entropiana

Question
Hi! I have a mini pot belly who is 3 and he has been tearing brown liquid and cannot open his eye. When I looked in his eye the lashes were folded under and I believe he has entropiana. I want to know the average price range of the surgery to resolve this and is it a perminate solution?

Answer
Due to the shape of their faces, pigs (and some breeds of dogs) often have trouble with eyelashes rubbing against the eyeballs and turning inward. Overweight pigs especially have this problem, because the extra weight causes their faces to puff, pushing the eyelashes inward.

Yes, when done properly, entropion surgery is permanent. But, like any surgery, it carries risks. Anesthesia is a big risk for any pig and more so for a heavy pig. There is also a risk of post-operative infection.

The biggest factors in veterinary prices are location, location and location. Vets near big cities, or whose offices are in high-rent areas have no choice - they must charge more (sometimes substantially more) than veterinarians who operate in semi-rural areas where rent, labor and other costs are much lower. Costs on the East and West coast are substantially higher than in the midwest. But no matter where you are, this kind of surgery requires expertise and will not be inexpensive. Expect to pay $1k or more (maybe a bit less for just one eye, or if you are not in an expensive area).

My suggestion is to call your local vet, and some other nearby vets. This is elective surgery, so they should be willing to give you an estimate of the costs, listing all items specifically even if they are not broken out by cost. For example, some vets prefer to keep an animal overnight after surgery, others will allow you to pick your pet up and take him home. Vets who keep them overnight may include this in their fee or charge you separately, so that's why it's important to know exactly what is and is not included.

In the meantime, clean piggy's eye and try to get the lashes out yourself. Gently, gently, grasp the eyelid and pull it a little bit away from the eyeball, try to get the lashes off the eyeball. You can even try grasping the lashes with your hands and pulling or wiping them away from his eye. When you're done, rinse his eye with artificial tears (NOT contact eye drops, NOT "get the red out" eye drops) made for people. If you do with every couple of days, you might be able to correct the problem at home yourself.