Swollen eyeball

[lostinspiration]

Just let my 5 year old chin Jordan out for playtime and i noticed that his right eye is swollen and there is a small amount of mucus(?). He's otherwise acting normal-but what can I clean the area with to get a better look at whats going on? The fur is somewhat matted.

 

[tunes]

Just warm water will work. I use warm water and make up squares and that works really well. Try to use something that won't leave little fibers all over his eye. If there's something already irritating it, that will just make it worse.

 

[Stackie]

It sounds like he may have an eye infection or even a scratch on the eye. It would be a good idea to take him to the vet and get it checked out & get some drops for it. I have had good luck with Terramycin. Eye infections can get pretty nasty and can be a bit of a bear to get rid of.

 

[ticklechin]

Since injury is treated with a different antibiotic than infection its a good idea to take the chin to the vet for an exam of the eye using yellow dye which is illuminated in a dark room with an ultraviolet light, then the vet can RX the correct antibiotic and treatment. I personally don't mess with eyes, I go to the vet.

 

[lostinspiration]

I wiped the area with boiled (not boiling) water and a sterile gauze pad I found. It looks a lot better than it did at first, but there's still some redness around his eyelid. I think I will clean the area again this morning while I look for a chinchilla vet in town.... I had it written somewhere a while ago but then I moved and I can't remember :banghead:

Picture of this morning, for reference:



Terribly blurry, but he's in the frame.

 

[Stackie]

From the picture the eye looks pretty red and irritated. The wet matted fur is another sign of something wrong. I would definitely get him into the vet to get checked out. Request that they do a dye stain on his eye to be sure the cornea isn't scratched.

 

[Chinmama]

I agree with the vet visit. If it is conjunctivitis, it can spread to his other eye, and to you. Wash your hands well before and after handling him. If he is pawing/scratching at his eye, he can scratch his cornea which will make things a lot worse.

Let us know where you are, and maybe someone can refer you to a vet with knowledge of chins.

 

[lostinspiration]

I'm in glorious Missoula, Montana, the home of Malfunction Junction. Our claim to fame, other than that pesky college thing.

His fur is a little extra mussed from being cleaned last night, but there is still some mucusy stuff going on (though not nearly to the same extent.)

Found one place in town but they had a 2 week wait... got an appointment at 1 pm at the only other place in town. \o/ I'll update after the visit with whatever's going on.

 

[Chinmama]

Here is a list of safe/not safe antibiotics for chins, just in case the vet is clueless: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25.

 

[lostinspiration]

We have returned from the vet! Jordan got something in his eye, but it's not infected and the cornea isn't scratched. Eye drops 3 times a day for at least 2 days after crud disappears. I think his dignity is more wounded than his eyeball....

Thank you all for the wonderful advice! I'll update this if he gets worse or anything, but the vet said he should be fine.

(In case anyone else has a chinchilla in Missoula, I went to Pruyn Veterinary Hospital on Russell. They were excellent.)

 

[Stackie]

Glad to hear it's nothing too serious. Just out of curiosity, what's the name of the medication they gave you?

 

[lostinspiration]

"Ak-trol drops" Active ingredients include: Neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B sulfate, dexamethasone

My mom called it something else when I told her what was in it (she's a pharmacist) but she said it would reduce the inflammation. Or something like that. I'm not a pharmacist by any stretch of the imagination....