Hi! Looking for advice....

[HazyandNoodles]

One of my guinea pigs has one leaky eye. Sometimes it seems to clear up, other times it looks really wet. Does anyone have advice besides going to the vet? He's healthy otherwise. Other guinea pig, had injured his front teeth somehow and they appear to have grown back. But, he seems very reluctant to eat anything and loses interest. I've shredded some carrots and apple, which he seems to sniff and eat a bit. He doesn't eat grass or hay anymore. He's lost weight..and I've noticed he only eats his treats now, but very slowly. I have read a lot on the internet on their care, but I want to hear from local experienced guinea pig owners on what they do in this situation. Is there an eyedrop I can get? Would Ciprofloxin eyedrop for humans do the trick or a naturopathic allergy drop I found in the pharmacy fix this? Should I file the other guinea pig's teeth down? What about this oral retractor I saw on this guinea pig website..a guy files the teeth on his own... The retractor lets you visualize the back teeth to see what's up.. The vet is too much money, and I'm willing to do what it takes on my own.

[Zuidy]

http://www.guinealynx.info/eyes.html

__

^^See that link.

According to Guinea Lynx, Watery eyes warrant a vet examination. They could be a sign of injury. So I would go to the vet definitely.

I would NOT try to do anything with the Piggy teeth by yourself. Have the vet look at them and ask all of the questions you are asking us. They will be able to answer better.

Make sure your vet is a GOOD EXOTIC vet, and call before you go and ask how many Piggies they see/have seen this year or month.

Good luck!

Welcome to the forum!

[PigPandemonium]

Your other guinea pig that has teeth problems, you are going to have to take to a good exotics vet, if he is not eating, that is a very bad sign, and he may have malocclusion, please don't try to file the . Can you describe the leaky eye more?

[HazyandNoodles]

been to guinea lynx lots..also read a 3 page vet opthalmic paper with photos etc. and ... it doesn't seem to match his eye symptoms...

[Zuidy]

been to guinea lynx lots..also read a 3 page vet opthalmic paper with photos etc. and ... it doesn't seem to match his eye symptoms...

Get him into a vet if you aren't sure.

A checkup is good even if there is nothing further wrong with them.

[PigPandemonium]

I would get them both to a good exotics vet. Your one pig really needs to get help soon since he can't eat of course, and the eye thing worries me so you should take him along also. It will cost you some money, however it's what you need to do to keep your pigs happy and healthy.

[HazyandNoodles]

the eye is wet, then I think he cleans it up himself...yesterday for instance, I put him outside in his enclosure and when I took him out his eye was quite wet with a bit of white (don't know if it was pus or his normal white goop). He's cleaned it himself...sometimes I use a clean damp cloth and gently clean it..he seems to like that. But, how do I get this cleared up without a huge vet bill? Has anyone had this problem with their guinea?

[bpatters]

@HazyandNoodles , there are people who trim their pig's front teeth when necessary, but.... And there are several buts.

First, most problems with the front teeth are a result of problems with the back teeth. You can't do anything about those yourself, and in fact, many vets, even exotic vets, are not good with pig teeth.

Second, trimming the front teeth won't help the problem you describe. That sounds like molars that are trapping the tongue and making it difficult for him to swallow. That will require anesthesia and a good exotic dentist to grind the teeth down.

Third, the people I know of who are trimming their pigs' teeth have lethal white pigs, which usually have terrible dental problems, and most often, soft teeth. Their molars may be misaligned, or even absent, and many are hand fed.

One leaky eye may be because there's something in the eye, or your pig may have an excess of cleaning fluid coming out of that eye.

So, in a nutshell, unless you want your pig to suffer and possibly die of malnutrition, you need to get the money together for an exotic vet visit for the teeth. The eye may or may not be a problem, but you might get a break on the costs by bringing both pigs at the same time.

Part of responsible pet ownership is getting medical care for your animals when it's needed. And this is a time when it's needed. Some things you can take care of yourself, but this isn't one of them.

[Zuidy]

the eye is wet, then I think he cleans it up himself...yesterday for instance, I put him outside in his enclosure and when I took him out his eye was quite wet with a bit of white (don't know if it was pus or his normal white goop). He's cleaned it himself...sometimes I use a clean damp cloth and gently clean it..he seems to like that. But, how do I get this cleared up without a huge vet bill? Has anyone had this problem with their guinea?

Is it milky white?

Haha, we had a bit of a misunderstanding. ALSO according to the link I provided above, Guinea Pigs keep their face clean by excreting the white substance and "washing" their face.

Eye Discharge
Normal Cavies excrete a milky white liquid which lubricates their eyes and is used to help them clean their faces. After the eye fills up with the white fluid, the guinea pig will then take their front paws and make washing motions. This may happen several times per day although you may never even notice. VC Richardson describes a "milky ocular discharge" as "a normal fluid which is released from the eye as part of the grooming process."

[HazyandNoodles]

thanks to pigpandemonium and zuidy for their replies. I appreciated it. Thanks again. I love the little pigs, but I will incurr a vet bill times two..and I phoned the vet already. I'm really torn!

[PigPandemonium]

Please take them to the vet, A good exotics one though, not just one that takes guinea pigs. Trust me on that, I've gone to just one that takes guinea pigs before, and she did nothing for my guinea pigs, it's a waste of money, and my pig ended up dying because of that vet, they need a good one. Part of owning a pet is taking them to the vet when they get sick, which happens a lot. I understand money problems are very tough, however money is only an object that can be replaced, pets are living things.

[HazyandNoodles]

thank you for reply. I agree it could be the molars.. Thank you for the advice and to all who replied to my question.

[PigPandemonium]

No problem! Please keep us updated on how they do!