What to do if a guinea pig has a festering or watery eye – treatment and symptoms of possible diseases

Guinea pigs are funny fluffy favorites of all family members, distinguished by their huge open eyes and friendly disposition. Nature has deprived the curious shiny eyes of these rodents of a protective nictitating membrane, which is why when keeping small pets at home, most of them have eye diseases.

In most cases, when an eye fester in a guinea pig, pet owners try to find an answer to the questions why their beloved animal has an eye disease and what to do in this situation. Many owners treat eye problems in guinea pigs with common human hormonal or antibacterial ophthalmic drugs, which sometimes leads to deterioration of the pet’s condition, loss of vision, or in advanced cases even death of the small animal.

Why do guinea pigs have sore eyes

Ophthalmic problems in guinea pigs can be due to a number of reasons:

• eye trauma;
• bacterial, viral and fungal infections;
• congenital anomalies and malformations;
• lack of vitamins A and C;
• age;
• intoxication;
• autoimmune diseases;
• oncological diseases;
• non-contagious systemic pathologies;
• radiation exposure;
• metabolic disorders.

Sometimes you can notice a white discharge from the eyes of a guinea pig, resembling milk in consistency. This liquid is the secret of the garder glands and protects the eyes of your beloved pet from drying out. If white discharge is observed in small quantities while washing a fluffy animal with excellent appetite and activity, the owner of a small animal has absolutely nothing to worry about. If the eyes of a guinea pig are constantly flowing with a copious amount of whitish liquid, it is urgent to contact a specialist to examine the pet. A similar symptom signals internal pathologies that cause severe pain to a small rodent.

Often an active guinea pig squints one eye in the absence of redness of the eyeball, discharge from the eyes, and a good appetite. Sometimes, in this way, an allergy to a filler or prohibited products is manifested; when the conditions of feeding and keeping are revised, the animal most often stops covering its eyes.

If a guinea pig has a watery eye, this may indicate an eye disease or be a symptom of a serious systemic pathology. The body of rodents is characterized by increased metabolism, so all pathological processes proceed rapidly. For any problems with the eyes, it is recommended to urgently contact a veterinarian, the timely appointment of effective treatment is most often a guarantee of a favorable outcome of the disease without serious consequences.

Common eye diseases in guinea pigs and how to treat them

Most often, in guinea pigs when kept at home, the following ophthalmic pathologies are observed.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye. Conjunctivitis in a guinea pig is caused by eye injuries, ingress of foreign bodies, an allergic reaction to filler, dust or smoke, violation of animal conditions, lack of vitamin C, and an ophthalmic disease is often a concomitant symptom of various infectious and non-contagious pathologies.

If the guinea pig:

• watery eyes;
• weakness occurs;
• photophobia;
• swelling of the eyelid;
• severe redness of the mucous membrane of the eye and skin of the eyelids;
• lack of appetite;
• diarrhea;
• eyes fester;
• there is an accumulation of white or yellow pus in the corners of the eyes;
• often closes the eye completely.

It is possible to judge the presence of conjunctivitis or keratoconjunctivitis in a furry animal. When a pet’s eyes are festering, it is urgent to contact a veterinary clinic, the lack of treatment of purulent conjunctivitis provokes ulceration of the cornea of ​​​​the eye, loss of vision and often death.

The treatment for conjunctivitis in a guinea pig is:

1. In cleansing the eye from secretions with a wet gauze swab moistened with boiled water.
2. Rinse with sterile saline.
3. By instillation of anti-inflammatory drops “Tsiprovet”, “Tsipromed”, “Iris” or by laying antibacterial ointments under the eyelid.
4. The use of special vitamins.
5. Depending on the cause of the disease, the veterinarian prescribes antibiotics or antifungal drugs.

Washing the eyes of a guinea pig with a decoction of chamomile or brewing tea, instilling drops from a first-aid kit without consultation is highly discouraged.

Keratitis

Keratitis is an inflammatory disease of the cornea of ​​the eye. Keratitis in a guinea pig develops as a result of:

• microtrauma of the eye;
• irritation of the cornea with ammonia, dust or smoke;
• lack of vitamins;
• ingress of a foreign body;
• bacterial, viral and fungal diseases.

The disease is characterized by:

• severe soreness;
• lacrimation;
• photophobia;
• redness of the eyeball;
• the guinea pig squints its eyes;
• refuses to eat;
• becomes inactive.

With the progression of the disease, clouding and ulceration of the cornea occurs, the animal may lose vision.

For the treatment of ophthalmic pathology, anti-inflammatory drops “Tsiprovet”, “Tsipromed”, “Iris” and ointments “Actovegin”, “Solcoseryl” are used.

Belmo

Belmo is an ophthalmic pathology characterized by persistent clouding of the cornea. A thorn in the eye of a guinea pig is formed with eye injuries, untreated conjunctivitis, keratitis, keratoconjunctivitis, and infectious diseases. Clinically, the pathology looks like a completely white eye, with this disease there is a partial or complete loss of vision in a pet.

If the eyes of a small animal turn white or become partially whitish, treatment with drops will not bring results, the human corneal thorn is removed surgically.

Cataract

Cataract – partial or complete clouding of the lens of the eye. A cataract in a guinea pig is characterized by a decrease in the ability of the lens to transmit light, as well as partial or complete loss of vision. A healthy lens is a completely transparent lens, the function of which is to refract light rays and direct them to the retina of the eye. The name of the disease “cataract” means a waterfall, a fluffy pet with this disease sees the world around it, as if through jets of flowing water.

The reason that the eye of a pet has clouded may be:

• diabetes;
• lack of vitamins;
• microtrauma of the eye;
• metabolic disease;
• age or congenital malformations.

Clinically, ophthalmic pathology in a guinea pig looks like a cloudy eye.

Cataract is a hereditary disease, so when buying a guinea pig, you need to ask the breeder if the animal’s parents had a similar ophthalmic disease. Conscientious breeders do not allow breeding individuals with this eye pathology to be bred. Cataract treatment in a guinea pig is recommended in a veterinary clinic, most often a pet completely loses its sight.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a chronic ophthalmic disease characterized by the destruction of optic nerve cells against the background of a prolonged increase in intraocular pressure. Glaucoma in guinea pigs, if left untreated, is an irreversible process leading to complete loss of vision.

Clinically, eye pathology manifests itself:

• a strong increase and redness of the eyeball;
• lacrimation;
• photophobia;
• lack of pupillary response and severe corneal edema.

The initial stages of the disease are successfully treated with ophthalmic drops and drugs that maintain intraocular pressure, in advanced cases, they resort to removing the eye.

Protrusion of the orbit or lacrimal glands (oily eye)

Oily eye is an ophthalmic pathology characterized by protrusion of the orbit of the eye or conjunctival sac. The disease is not cured, but sometimes they resort to laser plastic surgery of the conjunctival sac. Pathology is inherited and develops in guinea pigs from 6-8 months of age.

Inversion of the century

Entropion is a pathology of the organs of vision, characterized by an inversion of the animal’s eyelids inward. Due to irritation of the cornea by constant friction of the eyelashes, persistent clouding of the eyeball occurs. Pathology is not treated, to alleviate the condition, specialists fix the eyelashes of a pet near the upper eyelid with a special adhesive mass.

Bone neoplasm

Sometimes, with an excess of vitamin C in the body of a guinea pig or a violation of mineral metabolism, a bone or cartilaginous neoplasm is formed on the outer shell of the pet’s eye.

Clinically, the pathology manifests itself:

• the appearance of a white stripe inside the eye;
• photophobia;
• destruction of the optic nerve and deterioration of vision.

This pathology is not subject to treatment.

Retrobulbar abscess

Retrobulbar abscess in guinea pigs is a complication of dental pathologies, when the elongated roots of the teeth grow into the orbit. A sick pet has an increase in the volume of the eyeball with a strong protrusion of the eye from the orbit. To confirm the diagnosis, an x-ray examination is necessary, the treatment consists in removing the diseased eye, grinding or removing teeth.

Nystagmus is an ophthalmic disease characterized by involuntary twitching of the eye. The cause of the pathology are:

• eye trauma;
• ingress of foreign bodies;
• conjunctivitis or keratitis;
• inflammation of the inner ear.

In addition to eye twitching, a pet may experience:

• lacrimation;
• redness of the eye orbit and eyelids;
• photophobia.

For the treatment of ophthalmic pathology, anti-inflammatory drops “Tsiprovet”, “Tsipromed”, “Iris” and ointments “Actovegin”, “Solcoseryl”, as well as drugs aimed at destroying the cause of the disease, are prescribed.

white pupil

Sometimes in guinea pigs, white spots form in the center of the eye, resembling a white pupil. In young animals, this condition indicates a lack of calcium and vitamin D in the animal’s body. For the treatment of pathology, a growing animal is prescribed an aqueous solution of vitamin D – Aquadetrim anti-inflammatory eye therapy. In older individuals, a white pupil is a manifestation of liver dystrophy and cannot be treated.

If the owner of a guinea pig has found ophthalmic symptoms in a beloved animal: profuse lacrimation, redness of the eyeball and swelling of the eyelids, purulent discharge, clouding of the cornea, it is recommended to immediately contact a veterinary clinic to save the sight and life of a small pet. Self-treatment of eye diseases in guinea pigs with human eye drops is fraught with corneal burns, loss of vision, or aggravation of the health of a beloved animal.