Ugh, ever try to give a dog eyedrops?

SkyHog

SkyHog

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Piper has either allergies or conjunctivitis. The vet said I should treat with benadryl and saline eye drops, and if the symptoms persist, I should take him in for antibiotics in a few days.

I just gave Piper his benadryl (had to rub his throat to get him to swallow the pills), and then wasted about half of the bottle of saline eye drops trying to get one drop into his eye. He fought me pretty good n' hard.

Here's the symptoms, for anyone who might have advice: One eye is red and irritated. The other is fine. He's got a green discharge coming from his eye, and it comes back within an hour after cleaning it away.

He's acting fine though.
 
Veterinarians are nothing but blood-sucking heels.

/private joke

If you stuff the pill far enough down his throat with your finger, you won't have to massage the throat to get it down. You are, true enough, well-slimed by then.

As for the eyes, try this: you stand, dog behind you facing forward, neck held between your legs so the head's in front. You have both hands to work with (pretty much), hold eye open with one, drops with the other.

If you have a cat, it'll be laughing the whole time.
 
Heh, we used to have a dog named Piper. I thought medicating him was tough, till we tried putting eyedrops in our 6 year old daughter's eyes.
 
SCCutler said:
If you have a cat, it'll be laughing the whole time.
Click to expand...

I had a friend who had to give meds to a large tom cat. He cut the sleeve off an old sweatshirt and slid it up over his own arm. Then with the hand of his sleeved arm, he grabbed the cat by the head and with his other hand slid the sweatshirt sleeve down over the cat till the cat's head was the only thing sticking out. It had the added benefit of forcing the cat's legs/claws downward and out of service. It sure did pi$$ that cat off, though. All he had to deal with then was those teeth. After a couple of times, that cat would see my buddy putting on a sweater or jacket and head for the hills.
 
Nick, 2 of my 4 dogs take pills everyday. They make a pill shooter that looks like a syringe. Pill in the end, stick it in his mouth and hit the plunger. Guy your size ought to be able to shoot it to his colon. Or if you just stick the pill in his mouth and cup your hands over his snout and blow, that works too. Finally, stick the pill in a hotdog, they usually swallow without chewing.
As for the eyedrops, straddle him and make him look up. when he gets wide-eyed, squeeze it right in his eyes.
Mike
 
The hardest pet related thing I ever did was try to get a fish hook, actually a lure, out of a cat. Good luck on your future endeavors!

Given your description of the drainage, did the Vet mention the likelyhood of an infection of the lacrimal glands.

Scott
 
The eye drops thing gets better with time. We have a couple dogs who are on eye drops in perpetuity. Easy squeezy nice and easy after a few weeks of "training."
 
Put the pill in some meat or hot dog. They will never know. :)
 
Flannagan said:
Put the pill in some meat or hot dog. They will never know. :)
Click to expand...

Yea right. Like that would ever work.
Our little terrier would basically do this:
Chomp, meat gone.
Chomp, meat gone.
Chomp, meat gone.
Chomp, meat gone.
Chomp, meat gone, patooey, pill laying on the floor.
Then he would look at you like you just tried to poison him and why aren't you feeding him more of the meat so get on with the program you slacker.

It didn't matter how small the pill or how well it was buried in the meat or how sneaky you were about it. The pill would end up on the floor every single time without fail.

Like Mike said; Try to push on a rope.
 
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It all depends on the dog. I had a dog with serious eye problems (eventually had to have one removed) who needed drops every day. Luckily, he was a Lab. If he sat real still, he got a treat. After a couple days, when you took out the dropper he'd run up, sit down and start drooling. I love food motivated dogs!

Chris
 
SCCutler said:
Veterinarians are nothing but blood-sucking heels.

/private joke

If you stuff the pill far enough down his throat with your finger, you won't have to massage the throat to get it down. You are, true enough, well-slimed by then.

As for the eyes, try this: you stand, dog behind you facing forward, neck held between your legs so the head's in front. You have both hands to work with (pretty much), hold eye open with one, drops with the other.

If you have a cat, it'll be laughing the whole time.
Click to expand...

Dogs or cats, same trick. Grab the scruff of the neck just at the base of the skull pinch firmly and lift. They will typically hang limpish when you get the grab right and you can do what you need with them. It's a reaction ingrained in them from when their mothers carry them. When I need to trim a cats claws, I just hold them there by my teeth. I may get a mouth full of fluff, but at least I don't bleed.

As for pills, dab of peanut butter on the tip of the finger and mount the pill, other hand press in jaw with thumb to open, stick finger down throat, done.
 
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Treats are the answer to both the problems, here, Nick -

Dogs typically LOVE cheese. Get yourself a block of cheese, and you can cut small chunks of it out, to put the pill in. If that doesn't work, you're back to the "open the mouth, pop the pill in, hold muzzle closed and stroke the neck".

As far as the eyedrops go, LOT'S of small pieces of cheese - give him a few of them, while he's in a sit. Hold his face a second, let go and give him cheese, do it again. Let him get used to 1) you messing with his face, and 2) him getting cheese for letting you do it. Do the face messing/cheese thing off and on during the day - NOT just when he gets eyedrops. When he's comfy with it, use one hand to hold the face - whichever hand would leave you with the thumb under the eyelid of the infected eye. Decide for yourself whether you want that hand over or under the muzzle. The other hand has the dropper. Using the thumb, pull down below the eyelid, which should open the lower lid up so there's a small space between it and the eye. Drop the drops into that space, closer to the inside corner of the eye (not on the eyeball itself - I mean, who likes that??), let go of him and give him lots of SMALL pieces of cheese! :)

I just tested this out on our most difficult dog - the insane Cattle Dog and he was fine with it - and he just hates to get messed with!! :)
 
Had to give medicine drops to a parakeet once. Black gooey stuff like Hershey's syrup. Got all over her face, then all over everything she got near until it caked on her feathers.
She got well, though, possibly despite the "care".
 
grilled cheese sammich. yummy. my dogs liked those too. pb on warm days and cheese sammich on cold days. 2 peices bread, cheese, nuke for 25 sec in microwave. volia.
 
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