Purdie - Blindness?

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Trick

Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:01 pm


I've read over the eye page and done a lot of searching through the forum, but unfortunately a lot of photos are missing from the older threads so I'm still at a little concerned. I'm really looking to rule out it being anything other than blindness, like cataracts, as I know blindness on one side isn't too much of a concern for a piggie.

Purdie's left eye is the one reflecting in a way I know to be a potential sign of blindness.

Left eye:
Image
Super duper close up of left eye.

Right eye:
Image
Super duper close up of right eye.

Purdie is around 1 year 5 months old, she is a Merino pig (coronet x texel) and was rescued from a breeder that got in over their head. She came to us known as an unsociable pig who had never been successfully paired with a friend. For some reason with us she settled straight in and was desperate to join the herd and she absolutely loves living in our pen.

We have always wondered how good her sight is as she is quite jumpy around the other girls and ourselves sometimes. She seems to overreact a lot in some situations where the other girls would know there was nothing to worry about. She still screams whenever she is lifted out of the pen even though she loves her cuddles.

I do not remember her left eye ever being so obviously abnormal, but that may be because her hair was always so much longer before now. The camera shows up the silver sheen but even looking at her under daylight or artificial light it is very obvious.

I have tried testing her sight but while I can say with almost certainty she can see out her right eye just fine, she doesn't play ball with any of my tests! I've tried my fingers, a light... I think guinea pigs just aren't interested in anything without a smell, and of course using veggies would defeat the purpose of the test!

Talishan
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Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:04 pm


Is she evidencing any sign of pain?

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Mum
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Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:09 pm


Go into a dark room. Shine a flashlight into her eyes.

If her pupil doesn't react, she's blind.

Have you had a vet check her eyes?

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Trick

Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:25 pm


Her pupil definitely contracted :/ We'll make an appointment asap to get her eye stained. I feel horrible, I have no idea how long it has been like that.

She isn't showing any signs of pain at all, or at least nothing out of the ordinary for her. But if she's had this since we got her (I really can't be sure) then no wonder :/ She's never had it checked at the vets, it's only since we started trimming her hair around her eyes to help her vision that we've noticed it.

Could it be a cataract at all?

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:29 pm


It could be a cataract, and if this is the case you might consider getting her tested for diabetes since she's so young. Cataracts are very common in older pigs, though.

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Trick

Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:37 pm


I think what I'll do is take her along with Brie when we go to see our good guinea pig vet. We're getting Brie checked for cysts so Purdie can hitch a ride at the same time.

If it turns out we can't get through to see him until next week then I'll take Purdie in sooner to see the local vet I like as well. If it is a cataract I will definitely get her tested for diabetes.

Talishan
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Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:55 pm


Don't feel horrible. If she's not evidencing pain, my best guess would be a cataract, which are not at all uncommon.

They can get glaucoma and some form of lens slippage (?? IIRC) that is extremely painful. I suspect if she had either of those, you'd know.

In my *very* limited experience, the fancy coated pigs tend to develop more problems, not surprisingly, and develop them sooner. Do have her blood sugar tested (should be a simple and inexpensive test, at least to start with), but don't beat yourself up in the meantime.

Looking at the left SDCU photo, my gut hunch is cataract. It looks like the slipped-lens pictures I've seen, but those are painful; really painful to the point where her behavior would so indicate.

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Trick

Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:01 pm


Thanks Talishan, I'm really hoping she isn't in pain. She absolutely loves having the top of her head rubbed and her chinnies which would seem to indicate she doesn't have pain in her head I would have thought.

Do you think an eye stain would be a good move to rule out any surface damage?

Talishan
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Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:19 pm


See what the vet says, but I think so. Unless the vet is convinced there's no surface damage and the stain would be useless, I'd have it done. They're not that expensive, not that painful (more annoying than anything else to the pig; they don't like them but I don't think they really hurt), and quite definitive if done correctly.

My old vets would put a drop of something that ends in -caine into the eye first, so the stain stuff was less irritating. That was a while back; the stain stuff may now even have it in it, but ask.

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Trick

Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:28 pm


I'll get one done sooner rather than later then if we can't get to the super vet this week. There's a local vet I trust with that kind of thing, she was wonderful with Gracie's eye problem a while back.

Thanks again Talishan, I should be able to get a good nights sleep now :) Why these things always happen in the middle of the night I have no idea!

Talishan
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Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:29 pm


At least it's not a Sunday, or a holiday, or something. That's when the problems really usually show up. :-p

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Lynx
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Post   » Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:27 pm


My guess also is a cataract. Would you like me to add your great pics to the thread? As you can tell looking at old threads, the pics do sometimes disappear. I try to save the most illustrative ones.

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