When I arrived home to pick her up to go to the vet, she looked better in the sense that she was able to keep her right eye open, but it definitely continued to drain excessively, so a trip to the doctor was necessary.
The vet did some quick stain tests (shocker, apparently G did not appreciate it) and determined it was likely a scratch and not a viral issue. They sent us on our way with some eye drops (that I will struggle) to give G twice daily and we should be all set!
That being said, any suggestions from the blogosphere on giving pups eye drops?
G needed the vet, the vet tech and myself to keep her still to give her the drops in the office and I've already failed epically this morning trying to get them in her eye (I was not going to chase her around the apartment!).
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
P.Kitty's thoughts on all of this eyeball drama? "This dog is too high maintenance for me, I'm outta here!"
We had to give Badger eye drops once. It was always a two-person job. Maybe you can enlist a friend to help out?
ReplyDeleteA couple of weeks ago when we had to take Athena to the vet to get eyedrops we enlisted the help of our blog friends to give us some advice on eye drops for dogs...they were all so helpful! Some people suggested holding a very yummy treat above the dog's head so that you get them to look up while you get a drop in their eye. Others suggested giving your dog lots of treats during the process to get them to associate eye drop time with very good things!! One suggestion that I really liked was having the dog sit on the couch or a chair while you put the drops in so that it's more difficult for them to run away and easier for you to get the drops in if the dog is more on your level. Finally, it's a good idea to sit/stand behind the dog while you put the drops in so that you kind of "sneak in" and drop them in the eyes instead of scaring the dog by coming up to them straight on with the scary eye dropper!
ReplyDeleteWe still struggle to put drops in Athena's eyes even after all of the great suggestions that we received. It has proved to be a two person job and even with both B and I working to hold Athena down and get the drops in, it is SO hard! It makes me so mad that we paid so much for that little bottle of drops and more of them have fallen on Athena's face or on the floor than actually in her eyes!
Good luck! I will be checking back for other eye drop suggestions from your readers!
My pittie Ella was difficult when she got a skin infection and we had to give her antibiotics twice a day. I developed a method that worked pretty well, so maybe it might for you and G? I would sit on the couch and invite Ella to sit in front of me. I turned her around so she was sitting with her back against the couch and then sort of wrapped my legs around her front to keep her there. Then I held her head under her jaw and gave her the pills. You could probably then give G the eye drops since you're using your legs and will have both hands free. I gave Ella plenty of hugs and praise (sometime treats, too) when we finished. I also made sure to invite her over to be periodically through the evening just for pets so she didn't think she was getting pills every time I called her.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I hope G gets better soon!
First..Poor G! Eye scratches are zero fun for everyone involved. You did the right thing by taking her to the dogtor. I have to give Kitty (my Boston T.) eye drops AND ointment in her left eye twice daily. She is very nice about it, but then again, she is used to it at this point. The most important thing is to stay calm. If you go in frenzied, they will react like they are at the vet. I learned that after about a week. Also, I use a phrase to signal her to be still. Then I calmly pull her eyelid back gently with one hand while squeezing in meds with the other (I face her while doing this). Immediately after I give her a total body rub/scratch, which she looooooves. That in itself may be why she tolerates it so well. Definitely easier to give the drops when she is sleepy. I wish there was a magic trick but it will just take time to get her used to it. Good luck. Hope Miss G cuts you some slack :)
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky--Braylon is a saint for getting her eyedrops, you just hold her eye open and it's easy to get them in. I don't have any tips... poor G, it's still no fun!
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