Some final points: Don't stop giving meds because your bird seems to feel better. Some people get really good at injecting their birds, even after initial reluctance. As with oral medications, you'll likely need to restrain your bird with a towel. High marks for accuracy, and once you're used to injecting your bird, high marks for ease as well. Once restrained, a bird who was hand-fed as a baby will usually go along. You may have to restrain him by wrapping him in a towel. You can get the appropriate amount in an eyedropper or a syringe with the needle removed, and then slide the tip into the side of your bird's mouth. Accuracy of dosage is a benefit of giving your bird medication orally, assuming you get the stuff in him, instead of dribbling it everywhere but down his throat. And some medicated feeds apparently taste awful, so even if your bird feels like eating, he may not touch the stuff with medicine in it. You have little control over dosage because you can't count on your bird to drink any set amount of water. ![]() Points for "easy," but this technique has its drawbacks. Which one will be recommended for home nursing care will depend on the owner's comfort and skill, and on the bird himself. Q: How do you give medication to a pet bird? "Pilling" doesn't seem like an option.Ī: Veterinarians who work with birds can show you several techniques for medicating them. Oftentimes, medication or other treatment can help, especially if the problem is diagnosed early. If you notice that your pet's vision is not as keen as it used to be, don't simply chalk it up to old age. Tearing, squinting, pawing at the eye or other signs of pain Take your dog to the veterinarian for an eye exam any time you notice the following signs: A dog or cat with an acute case of glaucoma can lose his eyesight within 48 hours if the condition isn't treated immediately. If your pet is squinting and the eye is tearing and feels harder than normal, consider it an emergency. It can develop quickly and is extremely painful. Glaucoma is an increase in pressure within the eye. The medication may need to be compounded at a special pharmacy. This helps to keep the dog comfortable and the cornea healthy. ![]() Dry eye is less common in cats than in dogs.ĭepending on the condition of the eye, your veterinarian may prescribe artificial tears (not saline solution), antibiotic eye drops or an immunosuppressant drug that stimulates tear production. If the result indicates that tear production is below normal, the animal likely has dry eye. The veterinarian places a tiny paper strip at the inner corner of the eye, where the tears pool, and holds it there for one minute to see how much of the strip becomes wetted with tears. Dogs with dry eye are also more likely to develop corneal ulcers.ĭry eye is diagnosed with a Schirmer tear test. Dry eyes are itchy, and dogs may scratch at them or rub them on the carpet in an attempt to relieve the itch. It starts to produce more mucus, causing a goopy discharge. If that happens, the eye becomes dry and irritated. Tear production tends to decrease with age. ![]() Tears, which are produced by the lacrimal glands, lubricate, protect and cleanse the eye. Other age-related vision problems, such as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, better known as dry eye, require aggressive treatment. They compensate by relying more on their hearing or their whiskers. Like dogs, cats adapt well to vision loss. They are more likely to suffer vision loss from retinal diseases, uveitis (a painful inflammation of certain eye structures) or glaucoma. If your dog's cataracts are so bad that he's running into things, ask your veterinarian about cataract surgery. Dogs rely more on scent than sight, however, and they can get around very well simply by using their noses - as long as you don't move the furniture. Cataracts may start to appear when dogs are 6 years old to 8 years old and can eventually lead to blindness. They look like a milky gray film behind the pupil. The good news is that it doesn't affect vision and doesn't require any treatment.Ĭataracts are cloudy spots on the normally transparent lens of the eye. That bluish haze you may see in a pet's eyes isn't cataracts, as is often suspected, but the result of a normal aging of the lens. One change you may notice is a condition called lenticular sclerosis, or nuclear sclerosis. Eye diseases are among the most commonly seen problems in older dogs and cats. All of us, including our dogs and cats, find that as we age, our bodies just don't work as well as they used to. ![]() Whoever said that getting old isn't for sissies knew what they were talking about.
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