Piggie eye irritation - maybe allergies?

[TheSmoresBoars]

My ~5 year old boar has recently started having a slightly gunky/water eye. It does not appear to be a haypoke or injury - it's been more and then less noticeable on and off for a couple of weeks now but does not worsen. He's not batting at it or squinting. Once, about a year ago, maybe, we rushed him to the vet for a watery eye thinking he had a haypoke (he's had a few over the years and we thought what we were seeing was the early signs of another) but there was no foreign body or injury to the eye and the vet opined it was allergies. We got no further information (it was not our regular, beloved, rockstar vet). Anyone had a piggie diagnosed with allergic eye irritation, and if so what helped clear it up? I'm going to call and see if our vet can see him this week, and would like some ideas to bounce around with her if anyone has experience to share!

 

[Seven7]

Sorry to hear about this. I have taken my piggies to the vet over eye infection in the past. I usually lose sleep when my pets are unwell so I take them to the vet.

 

[Wiebke]

My ~5 year old boar has recently started having a slightly gunky/water eye. It does not appear to be a haypoke or injury - it's been more and then less noticeable on and off for a couple of weeks now but does not worsen. He's not batting at it or squinting. Once, about a year ago, maybe, we rushed him to the vet for a watery eye thinking he had a haypoke (he's had a few over the years and we thought what we were seeing was the early signs of another) but there was no foreign body or injury to the eye and the vet opined it was allergies. We got no further information (it was not our regular, beloved, rockstar vet). Anyone had a piggie diagnosed with allergic eye irritation, and if so what helped clear it up? I'm going to call and see if our vet can see him this week, and would like some ideas to bounce around with her if anyone has experience to share!

Hi

Your vet can check:
- Could there be something stuck firmly under the eyelid that is causing ulceration by scratching the eye surface and causing ulceration that way (usually a bit of hay, hay debris with a sharper edge or grass, including scratchy seeds)?
- Is there any sign for a non-ulcerating hay poke or scratch?
- Is the conjunctiva looking healthy?

Only if those questions have been answered in the negative can you and our vet look further. What you can do now is get hold of some plain carbomer-based artificial tear gel, which can help to calm down the eye. Gel is longer lasting than drops and it also penetrates deeper to help speed up any hay poke recovery. We recommend to always have some gel at home - you can also use it for yourself if needed.
It is not a medication and cannot any replace medicated eye drops or gels but it supports the natural healing process in the eye with the added hydration. It can also help with making the eye feel more comfortable and with flushing out dust/pollen/or dirt.
First Aid Kit: Easily available non-medication support products for an emergency

PS: Is your cage close to or in the way of a stronger stream of air conditioning?

 

[TheSmoresBoars]

Thank you! Our vet did find a small corneal abrasion, which we are now treating. He's seems to be doing good. Popping around his clean cage with his buddy.

And we will flesh out our piggy vet kit with the gel - thank you.

Hi

Your vet can check:
- Could there be something stuck firmly under the eyelid that is causing ulceration by scratching the eye surface and causing ulceration that way (usually a bit of hay, hay debris with a sharper edge or grass, including scratchy seeds)?
- Is there any sign for a non-ulcerating hay poke or scratch?
- Is the conjunctiva looking healthy?

Only if those questions have been answered in the negative can you and our vet look further. What you can do now is get hold of some plain carbomer-based artificial tear gel, which can help to calm down the eye. Gel is longer lasting than drops and it also penetrates deeper to help speed up any hay poke recovery. We recommend to always have some gel at home - you can also use it for yourself if needed.
It is not a medication and cannot any replace medicated eye drops or gels but it supports the natural healing process in the eye with the added hydration. It can also help with making the eye feel more comfortable and with flushing out dust/pollen/or dirt.
First Aid Kit: Easily available non-medication support products for an emergency

PS: Is your cage close to or in the way of a stronger stream of air conditioning?