Tips and Tricks to Apply Eye Medication

1. Preparation

• A soft washcloth.

• Warm water.

• The eye medication.

• Wash hands thoroughly.

2. Applying the eye drops

• Gently wipe away any debris around the eye with a warm, damp washcloth.

• Hold the eye drop bottle using your thumb and index finger. You can try and rest the side of your hand on the top of your pet's head for more stability.

• With your other hand, use your thumb to pull down your pet's lower eyelid gently. This will act like a pouch to later hold the eye drops. 

• Hold the eye drop bottle close to the eye, but do not touch the surface of the eye. 

• Squeeze the prescribed amount of drops the vet has given you onto your dog's eye, aiming to hit the center. 

• Release your dog's head. 

• They will then blink, spreading the eyedrops around the eyes surface. 

*For horses, you can use a 1cc syringe with the needle removed from the hub to help administer the drops from a distance- please contact the Vet for guidance on this.

3. Applying the eye ointment

• Gently wipe away any debris around the eye with a warm, damp washcloth.

• Apply a thin strip of the ointment onto your clean finger or a q-tip.

• With your other hand, use your thumb to gently pull down your pet's lower eyelid. This will act like a pouch to later hold the eye ointment. 

• Gently “roll” the ointment off of your finger or q-tip into the lower eyelid pouch. 

Tips

• If your pet's eye is painful, you may need an extra person to help hold them still; large dogs can sit a corner, while small dogs/cats can be swaddled into a blanket 

• Make sure to keep the applicator tip of the bottle clean as you do not want to add any debris into the eye.
  Make sure to not touch the eye or eyelid with the applicator tip. 

• If the applicator does come into contact with the eye or any other surface, clean the tip by wiping it off with a clean cloth. You can also ask your Vet for any specific cleaning instructions.