Microphthalmia

[Frances B]

Are pigs with this disorder always all white? Our sow had 5 babies on 10th December. One appears to have microphthalmia. Not all white.
One very small eye, problems eating - I believe missing teeth, seems to be deaf. lost weight since birth, not feeding from mum, being syringe fed and we feed it veggies by holding onto the veggies.
If we don’t hold the veg the baby starts flapping its paws around. What are the chances of a normal life for this pig? Can a vet diagnose this on a one week old pig?

 

[Wheekallweek]

Hm, sounds like lethal white syndrome but I'm not sure if the pig is always white! I think the issue with lethal white occurs on the gene which controls colour hence they are pure white, although don't quote me on it. A vet check is in order here I think, piggies have all their teeth when born so the vet should easily be able to tell.

My boy Larry had micropthalmia in both eyes. One was removed due to his diabetes and he had very little sight in the other, but he was brown and ginger. He also struggled as a baby, we got him as he'd been taken to be PTS as his mum had abandoned him and he couldn't stand. He recovered well and grew into a 1.3kg piggy! Unfortunately he passed away not long before his third birthday so didn't live a standard piggy life.

I don't think micropthalmia necessarily means a pig is a lethal white. But your babies' symptoms do sound very similar

 

[Bill & Ted]

yes, I think lethal whites are all white. But piggies with colour8ng can suffer from blindness @Eriathwen has a piggie who is blind and also two lethal boys

 

[Eriathwen]

Micropthalmia can effect guinea pigs of all colours, it is essentially a genetic disorder that causes small or missing eyes, all lethal whites will have micropthalmia but not all micropthalmia piggies are lethal whites (if that makes sense) and yes all lethal whites are totally white as they are completely lacking any skin pigment.
For example my boy Paddington has micropthalmia but he is black and cream, non lethal white piggies with this issue are usually from inbreeding. I also have Pearl who is lilac and white but is totally blind with neurological issues and also seems to have slightly smaller eyes than normal.

Being inbred means that they're at risk of all sorts of other genetic defects, malocclusion, deafness, neurological issues etc

I have multiple piggies with multiple issues (blindness, neurological issues etc) including my 2 lethal whites and I consider each of them to have an excellent quality of life. Its important to remember that they don't know any different, so as long as you can make allowances for their differences to ensure they do have a good quality of life, even if it isn't a 'normal' life compared to a 'normal' piggy, there's no reason not to give them the chance to live their version of normal

 

[Frances B]

Yes we think it might be inbreeding. Not sure who the father is. We thought she was a boar. Was together with 2 males. Either one could be the father. One of them is potentially her brother but we don’t know for sure.

 

[aredgrave90]

I'm definitely not an expert, and I'm probably stating the obvious, but I think more than ever this is a situation where you need a vet that is really pig-savvy. A vet who knows their stuff will be able to advise you and talk you through care and quality of life issues. A general vet might simply write her off, when adaptation from you might be what she really needs. On the other hand, if she isn't going to make it, you will at least have the assurance that you spoke to a vet who knew what they were doing.

 

[Frances B]

A couple of photos of the eye

 

[Frances B]

I'm definitely not an expert, and I'm probably stating the obvious, but I think more than ever this is a situation where you need a vet that is really pig-savvy. A vet who knows their stuff will be able to advise you and talk you through care and quality of life issues. A general vet might simply write her off, when adaptation from you might be what she really needs. On the other hand, if she isn't going to make it, you will at least have the assurance that you spoke to a vet who knew what they were doing.

Yes I have the phone number of a vet who’s supposed to know their stuff on this. Will call tomorrow.

 

[Frances B]

So we saw a vet yesterday who confirmed Microphthalmia. He struggled to see well enough inside the mouth to confirm my theory of teeth missing. But he said he couldn’t hear the teeth rubbing when he moved the jaws from side to side. We’re going to look again in 3 weeks (if baby is still with us then).
Pup still seems to be doing well despite not gaining much weight. Gets to feed alone a couple of times a day plus being fed by syringe 3-4 times every day.

 

[Wiebke]

A couple of photos of the eye

Please also have your little one checked for potential inturned eyelashes (entropion). the painful eye may retract and look smaller. It is an issue non uncommon in newborns that is easily rectified by a vet but leaving it can scar the cornea and lead to blindness. Just to be on the safe side.
Guinea Lynx :: Eyes

Genetic problems can sadly happen with guinea pigs of any colour or breed; all it takes is inheriting the same faulty gene or gene complex from both parents. Lethals are always white (no pigment), though; and both parents need to be carriers of the faulty roan gene.

 

[Frances B]

Taking them to a specialist vet tomorrow to get the eye checked out properly, and to see if there are any back teeth.

 

[Frances B]

So we did our 5 hour round trip to the specialist vet today (slightly nuts maybe but so worth it).
They loved our babies and took lots of photos
So the little one does have Microphthalmia. Probably doesn’t see more than shadows in the small eye. However he has all of his teeth. The teeth are a little grey so he’s getting vit C daily for 2 weeks.
Heart and lungs all good, seemed very healthy apart from being very small. So the vet said he’ll always be on the smaller side - probably not more than 600g fully grown, but should be able to live a normal life.
They checked all the babies and said all were doing great. Praised us for our hand feeding of the two little ones, thought we’d managed really well .
Found out that all 5 are boars (story of my life… my 3 kids are all boys)
Advised us to separate the 3 big boys this weekend (or at 250g if that’s before). Thought the two little boys need a bit longer with mum, didn’t believe they were big enough to be sexually mature yet. Still only weigh around 95-100g each. Suggested 2 weeks more of hand feeding plus vit c. And probably the same amount of time before moving them out from mum too. But going to keep a close eye on weight.

 

[Wiebke]

So we did our 5 hour round trip to the specialist vet today (slightly nuts maybe but so worth it).
They loved our babies and took lots of photos
So the little one does have Microphthalmia. Probably doesn’t see more than shadows in the small eye. However he has all of his teeth. The teeth are a little grey so he’s getting vit C daily for 2 weeks.
Heart and lungs all good, seemed very healthy apart from being very small. So the vet said he’ll always be on the smaller side - probably not more than 600g fully grown, but should be able to live a normal life.
They checked all the babies and said all were doing great. Praised us for our hand feeding of the two little ones, thought we’d managed really well .
Found out that all 5 are boars (story of my life… my 3 kids are all boys)
Advised us to separate the 3 big boys this weekend (or at 250g if that’s before). Thought the two little boys need a bit longer with mum, didn’t believe they were big enough to be sexually mature yet. Still only weigh around 95-100g each. Suggested 2 weeks more of hand feeding plus vit c. And probably the same amount of time before moving them out from mum too. But going to keep a close eye on weight.

Hi!

Glad that you have some answers. Make sure that all boys are looking similar inside the slit. Check again when you reunite them with their smaller siblings.

You can keep the 2 little ones safely with sows for longer but please not past 4-5 weeks - you will know when their mother considers them weaned; this generally happens around 4 weeks and she will be drying up by then. She will also come into season again between 4-5 weeks.
The 250g rule works for the largest piggies as much as for the smallest to allow them some precious extra time with their mother without you worrying.
Please encourage the two smaller ones to eat on their own as much as possible (especially hay, which is the mainstay of their diet and will take care of their teeth. See whether they are now able to eat their extra feed from a shallow bowl/dish rather from a syringe and gradually reduce the feeding frequency in the measure that they are able to take on more food on board in one go. It will make life a lot easier for you. Babies switch to mainly eating adult food during the second week of their lives. The more you supplement feed, the less hay they will eat on their own because they won't be hungrier just because you offer more feed.

 

[Frances B]

Hi!

Glad that you have some answers. Make sure that all boys are looking similar inside the slit. Check again when you reunite them with their smaller siblings.

You can keep the 2 little ones safely with sows for longer but please not past 4-5 weeks - you will know when their mother considers them weaned; this generally happens around 4 weeks and she will be drying up by then. She will also come into season again between 4-5 weeks.
The 250g rule works for the largest piggies as much as for the smallest to allow them some precious extra time with their mother without you worrying.
Please encourage the two smaller ones to eat on their own as much as possible (especially hay, which is the mainstay of their diet and will take care of their teeth. See whether they are now able to eat their extra feed from a shallow bowl/dish rather from a syringe and gradually reduce the feeding frequency in the measure that they are able to take on more food on board in one go. It will make life a lot easier for you. Babies switch to mainly eating adult food during the second week of their lives. The more you supplement feed, the less hay they will eat on their own because they won't be hungrier just because you offer more feed.

They love their hay thank goodness. We have two big piles of hay in their pen. They graze all day at it. And the hand feeds are fewer and fewer so looks like it’s all going in the right direction. Little one also seems to be dealing with veggies better by the day. The sight issues were a big problem in the early days. What we’ve been doing is feeding them veggies separately from the other pups for a while every day as they are slower and that’s been great.

 

[Bill & Ted]

You are doing a great job

 

[Wiebke]

They love their hay thank goodness. We have two big piles of hay in their pen. They graze all day at it. And the hand feeds are fewer and fewer so looks like it’s all going in the right direction. Little one also seems to be dealing with veggies better by the day. The sight issues were a big problem in the early days. What we’ve been doing is feeding them veggies separately from the other pups for a while every day as they are slower and that’s been great.

That sounds very promising!

They will likely always be smaller but you can hopefully keep them together as a pair once you separate. Unless there are life-shortening genetic issues in play - and the micropthalmia is pointing towards the possibility in your case -, they have a normal life expectancy in good care.

The good news is that for disabled piggies, their abilities are their normal since they have never experienced otherwise, and they will live it to the full. Guinea pigs don't have a set expectation of longevity or body size; they still have as much fun and joy of life as everypig else. Since guinea pigs measure a good life in happy days (and they know them when they see them!), as long as you give them plenty of care and enrichment, you cannot fail them, irrespective of how long or short they live. Enrichment doesn't mean lots of toys and treats but it can be very simple and cheap things and include interaction with you where you enter their world.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

 

[Swissgreys]

I don't have anything really to contribute but I wanted to say I have been following your amazing story and you are doing an incredible job with these piggies.
So many people would not have made half the effort that you have - all your piggies are very lucky to have ended up with you.

 

[Wheekallweek]

How gorgeous is he