Drops: Sit your pet down with their back to you. Lift their head, and use one hand to keep the eye lids apart. Use the other hand to apply the prescribed number of drops to the eye. Make sure not to let the end of the bottle touch your pet’s eye or surrounding hairs. It will bother your pet less if you can apply the drops to the conjunctiva (the white portion of the eye, and the portion on the inner surface of the eyelids) rather than applying directly on the cornea.

Ointments: Sit your pet down with their back to you. Lift their head, and use one hand to keep the eye lids apart. Use the other hand to apply about 1cm worth of ointment to the eye. Make sure not to touch end of the ointment tube to your pet’s eye or surrounding hairs. The ointment will spread on the surface when your pet blinks.

It may be helpful to clean your pet’s ears before applying a medication, but sometimes the ear may be too painful to allow that. To apply the medication, pull up on the outer portion of the ear, called the pinna. Dispense the prescribed amount of drops of medication into your pet’s ears. Gently massage the base of the ear for 5-10 seconds, you should be able to hear liquid moving around as you massage.

Always be sure your pet is eating normally before you give insulin. Gently agitate the insulin bottle before drawing up the required amount of insulin in the proper syringe. Make a triangle with your index finger, middle finger and thumb. Use this formation to pull up on a loose area of skin, forming a skin tent. You should be able to feel a “Y” shaped fold of skin, with your index finger at the centre of the “Y.” Insert the insulin needle completely into the skin just underneath your index finger. Make sure your finger is not on the plunger of the syringe before inserting it into the skin. Pull back on the plunger and observe for any blood in the syringe. If there is blood, remove the syringe without injecting the insulin and start the process again. If there is no blood, push down on the plunger and inject the insulin. Remove the needle and dispose of the syringe safely.

Set up the fluid bag on hook high above the area where you will be giving the fluids. Ensure the needle on the line is clean and sharp. If you see large amounts of air bubbles in the fluid line, turn the fluids on to allow them to flow out before continuing. Observe what the level of fluid is in the bag before beginning.

Make a triangle with your index finger, middle finger and thumb. Use this formation to pull up on a loose area of skin, forming a skin tent. You should be able to feel a “Y” shaped fold of skin, with your index finger at the centre of the “Y.” Insert the needle completely into the skin just underneath your index finger. Open the line fully by rolling the wheel on the roller clamp upwards. The line may have been pinched by the roller, so move the clamp and press the tubing into a more circular shape. Observe the drip chamber for good flow. Once the prescribed amount of fluid has been given, turn the roller clamp off. Pinch the skin at the base of the needle, remove and re-cap the needle. Pinch off the skin where the needle was removed and massage the fluid area for 30 seconds. There may be a small amount of fluid leakage or blood when you stop pinching, this can be cleaned with a gauze or paper towel.