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Very Sore Swollen Eye

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HenryRalph

HenryRalph

Junior Guinea Pig
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hey everyone,

I'm so worried about Henry.. This morning he was absolutely fine and I've come back this evening and got him out for a cuddle and his eye is completely swollen and closed, it looks so so sore. To start with he seemed a bit lifeless but I'm not sure if that's because he is just tired as its late and very hot today. When he was out on me he did a few screams like he was in a lot of pain?

I've had him out on me with the fan on and given him some spinach now and he seems his normal self and weeping for my spinach.

I'm so worried about these screams as I've never heard them before and really want to help him. I'm going to ring the vet as soon as they open in the morning but is there anything I can do tonight for him? I tried dabbing his eye with a warm water cotton pad but he really didn't seem to like that.


So worried about him - any advice would be hugely appreciated :(
 
I also don't know if it's relevant but thought I'd add it anyway... For the past year Henry has had a tiny little scab/skin tag under his nose, I've taken him to the vets a few times about it and they've said its nothing to worry about... It's tiny but I'm worried that maybe it could be linked to his eye in some way? A fungal infection or something?

I'm not sure whether he has just got a bit of sawdust in his eye or something though :(


If anyone has had anything similar please let me know!
 
A fungal infection wouldnt cause his eye to suddenly swell shut. He may have something in there which is an emergency I'm afraid- eye injuries can deteriorate quickly, so vet treatment should be saught immediately to prevent permanent sight damage.

Do you have access to an out of hours vet that will see a piggy?
 
can you see a foreign object in his eye? sometimes a bit of hay or bedding gets in their eyes or even a hay poke injury with a stiff bit of hay or even the soft grass seed heads can get lodged by the eye. (sawdust isnt really recommended as its small & dusty, it can get into his boar bits easily, his eyes & can sometimes cause respiratory issues - the urine reacts with the chemicals in the wood)
if theres something there that can be pulled out easily without causing further damage then try gently easing it out. if not then leave it alone.

i usually have an egg cup full sized quantity of boiled water with a pinch of salt added to it & dissolved, & wait til the water is cool & just drip a few drips into the eye to flush out any loose debris & it should also sooth the eye too, (not more than a pinch of salt or it will sting his eye)
i usually use a clean lint free kitchen towel or if you have a new clean syringe then just drip it in slowly.

if its cloudy then there is probably damage done to the eyeball & it will need treatment with drops usually Tiacil or the new name for Fucalthmic which i cant remember for the moment! a vet will put some dye in the eye to check for damage & ulceration.

if treated quickly enough eyes usually heal up quite quickly, but they can also get complications quickly too. so please try and get an appointment for tomorrow, the earlier the better.
the vet needs to check it is a foreign object & not any other underlying cause.

ask the vet for painkillers / painkilling drops so that he is more comfortable

fingers crossed & keep us updated

oh & sorry cant help with the skin tags theyre not small sebacious cysts or warts are they? check with the vet tomorrow. xx
 
I hope that you couls have Henry seen promptly today! His eye sounds very sore. :(
 
Thanks everyone for your replies!

I put a couple of drops of water in his eye last night which helped him open it a bit more, but I couldn't see anything in his eye like hay etc.

I took him to the vets first thing this morning and the bet found a small piece of hay in his eye and no scratches, but he said that no light is going through his eye and as the infection is so bad he thinks that he is now blind in that eye :(

He's got eye drops and pain killers now to take until Saturday when I am taking him back to the vets as they said if it gets worse he may have to have his eye removed :(

Poor Henry this has all happened so quickly :(
 
You should try to get Henry seen by the vet as a matter of urgency. As Adelle said, eye problems can get worse very quickly.
 
Our posts must have crossed! Poor Henry. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the antibiotics can do their thing and the vet can save his eye.
 
HenryRalph said:
Thanks everyone for your replies!

I put a couple of drops of water in his eye last night which helped him open it a bit more, but I couldn't see anything in his eye like hay etc.

I took him to the vets first thing this morning and the bet found a small piece of hay in his eye and no scratches, but he said that no light is going through his eye and as the infection is so bad he thinks that he is now blind in that eye :(

He's got eye drops and pain killers now to take until Saturday when I am taking him back to the vets as they said if it gets worse he may have to have his eye removed :(

Poor Henry this has all happened so quickly :(
Click to expand...

Poor henry! I hope the drops and anti-inflammatories can save his eve :-( are they anti biotic drops? Was he given any oral antibiotics?
 
Me too :( he seems really bright this morning though and was weeping for food and running around like his normal self!

I'm not sure of the name of the eye drops, I will have a look once I am home again, and I think it's stepril (or something!) he is taking orally, but again I will find out the name when I'm home.

He is in need of lots of cuddles :( x
 
If its septrin then that is an oral antibiotic. All the best x
 
Glad u got him to a vet quickly :nod: it can make the difference between keeping &removing the eye.
Hopefully the eye will start to clear with the offending hay removed &drops being given. Hope he heals quickly.
One of my previous guineas had a nasty grass seed head that we couldn't see at first vet visit, but I spotted two days later at second vet visit &the eyeball was very grey/cloudy &going rugby ball shaped, the vet thought she may lose her eye too, but she kept her eye did have a scar mark although u wouLdn't notice if u didnt know. Her vision seemed fine afterwards too.

Fingers &paws all crossed for Henry (with a few healing cuddles for good measure too )
x
 
Aww poor Henry... I really hope the drops will help him to not lose his eyesight x
 
Yeay! That's great news-glad he's doing well. :clap:
&WOW! What a handsome fella he is too! :wub: ...Goes to find pignapping jacket :coat: :luv:
 
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