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One Eye Is Watering

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LilyandGeorge

LilyandGeorge

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, I'm new to the forum though have been reading avidly since adopting George and Lily frim a friend about 3 months ago.

My boar, George (neutered, approx 3 years old), has a watery left eye. His other eye is fine.
The eye started watering on Easter Sunday, but it did not appear injured, inflamed or different in colour. His cheek was a bit wet from the moisture. Yesterday (Monday), the eye continued to appear watery periodically, but no worse than before, then this morning it looked fine. I thought maybe he had had a small hay injury which had cleared up. However, this evening, the eye started to water again. I am now wondering if I should get it checked out. I can't see anything stuck in his eye.
George has no other symptoms - his eating, drinking, activity levels etc are the same as usual. He does not particularly like being handled and is getting slightly annoyed with me trying to peer at his eye all the time, poor little fellow!
I tried to take a photo of each eye to compare them. I'm just trying to figure out how to uplad them from ipad. He has dark pink eyes. I am quite new to the (wonderful!) world of guinea pigs so would really appreciate a more experienced person's opinion before imposing a vet visit upon him. Thanks for any advice.
 
If you are worried it is best to get it checked. It could be an allergic reaction to something in his environment, but you need to rule out a possible respiratory infection, hay poke or even a dental issue. Hopefully it is nothing serious though. I think with a dental issue or URI he would not be as bright as he is.

He is not near any type of draft is he?

Welcome to the forum.
 
Hi, thanks for replying. He lives indoors. The room is not drafty, but I do open the windows to let some fresh air in every couple of days, as long as it's not windy. It's quite warm here at the moment. He was ouside in the garden last week, but exercised indoors at the weekend.
 
LilyandGeorge said:
Hello, I'm new to the forum though have been reading avidly since adopting George and Lily frim a friend about 3 months ago.

My boar, George (neutered, approx 3 years old), has a watery left eye. His other eye is fine.
The eye started watering on Easter Sunday, but it did not appear injured, inflamed or different in colour. His cheek was a bit wet from the moisture. Yesterday (Monday), the eye continued to appear watery periodically, but no worse than before, then this morning it looked fine. I thought maybe he had had a small hay injury which had cleared up. However, this evening, the eye started to water again. I am now wondering if I should get it checked out. I can't see anything stuck in his eye.
George has no other symptoms - his eating, drinking, activity levels etc are the same as usual. He does not particularly like being handled and is getting slightly annoyed with me trying to peer at his eye all the time, poor little fellow!
I tried to take a photo of each eye to compare them. I'm just trying to figure out how to uplad them from ipad. He has dark pink eyes. I am quite new to the (wonderful!) world of guinea pigs so would really appreciate a more experienced person's opinion before imposing a vet visit upon him. Thanks for any advice.
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PLease have him checked by a vet. Non-ulcerated eye injuries are not necessarily visible in normal light. A vet will use dye and special lighting to assess whether there is any damage.
Why It's Important To Have An Eye Injury Checked By A Vet
 
Thanks, that thread is useful. I will have another look before I go to bed and then again first thing tomorrow. I have found a nice vet in town and will get him seen if still a concern in the morning.
 
Quick update - unfortunately the exotics vet was not in today, so I spoke to someone else at the surgery. After asking me questions about George's general health, they concluded that it would be ok to see him tomorrow, when the specialist is back. So I've booked him in first thing in the morning. His eye looks ok today, but having read the advice about eye injuries, I would like to make sure. I am happy to see that he is still eating, drinking, wheeking and rumblestrutting as normal!
 
Latest update - The eye is still intermittently watering, so glad I booked vet. Vet thinks it may be his teeth, as others mentioned here. He tried to inspect the teeth with a little gadget, but, unsurprisingly, George wasn't very cooperative! Also vet said his view of the teeth was obscured by a large quantity of hay! So we are going back tomorrow evening. The vet is planning to take a good look at all teeth with George under anaesthetic, and file the teeth if necessary. The front incisors look fine, but I guess the back ones could be the problem.

The hardest part is that the vet has asked me not to give him any food for 2 hours before the appointment :eek:. I'm going to feel like a real meanie! It will be especially hard to stop him eating hay as it lines some of his favourite areas. I even line the pet carrier with it! I suppose I will have to remove it. Also, Lily will have to go without - she'll be furious! Any tips on this most welcome!
 
LilyandGeorge said:
Latest update - The eye is still intermittently watering, so glad I booked vet. Vet thinks it may be his teeth, as others mentioned here. He tried to inspect the teeth with a little gadget, but, unsurprisingly, George wasn't very cooperative! Also vet said his view of the teeth was obscured by a large quantity of hay! So we are going back tomorrow evening. The vet is planning to take a good look at all teeth with George under anaesthetic, and file the teeth if necessary. The front incisors look fine, but I guess the back ones could be the problem.

The hardest part is that the vet has asked me not to give him any food for 2 hours before the appointment :eek:. I'm going to feel like a real meanie! It will be especially hard to stop him eating hay as it lines some of his favourite areas. I even line the pet carrier with it! I suppose I will have to remove it. Also, Lily will have to go without - she'll be furious! Any tips on this most welcome!
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I would put your piggies in the hay-free carrier two hours before you leave. They won't perish if they are without food for a few hours. But I would give them the opportunity to have water.

Most guinea pigs have got gunk in their mouths. You can also gently clear the sides between teeth and cheeks with a cotton bud before you leave.

All the best! As the watering continues, but there is no obvious issue with the eye, elongated roots/tooth issues are the next port of call. When teeth overgrow, it is generally the premolars that grow spurs.

Please make sure that you get painkiller after a dental exploration/procedure. Most dental piggies feel rather sore and don't eat straight away, so you need to start syringe feeding for fibre and if they take it, feed grated veg once they are better in themselves.
You can find tips for dental guinea pigs in our syringe feeding guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Thanks, I hadn't thought about soreness afterwards. Fortunately he has been eating well and has actually gained a small amount of weight since he joined us in January. With your advice I'll be prepared now!
 
Phew, just got back from the vet! Was expecting all to be over by 7pm, but didn't get back til 10pm, with tired kids in tow. Anyway, thankfully George is ok. The vet said that the teeth behind were very slightly overgrown so he filed them, but he didn't think that this was the cause of the eye inflammation after all. He is still unsure about why the eye was watering. I have been given Metacam to give for next 4 days, for inflammation, and Oftalmowell eye drops to give every 8 hours for 7 days, with a review on Wednesday. Just know he's gonna love those eye drops!

Lily kept him company, which helped. They were both so brave. George is now trying to eat some hay, bit I can see that his mouth feels awkward. Is it necessary to syringe feed him already, or should I leave him be for a while?
 
I would let him settle for a bit . If he isn't eating well in 2 hours time , it may be worth syringe feeding him .
 
LilyandGeorge said:
Phew, just got back from the vet! Was expecting all to be over by 7pm, but didn't get back til 10pm, with tired kids in tow. Anyway, thankfully George is ok. The vet said that the teeth behind were very slightly overgrown so he filed them, but he didn't think that this was the cause of the eye inflammation after all. He is still unsure about why the eye was watering. I have been given Metacam to give for next 4 days, for inflammation, and Oftalmowell eye drops to give every 8 hours for 7 days, with a review on Wednesday. Just know he's gonna love those eye drops!

Lily kept him company, which helped. They were both so brave. George is now trying to eat some hay, bit I can see that his mouth feels awkward. Is it necessary to syringe feed him already, or should I leave him be for a while?
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I would leave him, but offer him some before you go to bed and weigh him then. Step in as soon as he loses more than 30g - if he loses about 40g overnight, this means that he hasn't eaten anything worth mentioning all the time.

It can be that the teeth roots are elongated. Did your vet take an x-ray?

@furryfriends (TEAS)
 
Thanks for your replies. No, he didn't take an X ray. Would that be the only way to show a root problem? If so, I could discuss it when I next see the vet. I will feed and weigh him before I go to bed, in about an hour.
 
LilyandGeorge said:
Thanks for your replies. No, he didn't take an X ray. Would that be the only way to show a root problem? If so, I could discuss it when I next see the vet. I will feed and weigh him before I go to bed, in about an hour.
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Yes, it is the only way it would show up. There is not a huge lot you can do about elongated roots, but at least you will know what is going on.
 
George accepted the metacam after an initial protest this morning and I think the eye drop went in. After that he ate some pellets and veggies - loved the grated carrot and young celery leaves - and he is now munching hay in the cosy nest. He appears to be drinking as he peed on me!

He would not take the syringe feed last night. He lost 34g overnight and I don't see many of his poos, but there are a few (they look different to Lily's!) I will keep a close watch and keep checking his weight.
 
Just to say thanks to everyone for all the advice. George is doing really well. He has already regained the weight he lost over Friday night and is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing normally. His eye is looking ok now too, though obviously I will continue the eye drops and metacam as prescribed. Got a review at vet's on Weds, but I'm confident all is fine now.
 
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