Eyes/Non-crusty Michael's Medical Thread

[Snugglybutt]

Hey! I've had my piggy, little Michael Scott, for almost 3 months now. Today I noticed a bloody spot on one of his eyes. I'm a new guinea pig owner so I wanted to make sure if this is just a simple scratch or something else. Is there anything I can do to make sure the wound heals nicely?

 

[bpatters]

It's probably a hay poke. From what I can see of the picture, there's no wound to the eyeball. If that's correct, I'd just watch very carefully, but get him to a vet if you see any signs of infection -- pus, swelling, heat, etc. Redness is also an indicator of infection, but also of irritation, and if he's just been poked in the eye, it's very apt to be irritated.

 

[Snugglybutt]

For the past few days Michael has been wheezing when he wheeks. Hippo (his cagemate) wheezes constantly because of his heart murmur, but the vet checked Michael's heart before and she said it sounded fine. He doesn't seem ill - he is munching away, was popcorning this morning, and hasn't lost any weight. I'm wondering if he is getting sick? I should also mention that he's a very fast eater and often coughs while eating... maybe he has something caught in his throat?

 

[bpatters]

Could be something in his throat. Hold him up to your ear and see if you can tell if the wheeze is coming from his throat or deeper in his lungs.

Without any other symptoms of a URI, I'd just watch him carefully and only take him to a vet if something else develops.

 

[Snugglybutt]

Hi! I just had Michael's nails trimmed by a groomer and she trimmed one nail really short! Im having a hard time to quench the bleeding with corn starch and he seems scared to walk. Do I wash off the corn starch once the bleeding stops?

 

[ChubbyMonroe]

I'm not sure if this is the correct way but when this happened to me, I cleared up the blood and put some herbal teatree cream on. I hope this helps in some way.

 

[bpatters]

Just leave it, it'll come off.

 

[LittleSqueakers]

You'll probably need to hold pressure over the quick with the cornstarch for 5-10 minutes. Just sit with him in your lap and try to keep him calm while you do it; fear heightens blood pressure and will make the bleeding harder to stop.