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Hay stuck in eye - piggy feeling generally unwell?

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Abnoba

Abnoba

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This morning I went downstairs, got something out of the fridge - and stopped. Usually by now Uther would be wheeking like god knows what, as soon as he hears the fridge open in the morning. So I went and looked, and he was cuddled up in a bit of straw in one corner of the cage, appearing to be sleeping. I came closer and he still wouldnt move which is unusual but I put it down to him being very tame. I put a bit more straw in that area and even that didnt make him move, he only openened his eyes to look at me.

I was getting worried at that point. Put a handful of lettuce-mix in a far off corner of the cage, and made my "lunch is served" noise and that eventually got him up. He hopped over to the lettuce, sniffed it - and didnt eat. Which is very unusual because he is an eating machine.

So I got him out of the cage (he was very active then, trying not to be caught :P) and weighed him, minimal weight loss, nothing major. Worried that it might be a tooth problem that make him feel down, I held some parsley in front of him, and he actually ate a bit - but after one stem he left it. And thats his favourite. :(

So I sat down, really really worried now, and checked him all over. Didnt find anything, until I noticed his left eye had a tiny bit of discharge and underneath the eye it looked like he had been crying a bit. So I had a closer look and noticed in the corner of his eye a tiny bit of hay (looked like an eyelash from the thickness of it, which is why at first I didnt notice) stuck in the corner of his eye. Like, really perpendicular. I pulled his eyelid up a bit and noticed that the white of the eye was a bit red. Doublechecked by comparing with the other eye - yep, thats perfectly white, so a bit of redness isnt normal. So I carefully pulled out that hay - he was very good and sitting still - and he immediately looked around, being bit brighter.
When I popped him back into the cage he was hopping about and all. :)

Still didnt touch the food though. :-\

Now I am just wondering, when a piggy has something like that happen - hay stuck in eye, splinter in foot, things like that, does it affect their general wellbeing and mood? I just didnt think that something minor like hay stuck in eye, while being painful, would put a piggy off its food! :o

Do you think I should monitor this further, or rush to the vets immediately, seeing as its an eye-related prob?

Am just worried about the redness of the eye, if something could have gotten infected.
 
I had this two weeks ago, let them out for their run around as normal and noticed Cubby was holding his head right over on one side and his eye was shut! he wasn't interested in his grub. I picked him up bathed his eye in salt water and dropped some Brolene in, the next morning his eye was opened a little and I just repeated the bathing and brolene for the next three days and eventually his eye opened it and he was back to his hungry self his eye was a little red and cloudy but its fine now. I thought at the time that as he is only 5 months old and it was the first thing wrong with him and it made him feel down.
But it does panic you doesn't it?
 
I guess having hay stuck in the eye must be pretty painful for them and as we all know pigs hide pain very well, as theres no real weight loss and he is brighter I would monitor him,although I would myself have put some drops I always have from the vets I get a repeat think its a kind of A/B cream , I do believe others use optrex hopefully some one will confirm this for me,
but do keep an eye on him ( no doubt you are watching him non stop already) eyes often look worse then it is becasue its nature way of protecting the eye surface it goes hwite, Tigers is white and is on the cream no idea why he injured his eye though
 
Hey Ulrike - I had an identical situation with Sylvie. I used Optrex on her eye & the relief was plain to see. Ifyou can't get it in the eye put a drop on the closed eye & when they open it up it floods the eye. Just make sure that they don't get any in their eye - can cause major in humans so no doubt in pigs. (an old office trick - drop of Optrex in the tea nasty!& I haven't tried it on my enemies >:D yet).
 
hils78 said:
Ifyou can't get it in the eye put a drop on the closed eye & when they open it up it floods the eye. Just make sure that they don't get any in their eye - can cause major in humans so no doubt in pigs.
Click to expand...

did you want to say mouth? ?
 
Err i'm not sure either... hello Hils ?

Poor little baby Uther what a wonderful little man, he's obviously healthy and strong to be able to survive that :smitten:
Sending healing wheeks and cuddles to him from us :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
uther.jpg


thats him last night - looking good, the little man ;)
 
buddy was like that a few weeks ago, i noticed red in his eye when u pulled lid down, if you know what i mean.....

he was very down, i checked him all over and couldn't see anything. while sitting on floor with him i saw a very fine strand in his eye, right in the centre :'(

got my partner to hold him and i used tweezers to gently take it out, maybe i shouldn't have but felt i had to do some thing. washed his eye out and lucky for me i had some antibiotic eye ointment. he seemed to improve in his manner straight after.

i put him into his bed as it was bed time for us all ;) next morning i thought if still bad I'll get him to vets but next morning he was back to his bossy self and i felt proud that i had learned what to do from all these books and forums we all read to look after are piggies.

it made me realise i should wear my glasses more ;D as my eyesight is alto better with them on.

just give his eye a regular clean out and just keep an eye on it, no pun meant ;D buddy's stayed red for a few days.
 
optrex or boiled water left to cool right down thats what i always use.

he is cute
 
well, we checked on him a few times today, he seems to be eating fine, the only thing different is that he isnt as bouncy as usual.

we had another look at his eye and it is still red, if it had been only a minor irritation it should have gone by now, so it might well be an infection. We shall ring the vets first thing tomorrow.

my boyfriend - worried from previous experience with vets - def. wants to ring the CCT tomorrow BEFORE going to the vets,
to see if Vedra has any suggestions our normal vet might not come up with.

Do you guys think that is really necessary? Isnt a problem like this very routine for a vet?
 
When bumble had hay stuck in her eye just after I got her my friend sent me eye drops. I bathed it in salt water and by the time the drops came through the post, eye was all clear. Friend is a vet and it was her advice to bath it 3 times a day less than 48 hours and the eye was fine. Good luck hope piggie is all better soon.
 
I was just going to say piggy lips too.Oh my god how gorgeous is he?.What a cutie :-*
 
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