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[GrayRodent]

Looks like my chinchilla, Kulu, is in the beginning stages of an eye infection. Yesterday there was some slight drainage from his right eye which I wrote off since yesterday was a bath day. Today there is now enough to cause some very slight matting of the fur and there is a layer of mucous at the front corner of the eye by the tear duct. I examined it closely with a 10x loupe and a flashlight (not easy to do with a fidgedy chin!) to see if I could detect any scratches or foreign objects. I determined that I'd have to flush the eye in order to see what's under the mucous because it is somewhat opaque. I really don't have what I need to do that on hand so I'm probably going to have the vet do it tomorrow. He does seem to be scratching at it as well.

His weight, food and water intake has been very steady (I log mine daily) and there don't seem to be any other symptoms.

This would be my first actual experience with this in a chinchilla (although I've treated other kinds of animals and have helped many people on the boards with this problem). Although I usually answer questions about eye infections I'd be glad to hear someone else's take on it who's been through this.

[GrayRodent]

I just made a vet appointment for tomorrow. I wouldn't be as concerned if I didn't see him scratching at his eye. I also attempted to wipe it with a damp cloth but he was moving around so much I was afraid of poking his eye with my fingers. I asked if I should use human eye drops to flush the eye and was told no.

Considering he's going in tomorrow I doubt it's worth pursuing. I was hoping that I could clear the mucous so I could a good look at the tear duct. The duct on the other eye seems to be nice and clear. I did notice some odd white speckles across the sclera. They look something like dust particles and may very well be. Since I've never used that kind of magnifier on an eyeball before I'm not sure if that's normal or not.

[mb30]

I hope everything turns out okay

[GrayRodent]

The good news is that the eye did start to clear up and the vet visit was more a precaution than a necessity. Considering we have a parrot in the house I thought it wise to have the vet assess the problem in case it was contagious. Also for peace of mind since respiratory infections sometimes present like that and quickly become life threatening. I've never seen it get that bad with Kulu so I had to make sure. If it happens again I'll probably give it more time to heal on it own.

I Got back from the vet today. He did an excellent job. He doesn't think it's pathogenic or contagious and did not find any symptoms pointing to a respiratory infection. His diagnosis was conjunctivitis from mechanical irritation. It could have been dust from his bath, loose hay, or maybe scraping his eye on one of his toys bumping around.

He was given a florescein stain which is where a fluorescent dye is deposited onto the eye and if there is any ulceration or scrapes it shows up under a blue light. This test was mostly to make sure there was no ulceration present because he was prescribed dexamethasone eye drops, a steroid that will promote healing and reduce inflammation, which cannot be used if there is any sign of ulceration.

He'll be given these every 12 hours for four days. They are a mild antibiotic as well and I'll start him on it tomorrow morning.

[GrayRodent]

This morning his eye still had a little crust by the tear duct but it was easily removed. I think whatever caused this can go away on its own.
The vet said it was likely the dye would come out his nose, especially if the tear duct was open, so here are the results. The dye fluoresces nicely under a black light. It's kind of like he has
Haloween makeup on.

Although the picture isn't that great the yellow dye shows up mostly around his eye and out of his right nostril. Both his front paws are covered with it as well. The tear duct glows very brightly.

[mb30]

That is crazy looking. How easy was it for you to give the eyedrops? I would think it'd be more difficult than syringe feeding antibiotics

[GrayRodent]

I decided not to medicate because it was wasn't that bad. I did help the vet put the flourescine eyedrops into the eye. With the two of us it wasn't very difficult but it would be extremely difficult to do it with one person and get it lined up. I do agree it takes more skill than syringe feeding but it's really not that bad.
The alternative was eye salve, which requires the globe of the eye to be rubbed with salve. I know others have done it but I think there is less chance of injuring the eye with the drops.

[LYChinchillas]

My girl has chronic tear duct issues (I thought perhaps tooth problems initially, but vet cleared that), and it recurs every two months or so, but overall it's manageable. From time to time, the others get some irritation, but that's exactly what you mentioned - some small environmental irritants that clear up in a day or two. Eye problems are a huge worry and I can only imagine how frustrated they get when their eyes are irritated.. glad to hear he's fine!

[Lori Ramsey Earle]

I always greatly preferred eye drops for chins, as opposed to eye ointments. The ointment seems to irritate chins more, and also attract any residual dust hanging around the cage. Cage mates also seemed to be interested in licking at the ointment too. I never found it too  hard to put in eye drops - it helps if you loosely wrap the chin in a small towel, and have their head in the crook of your arm. The key to it is being quick!