Home Care Instructions Following Eye or Eyelid Examination
What to Expect
Depending on the type of eye or eyelid examination your pet requires, some patients may also need sedation for these tests to be performed. If your pet was not sedated for the eye/eyelid examination, then no change to their general home care is required.
However, if your pet was sedated, the following home care advice will apply. Your pet should be kept in a warm, dry, quiet and ideally indoor location in the 24 hours following discharge from our clinic. They may still be a little bit drowsy after they go home with you. There may also be some irritability or incoordination during this initial 24-hour period immediately after the sedation. There may be a shaved area on your pet's front or back legs; this is the IV injection site. Some bruising to this area may be seen when they go home with you; however, if this persists beyond 72 hours, please give us a call at the clinic.
Eye/eyelid Examination Findings
Your veterinarian will discuss these with you in detail either over the phone or at the time of discharge, depending on your personal schedule and available appointment times. Based on the the eye/eyelid examination findings, your veterinarian will also be able to tailor a treatment plan best suited for your pet and advice if any further investigations are required. You will also have the opportunity at this time to raise any concerns you may have.
Eye Care
If your pet has been found to have a corneal ulcer, your veterinarian may also recommend that you keep them only in dim lighting until the ulcer has fully healed, in order to optimise comfort to the affected eye.
If your pet's eyes have a lot of discharge, your veterinarian may prescribe a special eye cleansing solution and best direct you how to keep your pet's eyes clean. It is important that you check with your veterinarian about what solutions can be used to safely cleanse your pet's eye/eyelid, because some liquids can severely irritate the eyes.
It is also imperative that your pet is not allowed to paw at the affected eye, because this may cause scratches on the eye surface (cornea) and/or other more serious complications. If you notice your pet excessively pawing at their eyes, please place an Elizabethan collar on them. E-collars may be purchased from our clinic reception. Ensure that pets are not allowed to roam outdoors without close supervision when they are wearing an E-collar, as this poses a choking hazard if it gets caught in a fence or branch.
Exercise Restriction
Unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian or veterinary nurse at the time of discharge, no change to your pet's exercise regime is required. However, we do recommend that dogs are toileted on a lead and only receive light lead exercise in the 24 hours following sedation. Cats should ideally remain indoors for 24 hours following sedation.
Diet
Unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian or veterinary nurse at the time of discharge, no change is usually required to your pet's diet following sedation. A small portion of your pet's diet should be fed in the evening that they come home with you, and then resume feeding normal portions in the morning. It is not unusual for some loss of appetite to occur in the first 24 hours following discharge from our clinic; however, if this persists, please give us a call at the clinic on (06) 3588675.
Medications
Some pets may receive eye and/or oral medications to go home with. Please administer all medications as directed on the label; give all pain relief medications and antibiotics with a meal.
Should you have any enquiries or further concerns about the post-sedation care of your pet, please do not hestitate to phone us at (06) 3588675 to discuss.