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Tips on getting cream into eye

2K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  kiwi79 
#1 ·
Hi all
My horse has managed to scratch his eye and the vet said there is a small ulceration on the eyeball. She has given him a shot of antibiotics and left me with some cream to administer 4 times a day. Argh. Anyone got any tips on how to get it into his eye instead of all over his face? He didnt much appreciate when the vet was putting it in today so I can imagine I will have less luck than her. I would rather not go the rather nasty sounding route of having a tube put in through a hole cut in his eyelid which then connects to a tube taped to his neck - this is apparently done for horses that won't tolerate anything being put in their eyes.
The tube of cream is tiny so don't have that much room for error!
 
#2 ·
We had to have a tube stiched into our horses eye, because he had to have four differant sprays sqirted into his eye for three months.

I don't know how you are going to get cream to go down the tube, because it's very very small and long...the cream would probably get half way then stop.

One way the vet showed us was to grab hold of the skin on his neck and pull it backwards toward his wither....somehow it made it easier to put the cream under his eyelid. Although you might need an extra person, to hld onto his neck while you put the dose of cream in his eye.

By the end of it the vet gave us some extra sedation to inject.
 
#3 ·
I so feel for you OP. When my draft mare had an ulceration on her eye that was big enough to have vet and I worried, I had to put medication in her eye 3 times a day. She was a witch to treat, swinging her head around, becoming a giraffe and putting the head up as high a she could manage while being tied down. She even knocked me off a stool I was standing on while trying to medicate her and she sure got gone after as all of this is not acceptable behavior and she knows it. So...instead of fighting with her, I twitched her. She HATED that but it gave me just enough time to quickly treat the eye before she realized what I was doing and her mind was focused on that twitch.

I don't often advocate this but...ulcers can be potentially serious and if you have someone who can help you that is better too.
 
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#12 ·
So...instead of fighting with her, I twitched her. She HATED that but it gave me just enough time to quickly treat the eye before she realized what I was doing and her mind was focused on that twitch.
I was going to suggest the same thing.

I do not like to twitch horses. I hate it. But when you are dealing with an ulcer, it's serious. The medication needs to get in there. If you can't figure out a way to get it in their without a twitch ... well then you aren't left with any other choice.

Red injured his leg almost 2 years ago and he was a JERK to let me wrap it. I had to have a helper grab a bunch of his neck skin in a fist, and twist it hard if he acted up. He quickly learned that if he just stood nice and still, then his neck wouldn't get "bitten" and he'd be done quicker.

Good luck!!!
 
#4 ·
Ugh been there done that with our mare and it was a pain at first, but we figured out a system.

First off put the small amount of cream your going to use in a small syringe that way your not contaminating the tip of the tube your using. And the plunger gives you a bit more control over the medication.

Now what I did is my daughter would start feeding our mare, we did not tie her, if she moved we moved her. But if she was moving she was not getting the treats. I first rubbed her face rubbed her eye, lifted her lid a few times, pulled down the lower lid a few times once she relaxed then one time I just put the syringe up and pushed the plunger. After a couple days she knew what was about to happen, and started to be very cooperative about the entire process. Now if I need to treat her eyes I can walk up to her in the pasture, treat her eye, give her a treat and leave.
 
#5 ·
Seems like the vet would have given you some helpful tips :(.

In people ,as long as you get it on the inside aspect of the lower lid it will spread to where it is needed.so you don't have to get it exactly on the eyeball. Maybe its the same in this case...?

If you can manage to gently pull\pinch the skin right under the eye and pull it outward just enough to squeeze in the cream......?? Act like your simply petting him...rub right over his eyes allowing him to close them first....Sonny seems to like that...then sneak in the lower lid pull out...??
If you have help,have them distract him at the same time...
Call a vet hospital and talk to a vet tech for some ideas,if possible!

Good luck!
Fay
 
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#6 ·
What MSLady said. I had a horse who ruptured his eyeball and we had to put several different creams in at different times of the day. So, not only were we messing with his eye, he was in some serious pain too. I'd walk up and pet his face and love on him for a little while, then slip him a treat and rub on his tear bone and follow that up to the bottom of his eye. I'd get my other hand just placed beside his inner corner of his eye and steady it by bracing my little finger on his forehead. While rubbing around the bottom of his eye, I'd just use my thumb to pull the lower lid down a little bit and as soon as it was down, I'd squeeze the drops in. He was very good about it after a little while, it didn't actively hurt and most of the drops had something in them for pain so he figured out that he felt better.
 
#7 ·
When my yearling filly scratched hers, I would put a halter and leadrope on, loop the rope over my arm , rub her face, then put my hand (with the tube, pre squeezed a bit)from back to front through the halter next to her eye. This kept my hand close, and not so shaken, plus coming from the side, not the front.

I would use the other hand to reach up and pull the lower lid, then put the ointment in.

Good luck!
 
#8 ·
Years ago I had a mare who had surgery for cancer of the eye, 3 times. 3 rd time was the charm. But I had to put antibiotic drops and effidex in her eye 4 x a day. I worked out a system that I still use to this day. I wash my hands thoroughly, use my left fingers to raise the upper eyelid, right thumb to pull down the lower eyelid, and after dabbing a small amount of the meds on my left thumb and just rub it ( kind of roll it onto the inside of the upper eye lid. That gets it into the eye. I don't like using the tip of the applicator, because if the horse moves, you can further damage the eye.

The procedure using the skin on the shoulder is called a shoulder twitch, my vet taught it to me years ago. Great for using on horses who don't like shots, etc.
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#9 ·
Oh, and something really cool I learned years ago from my vet when she had to do a more thorough flush of one of my horse's eyes. Have you ever noticed a tiny hole inside each of your horse's nostrils? That tiny hole leads directly to the eye. My vet inserted a tiny tube/ catheter into the hole, attached a syringe with saline solution, and when she pressed the plunger, the fluid came out through my mares eye. Pretty cool stuff.
Not feasable in the case of your horse, just thought I'd share.
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#14 ·
Wow, that's really interesting - I've always wondered about those holes. I managed to get some inside the eyelid at the outer edge of the eye. I know its best to get it in the inside corner so the inner eyelid spreads it but hopefully it still made it to the damaged area. He wasn't so annoyed with me this time so hopefully it gets easier not harder!
 
#10 ·
Make sure your hands are clean, put a dab of cream on your finger and then pull the lower eyelid down and apply.

I used my left arm to put around the nose. My right index finger had the ointment on it and the other 3 fingers on the right hand was used to pull the eyelid down. Stay calm and relaxed in your movements, don't get frustrated if it takes awhile. Usually after a few treatments they realize it makes their eye feel better and will quit fighting it.
 
#11 ·
I pretty well do it as Dreamcatcher said, I thought is was important to rest a finger or the edge of my palm on the horse's head so that if the horse moved it's head, my hand would move with the head and not be jabbing the eye with the tip of the applicator. It was always a big worry for me that I could jab the horse in the eye if he/she moved.
 
#13 ·
Thanks, about to go out and try again armed with some carrots. It gets hard once the eye has already had cream applied because its made the eyelids slippery and harder to get a hold of. Poor guy. The vet said if I have too much trouble to let them know but I'm hoping to get the hang of it. I dont want to bother them so close to christmas if I can help it!
 
#15 ·
After what happened to our horse, I've always rubbed and played around my horses eye and face.
Now I can rub all over his eye and open it.....Although if I ever have to put something in it I reckon he'd put up a fight!
 
#16 ·
Don't use the tube or a plunger or anything! You are contaminating it and risking more damage if/when the horse moves.

Put the ointment directly on your clean/gloved finger then apply.

Going through this with a pretty banged up horse atm. She's at the "worse before better" point and is sick of us poking at her (really don't blame her).

Also need to literally get the ointment ON her eye as she can't blink and spread it with her eyelid. Ugh.
 
#17 ·
Agree put small dab on your clean finger/glove Get the bottom lid pulled down & smear/rub it off your finger on bottom lid into eye:D Works much easier less risk of poking eye with applicator or the way those tubes squeeze ...squirting way to much getting it all over:lol: Have had to treat my horses eyes & managed but often a struggle. Then I had to do the eye ungt to my dog's eye & vet showed me the little dab on finger trick & worked like a charm!!:D much easier!!
 
#18 ·
He's being a pain in the butt with this eye cream but am managing to get it in 2-3 times a day. Getting the eye open is hard though - he closes his eye tight and those muscles in the eyelids are pretty strong! The vet said I could either put some on a clean finger or apply directly from the tube, I was surprised about the second as I thought what others have mentioned with regards to contaminating it.
She didn't actually say how long to apply it for so I guess until the tube runs out. I'm surprised how long such a tiny tube lasts, its been 5 days now but the weeping seems to have almost stopped.
 
#20 ·
Yes, I agree with you on that - it seemed strange to me. She contaminated the tube she left me with from the get-go as she applied it directly from the tube then left it with me. She was not my usual vet as the lady that always come out to me wasn't available that day.
 
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