We all love our pets and we always want them to be bright eyed and bushy-tailed. This is especially true of our canine friends. When their eyes are not bright and clear we know they are not feeling their best. And being the doting pet owners that we are, we want to do everything possible to make our “babies” feel better. In some cases this may include eye drops for your dog.

Some of the signs that your dog may need some eye care and possibly eye drops are: eyes that are red or inflamed or if they have debris stuck in their eye or in the corner. If their eyes are cloudy or dull, we definitely know something is wrong. Also, if they have that “third eye” syndrome, we need to get that checked out. You should be concerned if there is excessive tearing or tear stains around the eye. Another condition that will definitely need eye drops is conjunctivitis. Keratoconjunctivitis is a condition called dry eye, which will need eye drops. Of course, if your dog has cataracts or glaucoma then you will definitely need to give him eye drops.

The worst part about eye drops for dogs, is the fact that they hate it so much. Sometimes you think the trauma they go through is worse than the problem, but eye drops make the condition go away faster.

In order to administer the eye drop, you may sometimes have to muzzle the dog, but remember it will only be for a very short time. The first step is to clean around the eye area. Then make sure you fill the eyedropper with the correct dosage. Next you have to hold the bottle between the thumb and index finger, and then you place your other hand under the dog’s jaw in order to support the head, Tilt the dog’s head back, holding the eyelid open. Squeeze the drops into the eyeball, but don’t touch the eye surface. The dog will then blink and the eye medicine will be distributed around the eye. Last, but the most important of all GIVE YOUR BABY A TREAT!

This sounds like an impossible task, but the secret is to do it quickly before your dog has time to think about it. Good luck!