Tips on administering eye drops needed! LATEST UPDATE>>>

[Snoo]

Help! I could do with some tips on how to administer eye drops to a wriggling, writhing, squirming, nipping, Clover, who is ten and a half weeks old. The vet says she has dry eyes and she is having one lot of eye drops twice a day, and another lot 6-8 times or more a day. I will be having to administer them single handed as will be on my own during the day - any hints and tips, apart from a vice or strait-jacket would be much appreciated from anyone who has had experience of this. It sounds like she is possibly going to need eye drops permanently.    

[HeatherandBenjy]

You have my sympathy and understanding! Two of ours are on meds for dry eye, Buddy is really co-operative, Oscar on the other hand.....

What works best for me is to sit with my legs around Oscar's chest (which kind of helps to stop him wriggling) and then holding his muzzle with one hand and using the thumb of that hand to help lower the eyelid and then using the other hand to put the drops in.

It does get better as they get more used to it happening - honest!

[Megan Ffion]

This is how I do it.  I am right handed.

Hold Clover gently but firmly by the muzzle with you left hand.

With eye drops at the ready in your right hand, with the heel of your right hand on Clovers head, gently pull back a little and as her head comes up, her eye will open so you just drop a little solution/cream onto the centre of the eye ball.  All over in a flash with no fighting with the patient.

Our vet showed me how to do it and it works every time.  After you've done it once or twice, Clover will know whats coming and will not get stressed outonly make sure that you administer from above the eye.

Good luck.

Gwyneth Colin and Megan

ps,  make sure you do not touch the actual eye in any way.

[elaine.e]

William has eye drops once a day for Dry Eye and I use much the same method as Megan Ffion with success. However, I appreciate it must be much more difficult with a small, wriggly puppy.

William knows that he will get a treat after he's had his eye drops. I use the verbal cue "eye drops, treat" and he gets on the sofa and lays down, bless him. I place the treat on the arm of the sofa, hold William as described, administer the eye drops and then praise him and give him the treat immediately.

I think you need to try and get Clover into a routine with this, so that she learns there's a place where she has her eye drops and that you will praise and reward her afterwards. It will take time and patience, so good luck with it

Has she actually been diagnosed with the condition Dry Eye (Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca or KCS) or does she simply have dry eyes and/or an infection at the moment?

[Snoo]

@HeatherandBenjy: oh my goodness, TWO dogs with dry eye - that must have been a bit of a blow, and such bad luck. At what age were they diagnosed, if you don't mind my asking? My vet said Clover is the youngest dog she has seen with it. Thanks for your tip - I'll have to try that in conjunction with the other suggestions!

@Megan Ffion: Many thanks for your tip too - I am left handed so will just reverse your instructions! You make it sound very easy! Just holding Clover's head still seems an impossibility - you wouldn't believe how strong she can be when she doesn't wish to be restrained! I seem to battle against all four paws and then just when I think I can drip the drops, her ear flap falls over the eye and obscures it!  However, I can see that doing it your way, you say her head will come up, so the ears should fall back, and out of the way, right?! I will try this in a mo, before I take her out in the car.

@elaine.e: Thanks for your reply too - I'm surprised at how many people have dogs with eye problems. I like your idea of getting into the routine of it, especially if it is going to be a life long thing, though I am hoping it won't be. When I got Clover she just had very pale greeny-white 'sleepy' in her eyes in the mornings, and rather pink eye whites - but the 'sleepy' disappeared as the mornings wore on. Then on Monday morning a friend came with her granddaughter whom she was worried would cuddle Clover and possibly get the 'sleepy' on her fingers so she grabbed a tissue and before I knew it, had wiped Clover's eyes with it. That afternoon I saw that one eye in particular had green pus in it. On Tuesday I took  her to my vet as her eye was by then gummed up after a night's sleep. Fluorescein was used to check the eye and vet was happy there was nothing in it, and no scratches or anything untoward, and she prescribed Fucithalmic. She expected a drastic improvement, but said if no better take her back on Saturday. Well it was no better on Saturday so took her back, saw different vet, who did the Schirmer test. She didn't tell me the (numeric)result except to say there were no tears to speak of and that she has this condition 'dry eye'. She prescibed Viscotears 6-8 times daily as well as finish off the tube of Fucithalmic. Vet said she had not seen it in such a young puppy so is consulting with a specialist on Tuesday and will let me know what to do next. She said she may have to have another kind of eye drop which works on the tear ducts, may have been Optimmune she mentioned?  She also said if eye drops don't work there is an op where they take the salivary gland and reroute fluid from there to the eye - sounds horrible and she certainly didn't recommend going that route especially at this stage!  I think I have got that down all right but may have slipped up on some of the info as I was quite shocked to find it was most likely going to be a life long thing and not just a little infection. I can't wait till Tuesday to find out what the result is, of her chat with the specialist chap - I am quite upset about Clover having this condition if indeed it is KCS.

P.S. I have done a search on here and found other posts regarding this condition but haven't had time to read them all yet.....

[Jonnydog]

Poor little Clover! It sounds as if she's going to get used to having her eye drops done. Could you combine it with a delicious treat so that she comes to associate the two? I realise you need to be an octopus to do it and don't envy you, but I bet in a couple of weeks it'll be much easier for you both. 

[mcc]

This is how i used to do it.

Sit the dog in front of you or if it is a small pup, on your knee. But facing away from you.

Put your left hand under its jaw so that you are cradling its head and cuddle the dog towards you, restricting its movements.  Be gentle but firm and you will have a good cotrol of its movements.

Hold the drops in your right hand and put the heel of your right hand ot top of the head.

use your left thumb or index finger (depending on which eye) to gently pull the lower eyelid down and at the same time use the heel of you right hand to gently draw the top eyelid back.  You can now squeeze the drops in.

Hope this makes sense

[lindseyp]

So sorry to hear little Clover has dry eye ....she is so very young & will keep all paws crossed that it is the type that rights itself in time & with treatment 

There are various reasons for the onset of this condition - one of my girls, Purdey has it & is probably linked to her having multiple allergies. Hers was extremely bad at one point but with a change to her diet & trials of various drops, she is virtually 'cured' (I say that with fingers crossed ) She only requires drops occasionally as her eyes are now making tears & eye care/bathing is not really needed as often as before.
IMO I would recommend a refferal to an ophthalmologist ASAP - vets are super in the job they do but the specialist will know better how to treat & monitor her condition correctly ..........eyes are so very precious & need to be treated by the best you can get, especially as she so very young.
Purdeys previous episodes of dry eye have cause scarring in the form of ghost vessels across her eyes & for her, her sight is similar to looking through net curtains - prevention of this is helped by correct treatment which only a specialist might now (I say that as some vets are pretty hot on eyes & yours maybe one but still recommend an ophthalmologist  )

The tips for administering eye drops already given are much the same for me too but would add that I always sit the girls on a breakfast bar stool (less inclined to try & jump off) & initially I got someone to help with a treat ....tube of primular cheese spread is fab! until they get used to having it done 

good luck & please keep us updated with how she gets on
big  for Clover   

[Snoo]

Thank you all so much for your tips and advice - I am sure Clover will get used to it eventually - it just seems such a shame when she is so young.  I have tried out some of your tips already and will continue to do so - anything to make this as stress-free for both of us!

@Jonnydog: Yes, a tasty treat does help, and she will come to expect it hopefully and be more willing to have the deed done to her, poor puppy. 'Octopus' describes her perfectly, rather than me having to be one, but must agree 8 arms and hands would be really useful, lol! 

@mcc: I did have more success with her on my lap so thanks for that tip. I did also have to 'reverse' your instructions as easier for me, being left handed, to have the tube in my left hand!

@lindseyp: I was interested that you said '...hope it's the type that rights itself, etc....' because it is always difficult to recall after the appointment what the vet has said exactly but now you have mentioned it I think she maybe did say something along those lines herself, as a possibility. I will have another chat with her on the phone on Tuesday after she has consulted the opthalmologist and hopefully find out a lot more. So sorry to hear about Purdey having had it so bad - I imagine their eyes must feel like they have grit in all the time - Clover's whites are very pink and must be sore? The drops are really helping to keep that green matter at bay though and she doesn't seem too bothered by her eyes. More intent on scratching her neck where her collar is!  It's a real pity that Purdey's eyesight has been affected by the condition. Rotten for her - do you notice it affecting anything she does?

One worry I do have is that with giving treats every time Clover has the eye drops, (plus the ones she has for reward when she does something right), she will get an upset tummy. I doubt she would think kibbles of her normal food would be worth being a good girl for so I shall have to give her something nicer than that.....but what is NOT likely to upset a puppy's delicate tum? (I reckon she would love Primula but maybe had better stick to something not quite so rich?!!!     

[Jonnydog]

I got some lovely little bone-shaped treats from Zooplus. They are made of venison I think, and I break them into 3 tiny pieces. So far Penny's been fine with them and she loves them too. She's not impressed with bits of kibble either. I've used Primula a couple of times - a little lick and she loves it. Too much chicken was a bit disastrous.

[HeatherandBenjy]

@HeatherandBenjy: oh my goodness, TWO dogs with dry eye - that must have been a bit of a blow, and such bad luck. At what age were they diagnosed, if you don't mind my asking? My vet said Clover is the youngest dog she has seen with it. Thanks for your tip - I'll have to try that in conjunction with the other suggestions!

Perhaps I should have explained that all of our dogs are rescue dogs. Buddy is an 11 year old blue roan show cocker who has only recently been diagnosed with dry eye (within the last six months). Oscar is an American cocker who arrived aged 8 (he is now 10) with a whole host of health problems, dry eye being one of them. It wasn't helped by the fact he'd not been clipped for months and had hair completely covering his eyes. He hadn't previously had treatment for it and sadly has lost a lot of his vision, but the drops certainly help to keep his eyes infection free.

Good luck with Clover.

[Mel]

When Tali was a 9 week old pup, I had to administer eye drops, as I do now, several times daily.

The vet showed me how to wrap him in a towel and with the pup facing away from me, put the drops in.

Unfortunately I think this is a lot of the cause of his behaviour problems as he always bit and squirmed with me and was an angel with the vet 

But anyway, wrap him in a towel to stop the squirming.

Now I just lift his eye lid and drop them in.

[Goggins]

Oh no...sorry to read Clovers eyes need treatment...everything crossed it will be something she will grow out of...

Freya came down with conjunctivitis (the same time as she had kennel cough) at about 10 weeks old. To say trying to do eye drops on my own was a breeze is quite frankly me lying!! Talk about a very wriggly puppy!! Oh my...the amount of times I kept missing too (roll eyes!!)...

In the end I wrapped her up in a fleecy blanket so her legs did go in all directions and I was able to do it 1st time. By the end of the course I was getting really good too!!

I hope things get easier as you both get into a routine...

[BobnDot]

We've been very lucky with Milly, she's on eye drops prior to an eye op and has been for a few weeks. The first few days were rather difficult but she now seems to like the whole procedure.
When she sees the box appear from the fridge she heads for her bed, lies down and rolls over onto her back. We just need two fingers to hold her eyelids open and she lies perfectly still. As soon as the drops are in she takes off for a mad few minutes and the comes back for her treat and to have her eyes wiped of any spillage.

We've certainly not trained her to do this, it's something she's just started doing and now looks on as a bit of fun.

[Snoo]

Hee hee, Goggins and Mel, I might have to resort to the towel or blanket option if she keeps struggling! Hubby held her for me tonight which made it slightly easier but even then she still managed to whip her head out of my grasp! She is literally 'head strong'!!!  Oh Goggins, poor Freya getting kennel cough and conjunctivitis at the same time at such a tender age, bless her heart. Mel, I think they take on a new personality at the vets and act like butter wouldn't melt - then get them home again and the 'little devils'  in them, return!!!

@Johnnydog: Thanks for the suggestion, I think I may have seen those venison treats on Zoo Plus - I frequent all the best known pet supply websites these days, lol!!!

@BobnDot: I am SO envious of you with Milly! Can we swap?! (No I wouldn't really want to part with Clover!) Hope Milly's op goes off ok when the time comes. Let us know how she gets on.

@HeatherandBenjy:Aw, thanks for explaining about your lovely rescues - it's sad that Oscar has suffered with his vision because he wasn't cared for properly before he came to you. I reckon they have both landed on their feet now though - bet they are thoroughly spoilt, and quite rightly so!   

Thanks again to everyone for your support and suggestions. All much appreciated! xx