Here we can see, “Guinea Pig Eye Problems and What to Do About Them”
Like many other exotic pets, Guinea pigs are susceptible to ocular issues. A range of diseases and disorders can influence the health of your guinea pig’s eyes, including infections and tumors, although some of these issues are more common than others. You’ll be better prepared to deal with an eye problem that your guinea pig may have in the future if you become familiar with some of the options.
What Are Guinea Pig Eye Problems?
A range of conditions that affect a guinea pig’s eyes is eye infections or difficulties. Depending on the type of problem, the symptoms vary. However, once you’ve been diagnosed, you’ll have a lot of options for therapy.
Symptoms of Guinea Pig Eye Problems
Some at-home therapies may be effective depending on the ailment. If you discover any problems with your pet’s eyes, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Eye problems can be significant, and if they aren’t treated, they can lead to blindness.
Symptoms
- Cloudiness or redness in the eye
- Frequent pawing or scratching at the eye
- Keeping an eye closed
- Inflammation or discharge from the eye
- Constant tearing
- Large bulges or masses
Redness or Cloudiness
If your guinea pig develops a corneal ulcer, you may notice some cloudiness or redness in the eye. A corneal ulcer is a flaw in the cornea, the clear outer layer of your pet’s eyes.
Pawing, scratching, or closing eyes regularly.
If your guinea pig is pawing at its eye, keeping it shut, or even rubbing it on the ground, it indicates that something is wrong. Because of the pain from the ulcer, your guinea pig may stop eating and develop ileus.
Inflammation/Discharge
If hair is lost around the diseased eye, your guinea pig may have an infection. If there is redness (conjunctivitis), discharge, irritation, or swelling, it could be infected. If the affected eye is infected, your pet may even lose it.
Tearing that never stops
Normal ducts allow drainage from the eyes and passage through the nose. However, if that duct is obstructed or congested, the eye will drain excessively.
Bulges/Masses of a Significant Size
Your guinea pig’s eye may expand or swell due to tumors or growths.
Guinea Pig Eye Problems and Their Causes
A scraped cornea, corneal ulcer, infection, or even more serious tumors could cause a guinea pig’s eye troubles.
Corneal Ulcers
Something in your guinea pig’s cage, such as hay or bedding, might scratch or irritate their eyes, as can a fight with another guinea pig. A corneal ulcer is an injury caused by scratches or irritations to the cornea.
Eye Infections
Irritation or excessive exposure to bacteria or fungus spores might cause infection in your guinea pig’s eyes. However, if your guinea pig’s eye is crusting shut due to a lot of discharge, you can gently clean it with a warm, wet cloth until you can visit your vet.
Overgrown Teeth
Guinea pigs have teeth that are comparable to rabbit teeth. The incisors are their front teeth. The roots of these incisors can develop into the nasal-lacrimal duct, which connects the nose and the eyes, causing your guinea pig’s eyes to leak.
Tumors
Unfortunately, tumors or growths can form behind the eyes of guinea pigs. Your guinea pig will most likely be irritated by these growths.
Guinea Pig Eye Problems Diagnosis
Guinea pig eye problems might be difficult to diagnose. For a correct diagnosis, each cause of eye disease in a guinea pig necessitates a specific test.
Corneal ulcers
A physical examination and observation of the guinea pig’s behavior should be enough for your veterinarian to identify if your pet has a corneal ulcer.
Eye infections
Your exotics veterinarian may decide to treat the eye without first taking a sample for culture. However, bacterial and fungal cultures should be obtained if the infection does not clear on its own. The culture will tell your veterinarian exactly what type of bacteria or fungus is growing around your pet’s eye and the appropriate medication.
Overgrown Teeth
Use a fluorescein eye stain and wait for it to flow out of your guinea pig’s nose to see if there is a clogged nasal-lacrimal duct due to growing teeth.
Tumors
Your exotics veterinarian may utilize X-rays to diagnose a tumor on your guinea pig’s skull. Before your veterinarian can make a diagnosis, these X-rays may need to be reviewed by a radiologist. Because not all abnormalities are evident on an X-ray, your veterinarian may also prescribe that your guinea pig have an MRI. This isn’t something that many guinea pig owners want, and it’s also not something many veterinary clinics can offer.
Treatment
The condition’s origin determines the treatment route for guinea pig eye disorders.
Corneal ulcers
Your exotics veterinarian prescribed corneal ulcers can be treated with specialized eye ointments. Some ointments contain antibiotics, while others are specifically designed to treat ulcers. If the ulcer is particularly large or hasn’t healed following treatment, your veterinarian may take some blood from your guinea pig. After that, the blood will be centrifuged, and the serum will be utilized as eye drops to aid in the healing of the ulcer. If the ulcer still hasn’t healed, an eye operation called a grid keratotomy may be required to speed up the healing process. An exotics veterinarian performs this surgery under anesthetic.
Eye infections
Bacterial and fungal infections can damage one or both eyes and require treatment with antibacterial and antifungal drugs. Cleaning out the eye can make a huge difference in your guinea pig’s life; once your guinea pig has been diagnosed with an infection, thoroughly clean and sterilize its cage and contents. This will get rid of any remaining spores.
Overgrown teeth
If your pet has overgrown teeth, your veterinarian will determine whether extraction surgery is best.
Tumors
There is usually no therapy for a tumor behind the eyes once diagnosed.
The prognosis for Guinea Pigs With Eye Problems
Guinea pigs with most eye disorders can be cured and go on to enjoy normal lives. On the other hand, Guinea pigs with suspected malignancies behind their eyes are frequently treated symptomatically and given hospice care.
How to Avoid Having Eye Problems
Some of the most frequent eye problems in guinea pigs can be avoided, while others cannot. To help avoid eye problems in your pet, follow these three steps:
- Keep your guinea pig’s cage clean to avoid bacteria from forming near it.
- If you have more than one person living with you, try to avoid or break up any fights so that no one’s eyes are injured.
- Any changes in your pet’s eyes should be noted and taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
User Questions
How do you clean the eyes of a guinea pig?
Warm salty water is used for flushing the eye; 1 teaspoon of salt per liter is the tear concentration. If you have a syringe on hand, gently flush under the eyelid, which may expel a foreign body in some circumstances.
Why is my guinea pig’s eye-popping out?
Eye difficulties in guinea pigs might occur due to another ailment, such as a lung infection, diabetes, tooth problems, or dehydration. Crusty or watery discharge, bulging or receding eyes, or clouded eyes are some of the symptoms that these disorders can produce.
Do guinea pigs feel pain when dying?
I’m not sure if this is true for other species. We know that humans are normally conscious until the very end, while other animals, such as dogs and cats, are not. Piggies fall unconscious and aren’t aware of the death process, and they don’t experience any agony, as the name implies. The piggy dies, but its body takes a long time to perish.
Why is my guinea pig’s back leg dragging?
Paralysis of the hind limbs is a common symptom of spinal injury. The guinea pig will drag its hind legs behind it but will otherwise appear normal! The nerves may also be damaged if the spinal cord is severed, and the guinea pig may not appear to be in pain.
Why do guinea pigs have strange walking patterns?
He could have hurt his leg or back or a severe urinary or gastrointestinal ailment that gets worse when he moves. Only a veterinarian can say for sure; however, if this were my pig, I’d get them to the emergency vet within an hour or two of noticing those symptoms.
Conclusion
I hope you found this helpful guide. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to use the form below.
