm long grass leaves or soft hay stalks under their lids.

But from my own experiences, it is always much better to be safe than sorry since sometimes there are can be more stuck underneath.
It is not an emergency in your case but I would recommend to have it checked as soon as you can get a slot in the coming days.

 

[JaseChase]

Just had another check on Tofu for the night and his eye isn’t swollen, but I think it is looking a bit filmy so I’m definitely popping him to the vet tomorrow

However when I picked him up I saw that he’d managed to get a poop well and truly stuck to his foot - I tried to get it off myself and he was very unhappy about it, so I enlisted my partner to come and help. Partner managed to get it off, but his toe started bleeding

I stood him in cornflour for a few minutes and the bleeding stopped (it was only a bit), but I am very stressed and eager to get him to the vet tomorrow. The poop had a groove in it from his toe I think it was pretty wedged in there

He’s not been into the veg as much tonight either and just generally doesn’t seem himself, so I’m a bit concerned

(Also I know his nails need a trim, was planning to do that tomorrow so we’ll see how the vet goes)

 

[Wiebke]

Just had another check on Tofu for the night and his eye isn’t swollen, but I think it is looking a bit filmy so I’m definitely popping him to the vet tomorrow

However when I picked him up I saw that he’d managed to get a poop well and truly stuck to his foot - I tried to get it off myself and he was very unhappy about it, so I enlisted my partner to come and help. Partner managed to get it off, but his toe started bleeding

I stood him in cornflour for a few minutes and the bleeding stopped (it was only a bit), but I am very stressed and eager to get him to the vet tomorrow. The poop had a groove in it from his toe I think it was pretty wedged in there

He’s not been into the veg as much tonight either and just generally doesn’t seem himself, so I’m a bit concerned

(Also I know his nails need a trim, was planning to do that tomorrow so we’ll see how the vet goes)

View attachment 214873 View attachment 214872 View attachment 214874

The best way to get stuck poos off is to soak the foot and then gently work off what comes off well; repeat as long as necessary to prevent skin coming off.

Please disinfect with homemade saline solution. You can find the recipe in here: First Aid Kit: Easily available non-medication support products for an emergency

 

[JaseChase]

The best way to get stuck poos off is to soak the foot and then gently work off what comes off well; repeat as long as necessary to prevent skin coming off.

Please disinfect with homemade saline solution. You can find the recipe in here: First Aid Kit: Easily available non-medication support products for an emergency

Thank you Wiebke, I'll read through that guide

Just home from the vets. Tofu has a nailbed infection in his paw where the poop was stuck, so she's given me antibiotics and a painkiller. She checked his eye with the dye and thankfully it's not scratched with no signs of an ulcer, but she said it is looking a bit inflamed and the painkiller should help him feel a bit more comfortable. Antibiotics for 10-14 days (as long as the bottle lasts) and then if it's not cleared up back to the vets

I've not had to syringe before and I've read other threads on here of piggies having tummy issues on antibiotics so I would really love some advice - he's been prescribed:

Baytril (2.5%) 0.5ml 2x a day
Dog loxicom (1.5mg) 0.16ml 1x a day

She also weighed Tofu at the vet and he was 1.07kg, he was 1.04kg yesterday so no weight loss. Should I get some recovery feed in anyway just in case? I'll weigh him on my own scales once he's had a chance to recover from the vet visit (they've never been before, I brought Noodle along so he had his brother for company), he has been off his veg but he's been munching away on his hay. I'm going to get a fresh bag of hay this afternoon anyway to make sure he's got something nice and I guess I should be weighing him every day while he's on the meds?

Vet also advised to keep his paw as clean as possible and rinse with the saline solution the same as Wiebke suggested, and to mix in some juice/banana with the baytril so he's more likely to take it. I'll be grabbing the syringe feeding guide for a long read-through as soon as I'm done typing this!

Pretty worried because neither of my boys have had issues before, I know this isn't super serious but it's still slightly nerve-wracking - this was the worst week for it to happen in too because we've still not finished unpacking from the move and the dog has been to the vets twice this week as well. It never rains it pours!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you Wiebke, I'll read through that guide

Just home from the vets. Tofu has a nailbed infection in his paw where the poop was stuck, so she's given me antibiotics and a painkiller. She checked his eye with the dye and thankfully it's not scratched with no signs of an ulcer, but she said it is looking a bit inflamed and the painkiller should help him feel a bit more comfortable. Antibiotics for 10-14 days (as long as the bottle lasts) and then if it's not cleared up back to the vets

I've not had to syringe before and I've read other threads on here of piggies having tummy issues on antibiotics so I would really love some advice - he's been prescribed:

Baytril (2.5%) 0.5ml 2x a day
Dog loxicom (1.5mg) 0.16ml 1x a day

She also weighed Tofu at the vet and he was 1.07kg, he was 1.04kg yesterday so no weight loss. Should I get some recovery feed in anyway just in case? I'll weigh him on my own scales once he's had a chance to recover from the vet visit (they've never been before, I brought Noodle along so he had his brother for company), he has been off his veg but he's been munching away on his hay. I'm going to get a fresh bag of hay this afternoon anyway to make sure he's got something nice and I guess I should be weighing him every day while he's on the meds?

Vet also advised to keep his paw as clean as possible and rinse with the saline solution the same as Wiebke suggested, and to mix in some juice/banana with the baytril so he's more likely to take it. I'll be grabbing the syringe feeding guide for a long read-through as soon as I'm done typing this!

Pretty worried because neither of my boys have had issues before, I know this isn't super serious but it's still slightly nerve-wracking - this was the worst week for it to happen in too because we've still not finished unpacking from the move and the dog has been to the vets twice this week as well. It never rains it pours!

Hi

Glad that it is not an eye infection but very sorry about the foot infection. Good that you have had your boy seen!

Here is our very practical step-by-step medication and feeding support guide which contains all the little how-to tricks as well as the necessary background information in order to manage illness support or dealing with an uncooperative piggy (baytril tastes about as horrible as they come): All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Give the loxicom/metacam (pinkiller/anti-inflammatory) first - that one contains a little honey to make it go down even if a pet is feeling off food; then give the baytril and immediately after syringe the same amount of water (0.5 is about a mouthful) to wash away the worst of the taste, followed by their favourite veg or half a tablespoon of pellets (the recommended daily allowance is 1 tablespoon per piggy per day) so he won't feel himself too hard done by. Give the companion the same amount of pellets at the same time so they smell the same around the mouth.

The majority of piggies tolerate baytril well or it would not continue to be preacribed. Poos can be a little softer but that stops once the baytril wears off. In some cases it can impact harder on the gut microbiome; especially with higher dosages (your vet is taking no chances with a potential foot infection).
That is when probiotics and poo soup come in. Baytril is still by far the most commonly used antibiotic for guinea pigs so the negative feedback is correspondingly stronger. Negative reactions can happen with any antibiotic.
The problem with online information is that you mainly get all the horror stories and miracle cures but not the full picture in proportion because nobody is finding it worth posting about a perfectly normal uneventful recovery. Even on this forum, we are seeing more than the average share of problems because that is what we are often contacted over. You always have to mentally add in the vast majority of things going right if you want to get a bit of a perspective.

For more information on a wide range of topics, I would recommend to bookmark this link to our information resource here; you can also find a shortcut on our top bar when you expand it. You may find it both helpful and interesting.
Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

We often add in our information links for the little practical tips or in-depth information because we cannot repeat it all at length every single time and still be able to answer as many posts as possible in our own free time.

All the best! Please continue using this thread for any further questions, updates or support so we have all information together.

 

[Merab]

It is worrying when you have a sick piggy but getting to the vet so promptly will have helped.
One vet told me to wrap a piggy firmly in a towel when trying to give meds.

None of mine have ever had upset tummies from Baytril. Phoebe did get a slight upset when she was on Zithromax though.

Hope you boy makes a speedy recovery

 

[JaseChase]

Thank you both, really reassuring to hear that lots of piggies do just fine with antibiotics - it’s easy to get a bit panicky I guess

Managed to give him the first dose of meds - the Loxicom/metacam went down perfectly but he was not happy about the Baytril at all took a few attempts and he did swallow it all, but he wasn’t having any of the water after and went straight for the lettuce instead so I let him eat it. Will try the water again tomorrow - I can see that this takes practise!

Noodle was watching very intently from the cage and wheeking when I got the lettuce out, but I think that helped to keep Tofu calm while I was giving him the meds. Carrying on trying when he was wriggly and not pleased with the meds was a bit tough but the syringe guide and piggie whispering tips really helped a lot - I ended up propping him in my lap against my torso and doing it that way and it worked despite lots of wriggling

Here’s the poorly boy looking innocent as anything with dinner:

 

[JaseChase]

Tofu took his meds really well this morning, he managed the antibiotic all in one go and had some water straight after and then munched on his morning pellets. I weighed him first though and he's down to 1157g (he was 1204g two days ago, his usual is 1090g-1210g, and the vet weighed him yesterday at 1207g). So by my calculations that's a loss of 50g in 24 hours, although the vet weighed him later in the day (I usually weigh first thing before breakfast)

Is that enough to be concerning? He's eating his pellets (1 tablespoon) this morning but he's less interested in veg and I know there's no way to be sure of hay intake by eye (I have seen him munching). Should I get in some recovery feed? I'll have another read through the guide about support feeding as well, I'm just not sure if this is enough loss to be worrying or if I should wait to see how he's doing tomorrow

 

[Piggies&buns]

Tofu took his meds really well this morning, he managed the antibiotic all in one go and had some water straight after and then munched on his morning pellets. I weighed him first though and he's down to 1157g (he was 1204g two days ago, his usual is 1090g-1210g, and the vet weighed him yesterday at 1207g). So by my calculations that's a loss of 50g in 24 hours, although the vet weighed him later in the day (I usually weigh first thing before breakfast)

Is that enough to be concerning? He's eating his pellets (1 tablespoon) this morning but he's less interested in veg and I know there's no way to be sure of hay intake by eye (I have seen him munching). Should I get in some recovery feed? I'll have another read through the guide about support feeding as well, I'm just not sure if this is enough loss to be worrying or if I should wait to see how he's doing tomorrow

The weight checks are the way to know they are eating enough hay (pellets and veg are such a small part of the diet).
As he has lost 50g then it means he may well have reduced his hay intake so, yes, that is grounds to go on alert.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[JaseChase]

The weight checks are the way to know they are eating enough hay (pellets and veg are such a small part of the diet).
As he has lost 50g then it means he may well have reduced his hay intake so, yes, that is grounds to go on alert.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Thank you, I’ll order some recovery food and extra syringes to make sure it’s in if he does need it. Glad I started the daily weighing!

 

[Merab]

I put a small dish of grated carrot or sweet potato mixed with raw oats in the cage when I’ve had a piggy who needed to regain weight.

I also mixed a bit of mashed banana in with the syringe feed - mine loved that.
While waiting for the arrival of the recovery food you can also used pellets soaked in lukewarm water until they cool and turn to mush.

Hope Tofu starts to regain weight soon.

 

[JaseChase]

Thanks for the tips, I’m keeping a record of them all! Slightly silly question - can guinea pigs eat gluten free oats? I’m gluten intolerant so I only have gluten free oats in right now, but I can get some gluten ones if that’s better

His weight this morning was about the same as yesterday (1161g so technically 3g more) so I haven’t done any support feeding yet, but the emeraid and extra syringes arrived today so if he’s dropped tomorrow I can step in. Probiotics should be arriving tomorrow too

If he hovers around the same weight should I still be offering extras in the cage like grated carrot/sweet potato/oats etc? I’m thinking I’ll call the vet if he’s dropped weight tomorrow

Here he is having a munch on some hay after tonight’s meds session - I got him a forage box to see if that would entice him to eat more and he tucked straight in. He’s still showing very little interest in veg and pellets but his eye is back to normal and his paw is a lot less red/swollen than it was

 

[JaseChase]

Tofu put on weight!

Today he's weighed in at 1184g (Monday he was 1207g, Tuesday 1157g, yesterday 1161g and today 1184g). I am so relieved, he's not all the way back to his normal but it's definitely going in the right direction. His paw is looking a lot less red and swollen as well, he's still hobbling a bit in the cage and not moving around as much but I think he's on the mend

He fought the baytril a lot this morning (I think he thought it was the metacam as he went looking for the syringe as soon as I sat him down, alas he only gets that in the evenings) but I did get most of it down him, followed by water and pellets. Now he's back in the cage munching on a giant pile of fresh hay. I am one relieved piggie papa

 

[JaseChase]

Quick final update to say Tofu is now off the meds and made a full recovery his paw is back to normal, he’s happily popcorning again with no limping and he got back to his normal weight range after the first week on meds. Thank you for the advice!

 

[Bill & Ted]

Good to see Tofu looking so well x

 

[Idris]

Chips has got either hay or herb in his eye - I thought it had come out overnight. So would some cooled boiled water not be a good idea to help flush it out?

 

[Idris]

Chips has got either hay or herb in his eye - I thought it had come out overnight. So would some cooled boiled water not be a good idea to help flush it out?

Happily it seems to have come out without intervention.