Idea Exchange: Administering eardrops with a syringe is easier

Instead of having owners administer eardrops into their dogs' ears directly from the bottle and count the drops as they go, we give them a tuberculin syringe to use. We have them remove the plunger and count five drops for dogs less than 30 lb and nine drops for dogs more than 30 lb. (This accounts for the drop that stays in the hub.) The owners then replace the plunger and administer the medicine into the ear. This atraumatic method ensures that owners administer the appropriate amount of medicine in a typically less-than-cooperative patient. We also show owners how far into the ear the syringe can go so as to avoid tympanic membrane injury.

Dr. Thomas Polehinke

Bethpage, N.Y.