How to administer eye drops?

[Katherine]

I feel very useless at times, as I am just so bad at administering medicine to piggies - in this case, on Saturday, I noticed that our Milly had a sore looking eye, and that it was a bit red and weepy. Fortunately, the vet was able to see her straightaway, and we have been given something called Clinagel for her eye, and also Metacam for the pain. Took Milly back to the vet yesterday, and her eye has got a lot better, but we've got to carry on with the eye gel and painkiller, and go back in another 3 days or so. The problem is that I really struggle to get the gel in her eye, especially as now she's feeling better, and is wriggling more. I keep wasting so much, as it keeps ending up on her fur, although sometimes it's gone right in, more by good luck than judgement. I wish I was like my mum who has the knack of taking a reluctant animal and administering its meds even before it realises what's happening! Mind you, I've not had any practice with kids!
Do other people struggle with this sort of thing, and does anyone have any good tips on how to hold Milly and get the gel in her eye with a bit less fuss than we are currently experiencing?! Thankyou!

 

[Amanda1801]

Maybe get her to sit still with a piece of veg and drop it in from the top?

 

[*Nibbles&Nugget*]

When Nacho needed eyedrops, I sat him on my legs on the sofa and gave him a big pile of spinach. Then, holding him gently behind the ears I crept up from behind and put the drop in. Actually I think my little brother may have filmed me doing it to show his friends how to do it with a rabbit so I'll see if I can find that for you.

You just need to be quick and confident. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time!

Amy
x

 

[Katherine]

Thankyou Amy and Amanda - I will try using food to distract her! Mind you, I've got to do this 8 times a day, if possible (was only 4 times to start off with) - with any luck, maybe Milly will think all her Christmas 's have come at once!

 

[Katherine]

Update on Milly's eye

Well, sometime ago I posted about my difficulties with getting drops in Milly's eye - honestly, she is such a wriggler, I needed three hands for the job, so it was almost impossible when my husband was at work. I should have said that it was an eye ulcer she had, and it turned out to be a non-healing one, which the vets said was very unusual. After the first lot of drops showed no real improvement, we were given three lots of drops - to be applied 6-8 times a day with 5 minute intervals between each drop! Next check-up, still not healing properly - apparently the new surface of the eye was just not sticking down properly, and could be wiped away.
So, Milly was kept at the vets and ended up staying for 10 days! After 2 or 3 days, when it became obvious that drops alone weren't going to work, she had to have her eye debrided, but the eye still wasn't getting better - it seemed as though even this wasn't going to work! We were asked if it would be alright for the ophthalmologist to use a diamond burr(?) on her eye, an electrical device for a much more aggressive type of debriding. However, the evening that he was going to go ahead with this, there was an emergency, so it had to be delayed for a couple of days. BUT when they were just about to give Milly the procedure, they saw that her eye had at last healed! So the first debriding had worked, but I suppose it just took much longer than anticipated for the healing to take place.
I went and picked up Milly from the vets yesterday, and was so happy to be taking the little fluffkin home at last - we've all missed her so much! Mind you, I think she had a nice time at the vets - apparently she was rather popular for cuddles, and the nurses kept giving her snacks!
Milly's cagemate, Angelina, was thrilled to see her again, and kept trying to mount her!

 

[Wiebke]

I am glad that the eye has finally healed! That was rather unusual indeed.

The mounting is normal dominance/re-bonding behaviour.