# Eye Infection & Administering Drops



## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Hi all

As well as being in season, poor Miss Lilly now also has an eye infection with nasty white gloop oozing slowly out of one eye.

We've been trying to manage it for 2 days with cold black tea bags but with little success and so I'm going to be consulting with her vet on Monday.

In anticipation of being prescribed eye drops for her and knowing what a little wriggler she is, I have been researching ways to train her to accept these more easily (the tea bags have been difficult enough and she just wants to shred them really).

I found a website that not only has lots of useful information about eye problems (including PRA) but also a good guide on how to train a dog to accept drops in their eyes. I think the basic principles could also be adapted to train for other face related things.

I thought I'd share it so here it is:

http://visioncareforanimals.squares...nstead-of-on-the-face-a-qui.html#.VMytJZWzXVI

Hope it proves useful


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Poor Lilly, ruby had this recently, she was very good at taking her drops, she will let me do anything to her - I think this is a trust thing & she always got a tasty treat as a reward before & after.
I'm. It saying she enjoyed it, lay back very still with her eyes wide open!! But she didn't struggle too much, and accepted that it didn't hurt and take ages to do 
I hope miss Lilly is better soon.


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Awww, thank you! I do really feel for her: she's on day 9 of her cycle and seems so affected by it: she's sleeping a lot, a bit off her food and just generally less playful and happy - one could almost imagine that she's a bit depressed. 

I've found that I can at least clean the eye a little if she is in the bath - she tends to stand with her paws on the edge of the bath waiting for me to lift her out and that's when we are reasonably successful. In all other situations, she wants to know what it is I've got in my hands - and preferably have a good chew on it. We now have bits of black tea that I am trying to pick out of the carpet!! But, assuming that her vet prescribes drops for her, I'm anticipating that her reaction might be a little different so wanted to prepare over the weekend. However, she may well be fine with it - I just like to cover my bases!!


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## Lindor (Feb 3, 2014)

A good read Miss Lilly. I used a similar method to get Maggie used to having me trim the hair near her eyes so she could see.

Hope the infection isn't serious and that she feels better soon.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Excellent article 

I hope Miss Lilly is soon a lot happier


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Good article. 
Just out of interest at your puppy classes were you not taught to handle your pup looking in mouth, ears, eyes, at paws, under tails etc? It is part of the Bronze KC test and I think one of the most important bits.
Also I suggest using a cotton pad rather than the tea bag to apply cold tea, it would be softer and potentially less messy 
Hope Miss Lilly is soon feeling much better. Do make sure the vet is aware she is in season before you take her in to the surgery


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Sadly, Miss Lill's was already to old to attend puppy classes when she came to live with me, so we eventually attended the beginners class. She was very timid in the class (she mainly tried to sit under my chair and in the beginning could not be coaxed out even with high value treats. She didn't cope well when the full class was assembled, especially if some of the dogs barked or got excited), so that the trainers felt that we (I) should spend a bit more time building her confidence before we continue with the KC classes... We are now almost there and will hopefully carry on in the Spring. I'm still very much in touch with the trainers, as one of them is also the person who looks after her for me one day a week. They - and I - are pretty chuffed with her progress!

Miss Lill's will pretty much allow me to do everything to her but not yet all the time. At the moment (whilst she's in season) for example, she won't let me brush her back legs, tail etc. very willingly, which I can sort of understand. I'm so glad she was trimmed just before it started.

She is not coping particularly well with her season at the moment: she is licking herself all the time and seems quite distressed if she can't (for example if we go out on lead). It's impossible to even walk to the end of the road with her at the moment as she will constantly want to sit and lick... And if she notices that she has leaked a little after sleeping, she will lick the blanket / floor for ages.

When it comes to her eyes, she's always been a bit reluctant but for the most part we are fine. It's just that she's so interested in what I have in my hand that she won't stay still (hence the bath trick!).

You are absolutely right though - cotton pads rather than teabags makes sooo much sense. I'm really not sure why I didn't think of that!! I was trying to hold the teabag against her eye rather than wiping it though (so not completely silly!!)

I'm really hoping that my vet will be able to help without us having to attend the surgery. I don't fancy trying to walk her all the way there or take her on a bus at the moment...


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Poor Miss Lilly - now you just have to keep everything crossed that she does not go on and develop a phantom pregnancy 
I think that all pup owners should make 'inspections' part of their daily handling/grooming routine and I am now going to incorporate holding bottles near to ears and eyes so that hopefully mine will become less interested in the bottle - because you are so right to say that it is the fact that our dogs are so nosy and they just have to see what we are doing that makes administering drops difficult. 
I always do drops or worming pills on the table where I groom them as they are used to me handling them there anyway and I always have a pile of tasty treats on the worktop behind me. They know that they get regular treats during grooming so they are generally pretty cooperative.


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## Miss Lilly (Sep 12, 2014)

Thanks Marzi!
You see: once again you have managed to say exactly the right thing in the right way!!

Except for the phantom pregnancy bit. That doesn't bear thinking about with a half grown, hyper sensitive dog like Miss Lilly


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