Sooner or later, you'll have to give your Yorkie some kind of pill or liquid medication, or put drops in his eyes or ears. Many people dread this chore, but it doesn't have to be a struggle. Your Yorkie might be wary of foreign substances and cold drops in his eyes or ears, but with lots of handling and practice you can make this process go quite smoothly.

Pills

If a pill is small and can be given with food, you can try wrapping it in a piece of luncheon meat or rolling it up in some cream cheese. But because Yorkies are small dogs, many don't gulp large hunks of food as readily as bigger dogs. If your Yorkie eats the food treat but spits out the pill, you'll have to give the pill alone. Open your dog's mouth with your nondominant hand — if you're right-handed, that would be your left hand. Have the pill ready in your dominant hand. Put the pill in the dog's mouth, as far over the back of the tongue as you can manage. Hold the dog's mouth closed and stroke down the throat to encourage swallowing. When you let go of the dog, watch to see that the pill isn't spit out.

If you have trouble with this, you may want to try a pill shooter. It looks like a syringe without a needle, and it holds a pill at the end rather than liquid. You simply put the shooter in the dog's mouth and depress the plunger to release the pill. Get advice from your veterinarian before using this, because you could damage the dog's mouth or throat if you use it incorrectly.

Liquids

You could try using a spoon to pour liquid down your Yorkie's throat, but this can often result in more liquid spattered on you and the walls than is consumed by the dog. Instead, use a syringe (without a needle). Fill it with the dose of medicine, put the end in the pouch formed by the dog's cheeks, hold the mouth closed, and slowly depress the plunger.

Eye and Ear Medications

For eye drops, use one hand to tilt your Yorkie's head back. Hold the medicine bottle above the eye and squeeze out the prescribed number of drops. Do not actually touch the eye with the bottle tip.

For eye ointment, hold the muzzle still with your nondominant hand, using your thumb or finger to pull the lower eyelid down. With your other hand, bring the applicator close and squeeze a line of ointment onto the lower lid. Release the lower eyelid and very gently rub over the eye to distribute the ointment.

The dispensing bottle of eardrops will generally have an extended applicator to reach down into the ear. Hold your dog's head, insert the applicator in an ear, and squeeze. Remove the applicator and massage the base of the ear to distribute the medicine. Don't let your dog shake his head (he'll want to) until after you've massaged the ear.