Eyes/Non-crusty New Puppies Blind eye question?

[Crank Cuffin]

Hi everyone,
We are going to collect our first ever Guinea Pigs this coming Saturday.

One of the puppies that my children have chosen has a blue blind eye.
The breeders were very upfront about this.

My question is:
Is it most likely a cataract and will it happen to his other eye?
Thanks

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Hi and Welcome.

Just some info for you, puppies are dogs. Pups are baby guinea pigs.

Breeders aren't a good place to get guinea pigs from. Do you know there is a huge overpopulation of guinea pigs out there sitting in rescues and shelters? Some of the shelters are kill shelters meaning if the pigs aren't adopted, they will be put to sleep. Please opt to adopt and save some pigs instead of purchasing them from a breeder.

It sounds like the breeders might be trying to cull off their stock. In other words, selling you a pig they find defective.

There is a condition called congenital cataracts. I don't know much about it though.

 

[Amsley246]

My Eddie has a blue eye. He's a lethal white and cannot see out of his eye. He was born back in december but so far, it's only that eye. The same eye is also smaller then the other one. What does your pig look it?

 

[ferndalezoo]

One of our skinnies, Doug has cataracts. According to the family we adopted him from, he was blind, or nearly so, when they got him and Oswald (his brother), which means that his vision has actually improved over his year+ of life.

But please don't get pigs, blind or otherwise, from a breeder! Doing so encourages them to continue breeding, and also deprives a rescue/rehome (and trust me, they are EVERYWHERE!) that needs you of a home.

 

[Crank Cuffin]

Re: New Pups Blind eye question?

Hi
Thanks for the replies.

Sorry, pups not puppies. I was calling them piglets up until recently which to me makes a lot more sense!

Point taken about getting guinea pigs from rescue centres. That is definately what I will be doing in the future. We had a lovely dog for many years from Battersea Dogs Home.

I may be over-egging the pudding with the title of "breeders", they are a couple of local ladies that have guinea pigs who have had babies, not a full scale breeding concern.

But, as I say, point taken, if anyone shows an interest in guinea pigs after seeing ours I will be pointing them towards the nearest rescue centre. And I will definately be getting any futher pigs from a rescue centre myself.

It is too late for me to change my plans now as I have paid for them and the children have already named them!

They definately werent trying to offload a "defective" pig on me. They told me straight away that the pig had a blind eye but my son chose that pig anyway. They only had five pups to sell anyway.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Ditto Ly. Please adopt. Avoid the breeder. You and your children will likely have heartbreak ahead of you by taking these pigs. Pet store and breeder pigs are often sick and pregnant and missexed.

 

[Crank Cuffin]

Re: New Pup Blind eye question?

The reason I would like any information is so we can take the best possible care of him and if necessary make adjustments to his living space etc.

We already love this guinea pig whether he has a blind eye or not.
So, could anyone help me with my original query please?

Is it most likely a cataract and will it happen to his other eye?
and in your experience what can I do to make his life better?

 

[krittercrazy]

You will need to take him to a qualified veterinarian to tell if it is a cataract or not and if he currently has a problem with the other eye.

As for his living space, he will still need plenty of room to move around in. I tend to try to put the food, hay, water bottles and hideys in the same place for my guys that are completely blind (mine are also deaf). If your guy is blind in only one eye it should not be an issue at all.

 

[Smudgetoffee]

+1 for the rescue home. Mine are store-bought as we knew not otherwise at the time. I had one die, one came with a URI, and one with two cysts.

 

[Crank Cuffin]

Re: New Pups Blind eye question?

+1 for the rescue home. Mine are store-bought as we knew not otherwise at the time. I had one die, one came with a URI, and one with two cysts.

I am not buying mine from a store. I am sorry about the three guinea pigs that you bought, that must have been a terrible experience for you.

What is URI, is that something to do with the eyes/vision?