Meet Grounder; my one eye guinea

[Moonbeam Guineas]

Here is my Guinea hen, she is amazing and lives mostly in the house. I had to help her hatch out of her egg, she was feet 1st and struggling. She fit in fine as a keet but when I moved them to their coop, things changed. I always noticed she was smaller, slower and would not roost up high. And I know every flock has a pecking order but she was always the target, and since she was on the ground she was covered with poop and they would drag her around by her cheeks and she would cry. I decided to step in when I noticed her eye was not normal and the amount of poop she had on her. She was the sweetest guinea from the start, and her DVM said to start teramicin in her eye. So I did, but Her eye didnt get better instead the ointment allowed debris to stick to her eye. Her eye become larger, cone shaped and seemed to cause her pain. I didnt want her eye to rupture, especially on a Sunday afternoon when I wouldnt be able to get ahold of her DVM (when most ER happens with animals) And We (me and DVM) decided to remove her eye. I watched the entire surgery. It was hard to anesthetize her, that was what took the longest of the surgery. Her vet and the tech were amazing, they monitored her breathing and heart and put IV into her tiny vein under her wing, which then they had to stitch the IV in. They kept her on gas but she would shake her head and pull out of the gas mask. When she finally went down they put a tube down her throat and hooked the gas up again. ..now to the eye. Her DVM didn't remove the entire eye, the eye has a bony ring and is a major part of the bird skull, so she just scooped out the soft gross eyetissue. She packed some dissolving squares into her eye, cut her eye lids and stitched them.And also on IV fluids. Today as I post this its been 4 days from her surgery, she is doing great eating and getting her medications (well sort of) I can only give a drip in her mouth on the tip of her bottom beak so she doesnt aspirate so it is an all day project, but I don't mind. Her favorite peerching spot infront of the glass doors off the deck.
I made her an indoor A frame coop from the base of a dog kennel, she has coopbon the back deck and one in the grass. ❤ my Grounder.

 

[the_peanut_coop]

Here is my Guinea hen, she is amazing and lives mostly in the house. I had to help her hatch out of her egg, she was feet 1st and struggling. She fit in fine as a keet but when I moved them to their coop, things changed. I always noticed she was smaller, slower and would not roost up high. And I know every flock has a pecking order but she was always the target, and since she was on the ground she was covered with poop and they would drag her around by her cheeks and she would cry. I decided to step in when I noticed her eye was not normal and the amount of poop she had on her. She was the sweetest guinea from the start, and her DVM said to start teramicin in her eye. So I did, but Her eye didnt get better instead the ointment allowed debris to stick to her eye. Her eye become larger, cone shaped and seemed to cause her pain. I didnt want her eye to rupture, especially on a Sunday afternoon when I wouldnt be able to get ahold of her DVM (when most ER happens with animals) And We (me and DVM) decided to remove her eye. I watched the entire surgery. It was hard to anesthetize her, that was what took the longest of the surgery. Her vet and the tech were amazing, they monitored her breathing and heart and put IV into her tiny vein under her wing, which then they had to stitch the IV in. They kept her on gas but she would shake her head and pull out of the gas mask. When she finally went down they put a tube down her throat and hooked the gas up again. ..now to the eye. Her DVM didn't remove the entire eye, the eye has a bony ring and is a major part of the bird skull, so she just scooped out the soft gross eyetissue. She packed some dissolving squares into her eye, cut her eye lids and stitched them.And also on IV fluids. Today as I post this its been 4 days from her surgery, she is doing great eating and getting her medications (well sort of) I can only give a drip in her mouth on the tip of her bottom beak so she doesnt aspirate so it is an all day project, but I don't mind. Her favorite peerching spot infront of the glass doors off the deck.
I made her an indoor A frame coop from the base of a dog kennel, she has coopbon the back deck and one in the grass. ❤ my Grounder.View attachment 2969923View attachment 2969918View attachment 2969921View attachment 2969919View attachment 2969929View attachment 2969931View attachment 2969932View attachment 2969933View attachment 2969934

When I first saw this thread, I thought it said 'Meat Grinder'
I'm glad you care so much for your guinea.

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

When I first saw this thread, I thought it said 'Meat Grinder'
I'm glad you care so much for your guinea.

Kinda looked like meat grinder when scooping out her eye.

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

I wanted to share Grounders story because I couldn't find anything about Guinea Fowl eye surgery.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Here is my Guinea hen, she is amazing and lives mostly in the house. I had to help her hatch out of her egg, she was feet 1st and struggling. She fit in fine as a keet but when I moved them to their coop, things changed. I always noticed she was smaller, slower and would not roost up high. And I know every flock has a pecking order but she was always the target, and since she was on the ground she was covered with poop and they would drag her around by her cheeks and she would cry. I decided to step in when I noticed her eye was not normal and the amount of poop she had on her. She was the sweetest guinea from the start, and her DVM said to start teramicin in her eye. So I did, but Her eye didnt get better instead the ointment allowed debris to stick to her eye. Her eye become larger, cone shaped and seemed to cause her pain. I didnt want her eye to rupture, especially on a Sunday afternoon when I wouldnt be able to get ahold of her DVM (when most ER happens with animals) And We (me and DVM) decided to remove her eye. I watched the entire surgery. It was hard to anesthetize her, that was what took the longest of the surgery. Her vet and the tech were amazing, they monitored her breathing and heart and put IV into her tiny vein under her wing, which then they had to stitch the IV in. They kept her on gas but she would shake her head and pull out of the gas mask. When she finally went down they put a tube down her throat and hooked the gas up again. ..now to the eye. Her DVM didn't remove the entire eye, the eye has a bony ring and is a major part of the bird skull, so she just scooped out the soft gross eyetissue. She packed some dissolving squares into her eye, cut her eye lids and stitched them.And also on IV fluids. Today as I post this its been 4 days from her surgery, she is doing great eating and getting her medications (well sort of) I can only give a drip in her mouth on the tip of her bottom beak so she doesnt aspirate so it is an all day project, but I don't mind. Her favorite peerching spot infront of the glass doors off the deck.
I made her an indoor A frame coop from the base of a dog kennel, she has coopbon the back deck and one in the grass. ❤ my Grounder.View attachment 2969923View attachment 2969918View attachment 2969921View attachment 2969919View attachment 2969929View attachment 2969931View attachment 2969932View attachment 2969933

Well ignore my comment on your other thread then! Thank goodness your vet was able to help Grounder! That eye was not seeing anything and sure needed to come out. How’s she doing now?

 

[GeeseMama]

Thanks for sharing your story. So glad she pulled through for you

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

Well ignore my comment on your other thread then! Thank goodness your vet was able to help Grounder! That eye was not seeing anything and sure needed to come out. How’s she doing She is doing well. She won't eat fresh food tho, like the others do. I am hoping with time she will.

I'm glad about the vet, i know many vets won't take on a guinea fowl as a patient let alone surgery. This was the 1st surgery she did like this, and she did alot of research prior. She really is a dog and cat vet but loves poultry (she has backyard chickens too) so she took Grounder on and did amazing. I'm glad I was there to see the surgery take place Grounder was unlike any surgery I have seen and she is unlike any animal I have ever known/owned. Grounder is doing well (thanks for asking) she had a little discharge seep from her stitches but it has seemed to clear up now. Its very difficult to give her medications, she not very food motivated. I wish she would eat fresh veggies like the other do, I keep trying. Is their any suggestions you could give for snacks? She only likes gamebird crumbles. Tosses out meal worms and millet. Steps on all fresh foods or ignores them. I think when she is healed up all the way I may look into getting her a chicken friend and they can have their own coop outside.

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

Good creatures.

 

[Moonbeam Guineas]

Grounder Feb 9, 2020