Eye Closed Shut

[Kara315]

I thought last night Tigger's eye looked a little wet around his left eye, Not much, but just a little, Maybe figured he just caught something in it quick, as there wasn't anything there. This morning, His left eye is completely shut and he didn't/couldn't open it when I went over to his cage. When I gently felt it, it felt like maybe there was a little crud in the corner. Should I just bring him to the vet? Or has this happened to someone and you can do something at home to help him? Besides that, he seems fine. But It was a little scary seeing him not able to open his eye.

Update: I just checked him, and it's open, I can see his eye, But it doesn't look like the same, the right eye is much more visible then his left eye. I was about to take a cloth and gently rub it over his eye, when it opened but his eye definatly isn't as "open" and normal as his other one. It doesn't look like anything is in there. But I know that doesn't mean there's nothing wrong.


Another update, His eye now seems more open then before, so it's getting back to normal like the other.
In your opinion, Should I watch him for a day and if it happens, bring him? Or is this an urrgent thing, where I should try for today/earliest time?
He seems fine besides, ate his treat last night, was playing with a hanging toy, and I cleaned alot of poop out of his tunnel where he usually sleeps and where I found him this morning.

 

[Chinmama]

It could just be dust irritation. How often do you dust him? You may want to invest in a bottle of saline drops to use to flush his eye periodically. Also, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling him in case it's conjunctivitis.

Keep an eye on him for the next day or two and go from there. If it continues or gets worse, you may need to take him to the vet to check for conjunctivitis and/or an upper respiratory infection (conjunctivitis is usually secondary to URI's).

 

[Kara315]

It could just be dust irritation. How often do you dust him? You may want to invest in a bottle of saline drops to use to flush his eye periodically. Also, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling him in case it's conjunctivitis.

Keep an eye on him for the next day or two and go from there. If it continues or gets worse, you may need to take him to the vet to check for conjunctivitis and/or an upper respiratory infection (conjunctivitis is usually secondary to URI's).

Ok I will......I'm hoping it's nothing obviously. I wanted to try and wait to see the vet as money is tight this week. I just got a job, so i'd be able to to if it happened a couple weeks from now, But thats not how it works.

I usually give him a dust bath twice a week, there were a few times I forgot/was just careless and gave him one a week.
What kind of saline drops are ok for for them? I thought I read that you can't give them the same as humans.....maybe I just read wrong.
I'm trying to figure out if it's best to wait and keep and eye on him, or just call and make an appointment.

 

[Kara315]

Well I made an appointment anyway.....I guess I'm just a bit nervous this being the first problem with them in the years i've had them.
I did find it weird, I got an appointment today with the vet I saw last time which was just a routine visit to see how they were, this was the first time there, and haven't been back since for anything for them. But teh Vet I saw that time, I asked for if they had an opening today, as the other vet we see usually for our dogs/cats, Dr. J didn't have an opening till tomorrow morning, so i just checked if the other, Dr.P had any and she did at 3:40, but the receptionist said she doesn't usually see them, so she'll ask and call back to make sure. I always though Dr.P who saw tigger and eeyore before, was more specialized in chins, then Dr. J as well as I thought she had chins before as well.....so I found that weird. But Dr. P saw them before and was great with them, and knew alot, but i was just surprised.

Anyway, so hopefully they visit goes good. He seems fine and can slightly open it at times and other times it's stuck shut again it seems. So we'll see how it goes. Thanks for the help.

 

[Kara315]

Thankfully everything turned out great. Just have to give him some ointment twice a day, most likely was just some dust that got in his eye, wasn't red or inflammed, and his teeth were perfect.

 

[Chinmama]

Good luck with the ointment! You don't realize how hard it is to get something like that in their eye until you actually try.

 

[6Dusters]

Be very careful. Those little tubes are not the best thing to work with. I've used it on kits. With an adult I would do the burrito method. Chins never sit still. Make sure your hands are washed up before application. More times then not I have had to open the eye and gently make sure the ointment went into the eye. It melts right away.

When the eye is open again after a few treatments the chins really hates the whole ordeal. Glad to read it was not a serious issue with the eye.

 

[Kara315]

Thanks, The vet put the first application in and had to put him in a burrito wrap, so thats what I did as well. It took a little for him to calm down, as soon as he did, I was able to get it in his eye. She suggested using my finger to gently get it in, instead of the tube, incase it scratches his eye.
But did he good for the first application from me. His eye is already open pretty much completely, so i'm glad it's working.