Focus on Giving Medication – Eye Drops & Ointments

Eye Drops:

  • Gently clean away any debris around your pet’s eyes with warm water and a washcloth prior to administering the eye drops. This can be soothing and prepare your dog/cat for administering the medication.
  • Hold the bottle using your thumb and index finger. You may want to rest this hand on the top of your pet’s head for stability.
  • With your other hand, use your thumb to pull down the lower eyelid. The lower eyelid acts as a pouch to receive the drops. Place your remaining fingers under your pet’s jaw to support the head. Make sure the head is roughly parallel to the ground. If you tilt it too far back, the liquid will drip drown the throat quickly and this will make the experience unpleasant for your pet.
  • Hold the bottle close to the eye but make sure you DO NOT touch the eye’s surface.
  • Aiming for the centre of the eye, squeeze the prescribed number of drops directly onto the eyeball, Release their head.
  • Your pet may blink, spreading the medication over the surface of the eye.
  • Make sure you give them plenty of praise and offer a treat when you are finished. This will make the experience more positive and make it easier to give the medication the next time.

Watch this link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58pETLDGejQ

Ointment:

  • As with using drops, hold the ointment tube using your thumb and index finger. You may want to rest this hand on the top of your dogs/cats head to help stabilize it, or on your dog, under their chin with the palm of your hand.
  • With your other hand, use your thumb to gently pull down the lower eyelid or your thumb and forefinger to open both upper and lower eyelids. Place your remaining fingers under your pets jaw to support the head if  you are not using your palm as noted above.
  • Squeeze the ointment onto the inside edge of the lower lid. Make sure that you DO NOT touch the eye’s surface with the tube. Your veterinarian will have instructed you on the amount of ointment to apply.
  • The warmth of the eyeball should melt the ointment, helping it to spread. Your pet will blink, further spreading the medication over the surface of the eye. It is normal to see the ointment accumulate in the corners of the eye after administration.
  • Make sure you give your pet plenty of praise throughout the procedure and offer a treat after applying the ointment.

Be calm—pets can easily detect anxiety, so the more relaxed you are, the more they will be at ease.

View this tutorial online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx739tUQi8M