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runny eye/breathing

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ksiusha237

Hello,
So my guinea pig Shura is 4 years old. I've noticed that he has a very runny eye on his right eye and occassionally his breathing seems heavy. He was at the vet around 3 weeks ago, and they saw him breath this way. They listened to his lungs and said he sounds fine. He gets very very nervous at the vet's. They think he is very high strung and gets stressed out easily, so he begins to breath heavily. He doesn't breath like this all the time, but only sometimes randomly. The more nervous he is the more heavy he breaths, but he is normally fine. I get nervous when he starts to breath heavily. He does not make any noises, you can just see his breathing rate has gone up.

About his right eye, the vet thinks it may be a blocked tear duct. For two days it was okay, but now it has begun to water again and I feel bad. I wipe it and try to soothe it with hot water.

My two questions are...
1) What can I do to calm him down and help him to not be so stressed?
2) How can I soothe his eye?

A note- He is very active, cleans himself with a very shiny coat and he eats like a monster. I feel bad that he gets so nervous. He is very tame and loves to be held, I've had him since he was around 2 months so he is very clingy. But I notice now and then he breathes heavier than my other guinea pig. Do some guinea pigs breath faster? He is a little guinea pig.

Thank you for any help,
Ksiusha
 
Hi love, haven't seen you on here for awhile :smitten:

Oh dear poor little Shura as far as the eye goes i'd bathe it gently with a cotton pad (like a makeup remover pad) nothing that's going to put hairs or tissue in his eye, use pre boiled and cooled down water and gentle wipe away from the tear duct towards the back of his face O0 do this a couple of times, i was also advised that you can use those tear drops for piggies which keep their eyes moist... but i'd check with one of the more knowledgable people on here first O0
as for calming him down, well he might just be this way all you can do it reassure him and have some treats and his fav blanket or toy or take his friend when he has to visit the vets O0
Healing wheeks for Shura from us both :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Thank you :) :) I've been quite busy with the foster rabbits. They've been adopted, so that's been good. 0:)

Thank you for the advice. I will try that with his eye. Is a tissue okay as well? Do you think he just breaths this way because this is his personality? Sometimes he breaths heavily, then I put him on the ground to run and he breathes normally. It's so random and confuses me.

Thank you for the help :)
 
Oh gosh you have been busy :o well done O0 :smitten:

I'd not use a tissue as this has fibres that could come off..... :( and tissues are quite harsh :(
Good luck :smitten:
 
I would take your guinea for a second opinion because it sounds like an upper respiratiry infection. Is the eye sticky at all or does it close up?
 
rw3399 said:
I would take your guinea for a second opinion because it sounds like an upper respiratiry infection. Is the eye sticky at all or does it close up?
Click to expand...

I agree with the above, it did sound like a URI. Is this a normal vet? Or an exotic vet? An exotic vet specialises in guinea pigs, and although normal vets are okay in some cases, an exotic would be best.

As for the eye, for now, I would wash it out with salty water to keep it clean. 1/4 teaspoon of slat for every 8 ounces of water. So boil the water and then add the salt, and then leave it too cool so it doesn't hurt him. Once its cool enough, use like a cotton bud to clean his eye, a cotton bud should be fine and better than using a tissue.

Try to find a more experienced vet in your area who knows a little more about guinea pigs. Good luck, and I hope he gets better soon :)
 
Hello,
Yes this vet is an exotic vet and has been seeing him for a year. His eye is fine today, it hasn't been watering, only a tiny bit. His breathing is okay too. He's eating and active. The eye isn't sticky, just watering sometimes. The vet thought it was a blocked tear duct. Sometimes the eye waters a lot sometimes for a few days it is okay. It is his right eye and does not seem to come out of the eye socket as much as the other eye.

Do you really think it is URI? He was at the vet just a few weeks ago, checked by the exotic vet who knows him and she said he was healthy. But she said if I am concerned of course I can bring him back so they can take a closer look. It is very expensive, I wouldn't want to take him unless I am sure something is really wrong.... what do you think? ?

What can I use to clean the eye? So I put hot water on it and clean it? Will the salt burn the eye?
 
i would just gently clean the eye with a cotton bud with the salty water if you have one poart salt to 4 parts water it won't hurt his eyes. as for the URI i would say if you vet is experience with guinea pigs then she would know. you could ask for a second opinion but it could just be nerves as i too suffer with anxiety and the more stressed i am the faster i breathe. sending hugs and healing vibes to shura :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Dont use hot water, use cooled boiled water and a tiny amount of salt.
 
If it was an exotic vet then your vet is probably right. Don't worry about it, just continue to clean his eye with salt water. It won't hurt his eye at all, it will just keep it clean.
 
In that case maybe it is an allergy to something. Is your guinea bedded on sawdust or wood shavings - these are not good for guineas as they can cause respiratory problems.
 
Hello :)
My guinea pigs are on carefresh. He was on Aspen until 2 years ago when we got Hriusha(his friend). I will clean his eye with cool boiled water, and once it is cooled, I add the salt? How much salt? Can I use a cotton ball? Do I just hold it over the eye? Or wipe his eye with this? For how long?

Yes the vet did not think he had URI seeing him breath this way. If he did have URI, wouldnt he be sicker? He eats a lot, like a monster. His droppings are very regular. Everytime he hears me he is excited and thinks I am bringing him a snack.

If this maybe is not URI, why does he breath this way? Is he high strung? What can I do? Try moving his cage to somewhere else? He is in the basement(it is a finished room), and it is around 66-68 degrees, it is warmer upstairs should I try moving his cage? I will have to move him back because we are going to have some construction, in the basement he not be disturbed. He is small. Do your pigs have this problem? What can I do? :(

Also, when he breaths this way, he does not many any noises. I am holding him on my lap and he seems more relaxed and is not breathing as fast. Well just now he makes a slight noise but I don't know how to describe it. He is running around with his stuffed animals.

I'm worried :'(

I'll clean the eye and let you know.

I appreciate the help.
 
Did the vet give you anything for his blocked tear ducts? I goodled blocked tear ducts and Peter Gurney says:
"If the problem is caused by a blocked tear duct what looks like a discharge is nothing but the saline fluid which continually cleans the eyes. With the tear duct blocked, the fluid cannot drain away, internally, and overflows the bottom eyelid. This also sometimes causes the hair to fall out under the eye where the skin is constantly wet.

There is seldom the redness and the irritation is more likely to be in the area which has the hair loss.

Towel wrap, put a couple of drops of Optrex in the eye then massage just in front where the tear duct drains down into the nasal passage. Sometimes the guinea pig will snuffle or sneeze as the blockage is cleared and the Optrex flushes through. Repeat the procedure a couple of times to make sure that any debris is properly cleared."
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/conjunc.htm

I don't know if it works, or which type of Optrex you would use, but I think he's talking about Optrex infected eyes. I don't know what effect the ingredients would have on his eyes, but if Peter Gurney has used it before I doubt it is harmful. You could try this, or you could just use saline.

If you plan on using saline boil the water and immediately after add the salt, not a lot of salt. You shouldn't be able to see the salt floating in the water, stir it a little so that the salt dissolves into the water. Then leave it to cool, I recommend you just make a load of saline and put it in something, then you won't have to make any for a while. I'm sure you can buy it ready made too, its usually the stuff people clean contact lenses with sometimes you can buy just straight saline, other times it has added stuff. So if you want to buy some instead of making it check the ingredients first. I use saline for cleaning my ear piercing and I bought something called Saline Sterile from Boots, on the ingredients they often use chemical formulas instead of just saying salt, so if you look on the ingredients you are looking for NaCl which is salt.

To clean it just use a cotton bud, their fairly gentle and shouldn't irritate his eye. Clean the discharge away from the eye, I would've recommend you hold it over his eye, just gently wipe the watery stuff away. It won't hurt him, it may sting a little, we used this on my hamster when I was 6 to remove bedding she'd got caught in her eye.

I don;t think its a URI anymore, because yeah he probably would've been worse. It is not unheard of for guinea pigs to be allergic to carefresh, so you can always try a different bedding.

And as for the high strung stuff, its just his temperament, they say Abyssinian are high-strung, is he an abby? If he's eating and drinking he should be fine.
 
Thank you Kiran for the help :)

I will try the saline. Is a cotton bud the same as a cotton ball? So once I add the salt, I leave it to cool after stirring and then just wipe the discharge away and then throw it out?

What other beddings besides carefresh are recommended and safe for the respiratory system? His eye is doing well today. Yes, I was really freaked out but I don't think it is URI. He is eating too much and too active.

I appreciate the help

Ksiusha
 
first a cotton bud has two buds at the end of a stick. some people from the UK use vetbeds which can be got from P&H or ebay, glynis from lovely oz uses towels for her little man duke, there is a thing called megazorb have no idea what that is. and some just use newspaper with hay on top. as for the URI which i don't think shura has got but would keep a close eye on him O0 am so happy his eye is better O0 as for his breathing when you pick him up try wrapping him in a towel so he feels more secure and when you go to the vet try taking his friend with him, he may just be suffering from piggy panic attacks meaning certain things scare him and he freaks out. wishing you luck O0 you are doing a wonderful job, sending hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
is a cotton bud the same as a Q tip? English is not my first language, and I live in North America but I think I understand now. :)

Yes Shura's eye is not watering today. However he was breathing how he has been which makes me a little nervous. He is eating though, but I will keep a close eye on him. He doesn't make a noise, it just seems he moves his head forward a little. Any ideas? I hope he is all right.

I appreciate the help :smitten:
 
yes i understand a q tip is the same as a cottin bud. as for the breathing i haven't a clue, perhaps you could look at these pages http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/ or
the king of guinea pigs http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/index.html
you could also take him to a vet, or private message maryh and ask her for help. i know you are in the USA but her vet emails vets all over the world to help piggies. she emailed my vet and i am in australia. sending hugs and healing vibes and hoping shura gets better soon. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: please ignore my igorance but are you anywhere near new york? as a memeber here is from new york and has found a wonderful piggy vet. hoping all goes well O0
 
think this is a stress thing with the breathing/some piggies are very nervous ,especially when picked up.If this was a URTI the gp would be showing other symptoms.With allergies the breathing normally gets wheezy.When you pick the piggy up,approach him very slowly and talk to him first,if you just grab him quickly this will make him scared.

Can you tell me if the quick breathing is from the abdomen,does he breath like a bellows.?.This would indicate a heart or renal problem,but I think this very unlikely in this case.
 
Choloe, I'm not in New york but farther North :) Thank you though. :)

It's funny, because he loves to be picked up. He hears me and jumps to my arms and snuggles. I don't think it is allergies because it is not wheezy. It does not seem like it is from the abdomen. Is there anywhere I can see exactly how this looks? He is eating a lot and very active. I think it may be just nerves, I hope

I appreciate the help :smitten:
 
Bellowes breathing is very distinctive.The sides heave ina and out just like a bellow.I do not think this is what your piggy is doing because the condition is serious and he would be worse by now.I think you just have an unusually anxious piggy.
 
Hi ksiusha237. I think Choloe was talking about me from New York! I have to run out for a few hours but I will come back on later. I want to see what is wrong with your little piggie. Where are you from? Canada or States? I didn't get to read all your posts. My guinea had a really watery eye when I first got him and it was an eye infection which can turn into a respirtory infection. I'll be back later to read your posts. I wish I didn't have to run....late for appt. I will check in later. Love to your little piggy! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Hello. I'm living in Canada currently, from Eastern Europe. Thank you :smitten:

I don't think he is bellowing. So is he just unusually anxious? Sometimes he is fine, his eye as well. However, other times I look at him resting and he is breathing this way.

I think he is just anxious.

Thanks :smitten:
 
Hi ksiusha...how is your little piggy today? Did you tell us his name? I couldn't find it anywhere! I sure wish I knew what was wrong. I have to say though, I also go to an exotics vet and she tells me that piggys are nervous and she said she was worried that all the visits to the vet might stress my piggy. (He's had a ton of them due to 5 abscesses already and he's not even 8 months). She said they do get stressed, but I'm wondering if your little piggys' heavy breathing is stress related. Only because you said he jumps to you when he sees you. That does't seem like a piggy who feels a lot of stress! He actually seems more like a trusting piggy! How long has it been going on? (the heavy breathing) Has it been his whole life? If it's new, then it is probably something more than stress. I would have guessed a respirtory infection but like Maryh said, no wheezing, so it probably is unlikely. I know it's expensive to visit the vet. The exotic vets here charge almost $100 just to be seen. My piggies abscesses cost me a bundle, and I thought about putting him to sleep, but I love him to much and could never do it, so I borrowed money and took care of him. Can you ask your vet to just take a good listen to his chest? Heavy breathing just doesn't seem like nerves. But I'm no expert. My guinea uses carefresh also. It's one of the best for smells! Could your piggy be alergic to something? When mine had a watery eye, it was an eye infection and he gave me an eye cream, but also before I put the cream in, he gave me an eye wash. I had to put the eye wash on a cotton ball and just dab it across his eye. It went away in about a week or less. I don't remember what the cream was, but maybe you can call your vet and ask if he can give you eye cream or wash for your guinea pig. Maybe it is just a little infection. I feel so bad for all your troubles. I would really follow up on the heavy breathing. It just doesn't seem right. When I need info on things concerning my guinea pig, I search on line. I like to go on the guinea lynx that Choloe suggested. I really wish you and your guinea the best. Please keep us posted as to how he is doing. Hugs to you and your little baby... :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Hello,
I appreciate your concern :smitten:
My guinea pig's name is Shura. Shura is doing well, he's eating and active. Lately, his breathing has been fine. *Cross your fingers*. However, his eye seems to be watering a lot and slightly more closed than the other. my neighbor has a cream called erythromycin, is this safe for guinea pig eyes? We are not sure if it is an infection, however is it safe to put this cream on anyway? At the vet Shura began to breath very hard and the vet said this was stress related, however I think when he does breath this way he is stressed. The past few days, I've noticed his breathing has been normal. What can I do for his eye? Yes, he is very trusting. I've had him since he was 2 months old and he loves to snuggle. He prefers my right arm, because when he was little I held him there all the time, but now we've got a second so I need to switch them now and then but he still tries to lie on my right arm. He's very funny.

How did you guinea pig get so many abcesses?

I really hope Shura's eye gets better. Let me know about this cream or any other ideas. If it is not getting better soon, I will take him to the vet.

I apprecaite everyone's help and concern. :smitten:
 
hello,
try this link http://www.guinealynx.info/eyes.html and see if it is of any help. otherwise you can get some water boil it, let it cool down add a little salt and bathe the eye with the salt water starting from the inside of the eye(near the nose) and work your way to the other end.
i have not heard of the crea but hopefully someone can help you, but i would never use anything on my piggies that wasn't prescribed for them by a vet. as for the abscesses some piggies just get a lot of them, some get them from bite wounds, teeth problems etc, others don't get them at all.
good luck with shura and hoping his eye gets better soon O0 hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: please keep us posted O0 maybe gently lift the eye around and see if you can see any hay or anything in the eye. hoping things get better O0
 
I personally wouldn't use erythromycin on your guinea pig's eyes. I myself am allergic to it, and the reaction I get is very serious, and I would hate to think there is any slight risk to use it on an animal. I think (although may be wrong) that it is a medication for humans, not animals.
 
When I bathe his eye, do I go in the inside as well or just the surface near the bottom? I am unclear exactly where to bathe it. Today his eye is as before, it is open, I've cleaned it with hot water/cotton ball but it is not as open as the other one. I will see if I can make a vet appointment for him, I am ashamed to do this because we already have a relative in the hospital but I will see what I can do. Anything for Shura! :) They won't have to sedate him for anything to examine his eye will they? He is very high strung and does not like the vet.

I will let you know. And thanks, I will not use that cream. I wouldn't want to risk anything happening to Shura.

Thank you :)
 
Hi :)
Shura's eye seems all right to night, interestingly. I was wondering if neomicin was all right for it? Or just warm water with salt is the best? His eye looks better tonight, we'll see about tomorrow.

I really appreicate all of your help and hugs to all your piglets :smitten:
 
Good news! Shura's eye is not sinking in his head today, it's out like the other one, and not teary looking normal. Do you think he had a piece of hay in his eye that got out? I'm really glad it's looking better. Hopefully it will stay this way.
 
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