How to Put Eye Drops in a Difficult Dog

Sooner or later, a dog owner is faced with the need to put eye drops in their pet. But how do you do it, especially if your dog will have none of it? Usually, puppies are trained to get used to these manipulations since childhood. This helps making sure that they act calmly every time: sit quietly and wait for the end of the procedure. Unfortunately, it’s not always this simple. The good news is there’s still something you can do if your dog chooses to be difficult.

Eye drops for dogs: getting ready

To start with, you need to prepare everything beforehand: wash your hands, get the drops, some tasty treats, and a muzzle (for aggressive dogs). In any case, you shouldn’t be nervous or in a hurry so as not to make mistakes.

How to put eye drops in a difficult dog: 6 steps

If you have a nervous or aggressive dog, you might need some assistance.

1. Put a muzzle on your dog or tie his mouth up.
2. Secure the pup. If the pet is small and struggling, it can be squeezed between the knees. If it’s a large dog it can be placed on the floor and pushed down by your weight, while holding its head firmly with both hands.
3. Clean the area around the eye with a cotton pad soaked in warm boiled water and if there is any discharge from the eye, remove it.
4. If you hold your pet between your legs, hold him by his lower jaw with one hand and put the other hand (containing the medicine) on top of his head.
   1. If your pooch struggles to get out, let your assistant hold his head with both hands, while you put the eye drops in his eyes.
   2. If your pet lies down, press his head to the floor with one hand, slightly move his eyelids apart, while putting the eyedrops in his eyes with another.
   3. If there’s no assistant and strength to cope with the dog alone, try to soak a cotton swab with medicine, put it to the eye and squeeze the solution out of it.
5. After it’s done, gently massage the upper eyelid so that the medicine is distributed evenly.
6. At the end of the procedure be sure to praise your dog and give him something tasty.

Remember, if several different eye medications are prescribed for treatment, they shouldn’t be used simultaneously but with an interval of 10-15 minutes.

Make sure that your dog doesn’t rub his eyes with his paw or scratch his head on any objects after the treatment.