Hay Pokes
The words ‘hay poke’ indicate a scratched cornea, but often, it is a piece of hay or a hayseed. This injury will often come up very suddenly with no notice. You will often see the animal squinting, indicating that a foreign object is present, usually a piece of hay or a hay seed.
Piggies love nothing more than running headfirst in a fresh hay pile that has been put in the cage. You’d think they would at least have the common sense to close their eyes before they do this because it is a potential danger. Or maybe we need to design some hay diving goggles! The good news is that it is not all that common, and if caught in time, it should be a fairly easy fix.
If I can see the offending piece of hay right away, then pulling it out should be easy. However, I always put in some eye lubricant first. When removing a hay poke, I use an eye-lubricating agent first. We use Optixcare Eye Lubricant for animals, but you can also use any other pet or human eye lubricant. Try to find one that is not watery. The one I use is not straight liquid but looks more like a liquid gel, so it is a little thicker. I like using this particular brand.
If the hay poke is not readily visible, I have to go and find it to remove the bugger.
As soon as I have liberally covered the whole inside of the eye with the watery lube goo, I will gently pick up the bottom and top eyelids and move them around a bit. This is to try to loosen and dislodge the hay and make it visible. Some pieces of hay cannot be seen right away. For example, it can do a good job hiding in the eye, high up under the top eyelid. I once had to hunt for 10 minutes to get a stubborn poke out. I knew it was there and had to get it; it makes a guinea pig miserable.
Ok, so you liberally applied the lubricating gel in the eye, and you can also gently make a rubbing motion toward the face of the piglet if the hay piece has not yet revealed itself.
In most cases, that is enough for the hay to show itself. You can rub gently over the eye at this time to get the piece closer to the corner of the eye, where it will be much easier to remove. A Q-tip soaked in the lubricant or the corner of a small piece of gauze are good tools to gently coax the hay to the corner of the eye so you can easily remove it. I often use regular brow tweezers if a piece is partly sticking out because you can gently grip the visible piece with the tweezer. The animal will instinctively move away from it, and voila, hay poke gone. I am often surprised by the size of some. It is like you can only see the tip of the iceberg.
Sometimes, a piece of hay is already gone because it was removed by the guinea pig, who likely somehow managed to rub it out of the eye. This can still leave the pig with a teary, opaque-looking eye that needs treatment.
After a hay poke removal, we will almost always see that the eye becomes opaque. This may have already happened by the time you discover there is a problem. Don’t worry, this is normal. Guinea pig eyes usually start looking worse before getting better during treatment. A normal hay poke with the right treatments should look right as rain within 1 – 5 days. An eye damaged by a hay poke can be treated at home with antibiotic ointment like Terramycin, manufactured by Zoetis, or other applicable ointment or drops.
Here in the USA, we can purchase Terramycin online, but a prescription may be needed in other countries. When in stock, we sell and ship it worldwide through our website, as well as the CBD cream that I always use and Ivermectin, which prevents and treats lice, mites, and internal parasites.
Home Treatment
Apply an inch-long strip of the antibiotic ointment Terramycin, for instance, or an equivalent product. Don't be stingy; apply liberally. Wash your hands, pull down the bottom eyelid, and transfer the cream from your finger to the lower eyelid. You can use gloves for this, but I find that it interferes with the accuracy of the administration, so you might want to use your fingers AFTER good hand washing and nail scrubbing.
If the problem persists and there does not appear to be any improvement after 5 – 8 days, oral antibiotics may need to be prescribed by your veterinarian. A simple hay poke will start healing when the hay is gone, and treatment begins.
You should check carefully to ensure that nothing is still stuck in that eye. Hayseeds are notorious for hiding deep under the eyelids.
Pain Relief
In the first two days of the treatment, it may be a great idea to have some pain relief on hand for Piggie.
We use 100mg CBD, which is a non-greasy formulation. Apply a pea-sized amount to the outside of one or both ears. We use a CBD gel pen cream by Mary’s Tails that can work miracles for all pain, especially arthritic pain, and can be safely used alongside all other medications.
Speak With Your Vet
At times, health professionals may be quick to suggest enucleation or complete eye removal. I have many videos on my channel of guinea pigs' eyes where the owner was advised to remove the eye. In 90% of these cases, such drastic measures aren't necessary. Even the most severely affected eyes can often be saved with the correct protocol. Don't be afraid to talk to your vet and suggest alternatives before considering eye removal.
Piggies love nothing more than running headfirst in a fresh hay pile that has been put in the cage. You’d think they would at least have the common sense to close their eyes before they do this because it is a potential danger. Or maybe we need to design some hay diving goggles! The good news is that it is not all that common, and if caught in time, it should be a fairly easy fix.
If I can see the offending piece of hay right away, then pulling it out should be easy. However, I always put in some eye lubricant first. When removing a hay poke, I use an eye-lubricating agent first. We use Optixcare Eye Lubricant for animals, but you can also use any other pet or human eye lubricant. Try to find one that is not watery. The one I use is not straight liquid but looks more like a liquid gel, so it is a little thicker. I like using this particular brand.
If the hay poke is not readily visible, I have to go and find it to remove the bugger.
As soon as I have liberally covered the whole inside of the eye with the watery lube goo, I will gently pick up the bottom and top eyelids and move them around a bit. This is to try to loosen and dislodge the hay and make it visible. Some pieces of hay cannot be seen right away. For example, it can do a good job hiding in the eye, high up under the top eyelid. I once had to hunt for 10 minutes to get a stubborn poke out. I knew it was there and had to get it; it makes a guinea pig miserable.
Ok, so you liberally applied the lubricating gel in the eye, and you can also gently make a rubbing motion toward the face of the piglet if the hay piece has not yet revealed itself.
In most cases, that is enough for the hay to show itself. You can rub gently over the eye at this time to get the piece closer to the corner of the eye, where it will be much easier to remove. A Q-tip soaked in the lubricant or the corner of a small piece of gauze are good tools to gently coax the hay to the corner of the eye so you can easily remove it. I often use regular brow tweezers if a piece is partly sticking out because you can gently grip the visible piece with the tweezer. The animal will instinctively move away from it, and voila, hay poke gone. I am often surprised by the size of some. It is like you can only see the tip of the iceberg.
Sometimes, a piece of hay is already gone because it was removed by the guinea pig, who likely somehow managed to rub it out of the eye. This can still leave the pig with a teary, opaque-looking eye that needs treatment.
After a hay poke removal, we will almost always see that the eye becomes opaque. This may have already happened by the time you discover there is a problem. Don’t worry, this is normal. Guinea pig eyes usually start looking worse before getting better during treatment. A normal hay poke with the right treatments should look right as rain within 1 – 5 days. An eye damaged by a hay poke can be treated at home with antibiotic ointment like Terramycin, manufactured by Zoetis, or other applicable ointment or drops.
Here in the USA, we can purchase Terramycin online, but a prescription may be needed in other countries. When in stock, we sell and ship it worldwide through our website, as well as the CBD cream that I always use and Ivermectin, which prevents and treats lice, mites, and internal parasites.
Home Treatment
Apply an inch-long strip of the antibiotic ointment Terramycin, for instance, or an equivalent product. Don't be stingy; apply liberally. Wash your hands, pull down the bottom eyelid, and transfer the cream from your finger to the lower eyelid. You can use gloves for this, but I find that it interferes with the accuracy of the administration, so you might want to use your fingers AFTER good hand washing and nail scrubbing.
If the problem persists and there does not appear to be any improvement after 5 – 8 days, oral antibiotics may need to be prescribed by your veterinarian. A simple hay poke will start healing when the hay is gone, and treatment begins.
You should check carefully to ensure that nothing is still stuck in that eye. Hayseeds are notorious for hiding deep under the eyelids.
Pain Relief
In the first two days of the treatment, it may be a great idea to have some pain relief on hand for Piggie.
We use 100mg CBD, which is a non-greasy formulation. Apply a pea-sized amount to the outside of one or both ears. We use a CBD gel pen cream by Mary’s Tails that can work miracles for all pain, especially arthritic pain, and can be safely used alongside all other medications.
Speak With Your Vet
At times, health professionals may be quick to suggest enucleation or complete eye removal. I have many videos on my channel of guinea pigs' eyes where the owner was advised to remove the eye. In 90% of these cases, such drastic measures aren't necessary. Even the most severely affected eyes can often be saved with the correct protocol. Don't be afraid to talk to your vet and suggest alternatives before considering eye removal.
