Jan 12 2009
Applying eye medications correctly
Administering eye medications, both drops and ointments, are done fairly close to the same way.
It is best to start by holding your pet, whether it be your dog, cat, rabbit or ferret, sitting in front of you (between your legs or just in front of if kneeling) or even on your lap facing away from you for smaller pets. I will write this for medications done on the right eye, but it can certainly be done the opposite way when medicating the left eye. Hold out your left arm to place across the left side of the pet’s body with the hand resting on the animals chin or cheek depending on size of animal), sing the thumb on that left hand to gently pull the skin downward to help “open” the eye a bit better than normal and avoid squinting.
The right hand will hold the eye drops or ointment, while the wrist and whole right arm in small animals can be used to help stabilize the animal’s position, keeping them from turning away in either direction now. The left hand where the fingers rest on the side of the chin helps lift the animal’s head up slightly and the medication is brought down and near but never touching the eye. The bottle is squeezed and either the drop will drop into the center or corner of the eye nearest your hand, or the ointment can be squeezed out, about 1/4″ strip of it, into that corner of the eye. When the animal blinks, the medication spread throughout the eye. The right eye has now been medicated! 
Christine, LVT
