possible eye infection

Question
Five days ago we got a young sow, Jet-Puff Marshmallow (Jett for short, at a pet store. She is approximately 4 months old. We noticed one of her eyes is teary and has some discharge. We got her as a companion for our neutered male, Chocolate Chip. She is in a separate cage next to his cage but they are not together. I'm guessing she has some kind of eye infection. I have some .3% Oflaxacin eye drops - can I use these on her eye?

Answer
Hello Julie,

I'm not sure. I haven't heard of that being used for Guinea Pigs before and I can't find any real info related to its safety in relation to piggies. I can't reccommend using it for that reason. Some medications have deadly results in piggies. I can reccommend Terramycin Ophthalmic Ointment. I know that it is safe and works well. It can usually be found at feed stores because it is used to treat eye infections in farm animals. I also reccommend getting Jett a vet appointment if you can. It could be (and probably is) just an eye infection, however icky eyes can be a sign of other illnesses (though usually then it is both eyes). If you notice any other symptoms or if the eye ointment doesn't work she should definantly see the vet. You could lso try changing her bedding. Sometimes they react with runny eyes to certain beddings. So she may just be sensitive to her bedding. Good luck with your girl. I hope her eye gets better. Also, I would avoid putting her with your boar until her eye clears up in case it is contagious.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs