Swollen eye

Question
This afternoon me and my boyfriend noticed that our Petunia' s eye was swollen shut. i think she might have gotten stung because the majority of the swelling is in front of the crevice of the eyes. It is too late today to take her to the vet and so we cleaned her eye with water and put neosporin on it. Is there anything else you would suggest to do? .... it seems to be itchy to her but of course her little legs cannot reach it.

Answer
Swelling could be from a sting, an irritant, or something stuck under an eyelid.

If you can get her to lay down for a belly rub, at naptime or bedtime, the two of you can probably get a good look around her eye. One person belly rubs while the other checks the eye. If piggy does not object too much, a cool, damp cloth will ease the swelling and itching. You can also use any human first aid skin product that relieves swelling and itching. If the swelling doesn't go down within a day, piggy will need to see the vet.

Grab the lashes and very, very gently pull them up, so you can see around the eyeball. Look for bits of dirt or junk, and try to get them out with a damp cloth, q-tip, fingertip, or whatever. If all else fails, try rinsing it out with plain water, but your pig might not tolerate this. If you can not get the object out a vet can remove it under anesthesia, check for physical damage to the eye, and prescribe any necessary antibiotics or soothing eye drops.

Look for a stinger or tiny puncture or bite mark. If you see any of these, then the swelling is from a sting. Pull a stinger out with tweezers. Chances are the swelling will go down in a few hours with no further symptoms, if it continues to spread and worsen piggy might need antihistamines.

If the swelling is caused by contact with an irritant, it was probably a manufactured chemical. Pig seem immune to natural irritants like poison ivy, oak, sumac etc. The best thing to do here is just keep washing with cool, damp cloths until the swelling goes down.