Applying Eye Drops To Dogs

As a dog owner, you can expect to have to give your pooch eye drops at least once during their life. Getting your dog to take eye drops can be quite challenging while also scary for your dog. Applying eye medication to stubborn dog breeds like the Nigerian local breed “Ekuke” could be an overwhelming experience.

Eye drops and ointments are prescribed for a variety of ocular conditions in dogs, including glaucoma, corneal ulcers, and recovery from cataract surgery. Even a minor eye infection like conjunctivitis – what the kids in your grade-school days called “pink eye” – can require regular administration of drops.

Getting Started

Prepare the Eye Drops

When you’re giving eye drops, you want to make the whole process as simple and stress free as possible for you and your pet. Ensure that you’ve removed the lid from the bottle along with any protective caps that may be left on the pipette. Once you know that the fluid will flow you’re ready to go.

Ensure a Clean Procedure

Wash your hands both before and after administering the medication to prevent contamination and/or the potential spread of infection. Be sure to keep the eye medication’s applicator tip clean and do not allow it to contact the dog, the surface of the eye or eyelids, or any other surface. If this occurs, clean the tip by wiping it off with a clean cloth and ask your veterinarian for specific cleaning instructions.

Retraining Your Dog

If your dog’s legs are too strong to use the medicine while it is standing up, consider placing it on its side. Have the holder pin its legs to the ground. Similarly, if your dog tends to nip or bite when you apply medication to its eyes, you may need to get a muzzle. This will limit your dog’s ability to open its mouth.[2]Muzzle your dog if you can’t hold him in a relaxed position.

Administration

Place one hand (your left hand, if you’re right-handed) under and around your dog’s chin and lift upward, so his eyes are looking towards the ceiling. With the fingers or thumb of the same hand (depending on which eye you need to place the drops into) gently pull the eyelid of the affected eye downwards. This will form a little eyelid pouch that you will then administer the drops into.

Squeeze the prescribed number of eye drops into the eyelid pouch that you created, being careful not to touch the tip of the bottle to your dog’s eye. Let go of your dog, and allow him to blink and move around as the act of blinking will move the eye drops across the surface of the eye evenly, and help the drops to be effective.

Reward

Once you have administered the drops, be sure to give your dog the tasty treat you have either waiting for him or hovering over his nose if you are able to use a partner to help. This method should be easy and should only take a few minutes. Be sure your dog feels safe and comfortable.