Many otic medications require owners to blindly squeeze the bottle, leaving them unsure as to how much, if any, medication went into their pets' ears. Also, viscous medications often do not get deep enough into the ear canals of large dogs.

To ensure that my patients are getting an adequate amount of medication, I give owners 1-ml tuberculin syringes with the needles removed. I prescribe the dose by tenths of a milliliter rather than by the number of drops (0.1 ml = 2 to 5 drops, depending on the viscosity of the solution). This way, owners know exactly how much medicine is getting into their pets' ears and can get the medicine deeper into the canal.

Dr. Kim Labak
Urbana, Ill.