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Watery/crusty Eyes Caused By Allergies

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katie-elizabeth

katie-elizabeth

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Shaun has had watery/crusty eyes for a little while now, but with no other symptoms of uri - decided to take him to the vets anyway just to have him checked out - his chest is clear etc, there are no scratches on his eyes - and he is basically healthy otherwise.
The vet belives it's caused by irritation/allergies.
I use hay for pets hay and is on fleece (washed with sensitive non-bio).
Is there anything else I can do for his eyes other than bathing them to keep them clean?
 
Given what you are bedding him on I am a bit reticent to be satisfied with the "allergy" answer. One issue that can cause watery eyes is a blocked tear duct - much easier to diagnose in rabbiits and we have very few cases here on the forum of a diagnosis/treatment in piggies because I'm not sure it's necessarily recognised by many vets as being a potential issue in pigs.

Also, speaking from my own experience of watery eyes, I would want to rule out that there is not a slow-brewing dental issue going on or another condition causing pain leading to the watery/crusty eyes.. The first indication something is amiss will be a slow decrease in food intake with an accompanying weight loss.

You won;t notice the reduction in food intake.....so I would suggest you weigh him twice weekly to get a feel for his "normal average" weight....if it starts to decrease then i think you may need to re-visit the vet (or maybe go to a more cavy savvy vet such as Simon at Cat and Rabbit) for further investigation.

Another option before agreeing ot expensive diagnostics such as Xray, bloods etc is to ask your vet if you can try some metacam pain relief - if it reduces the eye issue it would also signify that something else is going on to cause it.

You cna bathe his eyes - I would be a bit reticent about using salt water because it can sting....and can exacerbate the condition. Perhaps ask your vet about using Optrex Multi Action Eye Wash (just this - not other Optrex products) with eye make-up remover pads?

HTH
x
 
Thanks for the reply pebble - the vet did actually mention that it could a blocked tear duct - as the dye that she used in his eyes didn't come through his nostrils - I didn't mention this in my post as she seemed more focused on it being allergies - she did say it is a problem which is more common in rabbits than pigs but is still possible in pigs. Is there any treatment for a blocked tear duct?

She also mentioned using optrex - I do have some of this as I use it myself, although am always hesitant about using "human" products on piggies so I'm glad I have a second recommendation for that!

He has been 500g (give or take a few grams) for a few weeks now, he is around 8 months old, I keep expecting him to be putting on more weight for his age so I have been weighing him regularly anyway - he hasn't ever lost any weight so it hasn't worried me too much but I will definitely carry on keeping a close eye... x
 
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After bathing his eyes using Optrex once a day for nearly a week, Shaun's eyes are looking loads better, unsure if this is coincidence or not - is this in indicator that it is some form of allergy that's irritating him or could it still be a blocked tear duct?
Is Optrex safe to use as a long -term solution?
I've also kept an eye on his weight, he hasn't lost any.
 
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Which Optrex have you been using? is it the infected eyes one? if so that would indicate an infection to me as I think the active ingredient in that is Chloramphenicol which is the drops I get from the vets if they have a hay poke or infection.
 
From what I can see online it doesn't contain anything to treat an infection, so it is possible that it has washed away any irritant in the eye, though I would still check with the vet. Am not sure if it can be used as a long-term solution.
 
That's a definite possibility. Am sure my friend has spoken of a pig she saw at her clinic who had one and the vet was able to treat it but I can't remember how. I can do a bit of research if no-one else has any information.
 
helen105281 said:
That's a definite possibility. Am sure my friend has spoken of a pig she saw at her clinic who had one and the vet was able to treat it but I can't remember how. I can do a bit of research if no-one else has any information.
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Thank you Helen, I'd really appreciate that - it would be interesting to know what treatment was given!
Although his eyes are looking much better now, using optrex everyday doesn't seem like the best solution to me! I suppose I could stop using it for a few days to see if his eyes stay clear or if they start to get crusty again.
 
So... Shaun's eyes stayed clear for almost a week after I stopped using the optrex, but when I got him out last night one eye was clear and the other was really crusty again :( bathed it and it's the same again this morning. So frustrating :( @helen105281
 
The lack of the dye coming down the nostrils is indeed indicative of a blocked tear duct. I have had one such piggie and to be honest we didn't do anything about it at the time. I just accepted that sometimes he had a watery or crusty eye and bathed it in optrex when it was bad.

In rabbits tear ducts are flushed with a cannula - however I don;t think that a small enough size cannula exists for piggie tear ducts hence why we opted not to do anything further..

Sometimes the blockage in rabbits can;t be removed by flushing and I have seen cases where some type of pharmaceutical is given to try and shift the blockage - but I have no idea what that is.

However - it does occur to me that perhaps a discussion with he vet on whether giving some bisolven (an anti-mucolytic) might be worth a try as it won;t do any harm and might help liquify any blockage.

One other thought (and it is probably highly unlikely to be this) but has the vet ruled out chalmydia caviae? - Sows can infect their baby piggies during birth and it doesn;t always cause respiratory symptoms - just sore eyes. If chlamydia is suspected, a course of doxycycline antibiotic (baytril/septrin etc doesn;t work) might be worth considering? worth mentioning to the vet even just to rule it out.

x
 
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