My guinea pig has a swollen cheek and crusty eyes. What's wrong?

This is likely an abscess which will need to be seen and treated by a veterinarian. The vet will need to lance the abscess and flush it. Since it may be involving the teeth, your vet may want to x-ray the head to see the extent. Kuri will need antibiotics. If you have financial concerns, investigate the possibility of getting care credit (www.carecredit.com), make a few phone calls to some pet charities in your area and talk with your vet about a payment plan.

Thanks for reaching out about your guinea pig. Eyes infections, corneal abrasions (from hay, other trauma), dental disease and other ocular problems are common and should be assessed by a veterinarian, before they progress. The redness is a clinical sign of inflammation or bleeding. Good luck.

Your guinea pig may have an upper respiratory infection or a tooth abscess. You should take it to a veterinarian familiar with guinea pigs for a check up of his teeth (guinea pigs often have malocclusions and teeth that are too long). If there is an upper respiratory infection your cavy needs to be treated with injectable antibiotics. Guinea pigs cannot take antibiotics by mouth as it kills their intestinal flora and can indeed kill the guinea pig. Should the crusts go away and your guinea pig eats and drinks well and is happy, then this might have been caused by a draft and it will not need a vet visit.

I am so sorry that you are having problems with both of your guinea pigs. Because your other guinea pig had signs of a respiratory (nose, windpipe, and lungs) issue, I would recommend having Peaches evaluated by a veterinarian. Many times, respiratory diseases can be contagious, and may present with abnormalities of the eyes (the eyes and nose are connected, so bacteria and other organisms can spread between them!). From the pictures, the changes appear to be mild right now, which is great as you have caught it early! Other things that can cause both watering of the eyes and respiratory problems is bedding in the cage. Shavings made of pine or cedar can be irritating to both the eyes and the respiratory system, and can result in sneezing and watering of the eyes. Excessively dusty bedding can do the same things. If these are present, I would recommend changing those out and looking for improvement. Your veterinarian will be able to look closely at Peaches' eyes, and take a close listen to her lungs to make sure she is not also having respiratory signs.

I am sorry to hear about your guinea pig. A photograph may help us better evaluate the area. If you are certain the area looks swollen (meaning you have viewed the area previously and it now appears altered) I would recommend a visit to the vet for your guinea pig. If you aren’t positive the gender of your guinea pig it’s possible this is a male starting to sexually mature. You can read about determining gender at http://www.guinealynx.info/sexing.html

Thanks for using PetCoach. There are several possibilities for Pietje's crusty eyes. The first is to make sure that he has adequate Vitamin C supplement. This needs to be in the form of fresh fruits and veggies as well as fresh food, and Vit C supplement (not in the water). A bit more on feeding https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/guinea-pigs-feeding The other differentials include mites or ringworm. A vet visit can help diagnose either of these conditions. The vet may recommend a fungal culture or skin scraping to make a diagnosis. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/guinea-pigs-problems I hope this helps.

I can see that Lilo has a swelling over her jaw, which may be a sign of a tooth root abscess. This can result in discomfort and difficulty eating. I recommend having this evaluated by a vet as soon as possible, as she may need to have teeth extracted or dental x-rays. In rare cases, this can also be caused by a growth on the bone, either due to a tumor or inappropriate nutrition. In the meantime, you should ensure that Lilo has a well balanced diet and keep an eye on her for issues eating, weight loss, or any nasal discharge. I hope all is well and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!