My Guinea Pig's eye is swollen and some discharge is there.

[Mohammad Saad]

I got my new Guinea pigs few days back. One is way too shy and other way too playful.Yesterday the playful one got some swelling around its and is squinting one of its eye so we cleaned that eye hoping it would get better but today I noticed some cloudiness/greyness in its eye. There aren't any vets available in my city rn due to Festive season (I live in India). So is there some type of home remedy till the vets get back?
I opened its eye and checked if it's some type of hay poke but I'm not experienced enough to check. Please help I think its hay poke as my brother gave them dry grass 2 days back.

 

[Piggies&buns]

your piggy needs a vet and eyes are classed as urgent.
if it is a haypoke then your piggy will need a vet to prescribe pain killers and antibiotics. You can’t check yourself, dyes and lights need to be used to check for ulceration and for the vet to check under the eye lids for any pieces of hay that may still be in there. There is nothing you can do yourself and we would never recommend a home remedy in any event as you can quite often make the problem worse. Vet treatment is needed.

what do you mean your brother gave them dry grass two days ago? Guinea pigs need hay in their cage at all times As it is their main source of food.

 

[Mohammad Saad]

your piggy needs a vet and eyes are classed as urgent.
if it is a haypoke then your piggy will need a vet to prescribe pain killers and antibiotics. You can’t check yourself, dyes and lights need to be used to check for ulceration and for the vet to check under the eye lids for any pieces of hay thwf may still be in there. There is nothing you can do yourself and we would never recommend a home remedy in any event as you can quite often make the problem worse.

what do you mean your brother gave them dry grass two days ago? Guinea pigs need hay in their cage at all times As it is their main source of food.

He gave them dry grass without cleaning them so small pieces could've been there

 

[Piggies&buns]

He gave them dry grass without cleaning them so small pieces could've been there

I'm not sure I understand. You need to buy hay for them to eat all the time, you don’t need to clean it. Bags or bales of hay will always contain small pieces. Haypoke or pieces of hay getting in the eye is always going to be a risk given piggies need hay at all times.

the eye does need to be checked by a vet as an emergency though. If it has already gone cloudy then ulceration is setting in and it will be painful.

 

[Mohammad Saad]

I'm not sure I understand. You need to buy hay for them to eat all the time, you don’t need to clean it. Bags or bales of hay will always contain small pieces. Haypoke or pieces of hay getting in the eye is always going to be a risk given piggies need hay at all times.

the eye does need to be checked by a vet as an emergency though. If it has already gone cloudy then ulceration is setting in and it will be painful.

Will be going to a vet in few hours
Thank you for help
Lastly can you please tell how long will it take for it's eye to improve

 

[Piggies&buns]

Will be going to a vet in few hours
Thank you for help
Lastly can you please tell how long will it take for it's eye to improve

it depends entirely on how much damage has been done and how quickly vet treatment is sought and started . Sometimes it’ll be better within a week, but more serious damage can take several weeks of treatment to heal.

 

[Mohammad Saad]

The vet wasn't available today
This is the condition rn

 

[Piggies&buns]

That looks so incredibly sore but I’m afraid there’s little else we can tell you. Your piggy needs a vet and treatment. There is nothing you can do yourself

 

[Mohammad Saad]

It's been giving little squeaks and the other pig is coming to lick it eye and it gets calmed then and kinda relaxes

 

[Piggies&buns]

It's been giving little squeaks and the other pig is coming to lick it eye and it gets calmed then and kinda relaxes

ok, but your piggy will still be experiencing pain. Is there not another vet you can call? Any general vet can see an eye problem as they aren’t a specialist issue

 

[Siikibam]

As said above, eyes can be seen by any vet as treatment is the same. Please try and get him to a vet today. Eyes can go downhill very quickly.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Poor piggy - it really needs to be seen as soon as possible for any antibiotic or antibiotic eye drops and an analgesic as quickly as possible in order to save the eye and potentially your piggy's eye. It must be in very great pain. It is either a very bad conjunctivitis or it is retrobulbar abscess (an infection behind the eye) which has burst and is now tracking under the skin around the eye - my money is rather on the second.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

The companion licking a piggy is a clear sign of major distress in the ill piggy. Saliva contains a small level of antibioti substances but it is not enough to heal.

Please note that hay made from grass (but not freeze dried grass, which is too rich to be more than a treat) should make 80% of the daily food intake. The abrasive silica in the hay are crucial to keep the back teeth ground down, which have developed to grow at the perfect (high) speed to balance against the hay; hay also contains vitamin C and is the reason why guinea pigs never had the need to make their own. If the diet is too soft and only vegetable based, the teeth will overgrow and the disgestive system will become more liable to bloats or diarrhea.
Please take the time to carefully read our diet and hay guide:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

All the best for getting hold of a vet!

 

[Mohammad Saad]

As said above, eyes can be seen by any vet as treatment is the same. Please try and get him to a vet today. Eyes can go downhill very quickly.

As the vet wasn't available today
So I took him to the local breeder I got it from
He said that he got many piggies like this and he can take care of it so I left it with him (I may sound cold here but I got the pair 2 days back and they weren't active and lacked appetite and only had grass they rarely are cucumbers ,so they were kinda sick from the beginning) He exchanged my pair and they seem to be way too active like my previous pair didn't eat for like 5-6 hours but the new ones are going crazy on food
Especially on cucumbers (finishing a slice in like 10 seconds)
I really hope my old pair gets better and I'll try to get them back from him

 

[Wiebke]

As the vet wasn't available today
So I took him to the local breeder I got it from
He said that he got many piggies like this and he can take care of it so I left it with him (I may sound cold here but I got the pair 2 days back and they weren't active and lacked appetite and only had grass they rarely are cucumbers ,so they were kinda sick from the beginning) He exchanged my pair and they seem to be way too active like my previous pair didn't eat for like 5-6 hours but the new ones are going crazy on food
Especially on cucumbers (finishing a slice in like 10 seconds)
I really hope my old pair gets better and I'll try to get them back from him

Fingers very firmly crossed!

 

[Piggies&buns]

As the vet wasn't available today
So I took him to the local breeder I got it from
He said that he got many piggies like this and he can take care of it so I left it with him (I may sound cold here but I got the pair 2 days back and they weren't active and lacked appetite and only had grass they rarely are cucumbers ,so they were kinda sick from the beginning) He exchanged my pair and they seem to be way too active like my previous pair didn't eat for like 5-6 hours but the new ones are going crazy on food
Especially on cucumbers (finishing a slice in like 10 seconds)
I really hope my old pair gets better and I'll try to get them back from him

please be aware that guinea pigs need to eat loads of hay and grass. Hay needs to be their main food and available to them at all times. Eating cucumbers means absolutely nothing, and in fact eating too much veg can make them ill as it can cause a gut imbalance.