Eyes |
| | Milky fluid |
 | Eyes, as with us, are a very delicate area, so if there is a problem then the best thing is to get your pig to an experienced vet, rather than attempting any treatment yourself. However, something, which alarms many pig owners when they see it for the first time, but is actually nothing to worry about is a substance they produce when they are grooming themselves. Sometimes, especially after a bath, you will see some milky fluid come out of the cavy's eyes - this is normal and is reabsorbed back in to the eye. |
| Scabs/ crusts |
 | If your pig develops crusts or scabs around the eye, or there is any swelling - see your vet as it is often a sigh of an upper respiratory infection or an eye infection. NEVER try to pick off scabs or gunk from this area. If you occasionally need to clean the area around the eye and there is no sign of inflammation (some pigs develop an occasional blockage in a tear duct for example), bathe it in boiled and then cooled to warm water only. Use cotton wool pads and gently bathe the area - if this is due to a blockage, it will help to soothe and clear this. You can also gently massage the area from the eye to the snout where the tear duct lies as if there is a blockage this may help relieve it. Never put pressure on, or rub the eye. |
| White area on eye |
| If a white patch appears on the surface of your pig's eye there are two main probabilities. Firstly that there is, or was, something trapped in their eye, irritating the surface. If this has appeared suddenly and you can't see anything, or you see something but it looks embedded and cannot be easily removed, take it to the vet. If the object can be easily removed, you can make a saline wash from a pint of boiled and cooled water, with a tablespoon of salt. Gently rinse this over the area (a syringe is good for this) and it should dislodge any foreign bodies. This is probably the best way to start off trying to remove an object if you haven't any experience of eye problems. You can also try to remove it with a very steady hand and tweezers - remember to remove it in the direction it is lying in - rinse with the salt water solution afterwards. If you're at all unsure about what you're doing then see the vet - don't take chances. Watch the eye closely over the next day or so and if there is any sign of the surface being scratched, ulceration or inflammation you must see a vet for treatment. Secondly, if a white patch develops more slowly - like an opaque glaze over the eye, it could be a cataract. Although there is no cure for this, it is important to make sure it is indicative of nothing more serious, like diabetes. |
| Avoid straw (much harder and spikier than fresh hay) and hay that is old and hard. When you stick your hand in a bag of hay, you shouldn't be able to feel hard scratchy pieces. These can easily poke your cavy in the eye and cause such an injury. If the eye looks damaged NEVER press on, or rub the area. Take your piggy to the vet. |
