I work in a grade school and...

Question
I work in a grade school and I have a GP in my classroom.  She recently had babies and I gave one to another class.  This little guinea pig's name is Snow, and has recently developed a problem.  We think that she may have been dropped by one of the children, but we can't prove anything.  Snow's left eye is swollen and she tilts her head to that same side.  I took her to the vet who told me Snow may have an ear infection and gave me antibiotics, it has been 4 days and I still haven't seen any improvement.  The vet also said it may be a brain trauma and she may adapt to it.  I was wondering if you had heard of any other guinea pigs engaging in this head tilting behavior, and possibly if it could even be a result of an eye infection.  Since her eyes are located on the sides of her head, I wondered if it was possible if she turned her head to make up for her swollen eye.

Answer
Barb -

There are many reasons why a guinea pig may tilt its head to the side.  The number one reaon, and what your vet is treating, is an ear infection.  What is does is affect their sense of balance, and so they will hold their head funny.  I'm not so sure about the dropping theory, though.  Usually, if a guinea pig has been dropped, they are most likely to exhibit symptoms through spinal injuries or broken legs ... I've not heard of too many with a brain trauma.  

What antibiotic did the vet prescribe for the guinea pig?  Also, does Snow seem to have any symptoms in her eye besides it being swollen?  i.e. discharge, cloudiness, redness, etc?

Let me know, and I'll try to help you a little more specifically.

Thanks,
Lorena