My pigs eye and a bump on his neck

Question
A few weeks ago I noticed my pig's right eye was a little "droopy," and the white part of his eye looked like it was larger than the left eye.  My pig is about 3 years old now.  Now I had pigs before I noticed that as they got older thier eyes got droopy. Is this common or do you think thier may be something wrong?  Also he has a little black lump on his neck, it has been there for a really long time now, is this common or could this be a problem too?  The vet is $50 just for the visit so before I go I want to make sure I am not being paranoid.
THANKS

Answer
Jess --

I'm not a vet, so every bit of advice I give here is subjective -- coming from my experience.  Also, since I've never seen your animal, use your own best judgement about him -- even if it counteracts what I say.  I would say that its normal for guinea pigs to lose a little of their facial muscle tone as they get older, although your animal really isn't that old yet.  Probably about middle age.  Unless its excessive or getting worse quickly, I wouldn't worry about it.  As for the lump on his neck, is it on the back of his neck or under the chin?  If the lump is growing or seems to be causing him pain, I would take him to the vet immediately.  However, if it seems to be stabilized (not growing at all) and it doesn't seem painful, I would just watch it carefully.  However, I'm not a vet and I've not seen the animal.  If you think its necessary, please feel free to take him to the vet.

Hope this information is helpful.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me.  Good luck!

Lorena