This Month, Service Dogs Are Honored. We Thank Them Too.

It’s National Service Dog Eye Examination Month

Service dogs of all kinds are being celebrated this month. May is National Service Dog Eye Examination Month, announced for the fourth year by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Every year, ACVO hosts an event in May that gives something back to these extra-special canines: Free eye exams.

What exactly is a service dog? They are guide dogs, handicapped-assistance dogs, detection dogs and search and rescue dogs and more. One website offers an exhaustive list of types of service dogs. It lists mobility assist dogs, seizure alert/response dogs, and even psychiatric service dogs, among others.

Source http://www.veteranstoday.com

The 4th Annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam event held earlier this month focuses on serving these dogs that dedicate their lives to serving the public. More than 180 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico provide free sight-saving eye exams to thousands of service dogs.  During the complete ocular exam, the veterinary specialists look for problems including: redness, squinting, cloudy corneas, retinal disease, early cataracts and other serious abnormalities. Early detection and treatment are vital to these working dogs.

“Our hope is that by checking their vision, we will be able to help a large number of dogs better assist their human friends,” says Stacee Daniel, executive director of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. In 2010, more than 3,200 active service dogs received free eye exams. Many of these service dogs work with the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), are military working dogs at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and part of Puppies Behind Bars, an organization providing psychiatric service dogs to soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Dogs from local fire, rescue and police agencies are also included.

In addition to the ACVO event, free screening ocular exams were given to service dogs at more than 30 Eye Care for Animals locations in the United States.

Jenny Logan’s three-year-old poodle, Mishka, is an active Search and Rescue dog in Tampa, Fla. Mishka participated in the 2009 and 2010 events. “It’s a wonderful thing to have offered to you,” says Logan. “It’s preventative medicine and if anything is wrong and you can catch a condition early, you can treat it. And there’s no charge for the free exam.”

See a video of service dogs in action.

Eye Care for Animals offers an expansive Website of information and resources about animal eye conditions, including dogs, cats and horses. Much of the content is geared toward vets and animal medical practitioners, but there’s still valuable consumer insights as well. If you want to read about Service Dogs in the News, there’s a website for that as well. National Public Radio even has a heartwarming story about service dogs and educators that’s available to hear or read.

At PetAg, we give our heartfelt gratitude to the men and women who diligently train these dogs to serve America, the disabled, our military forces and so much more. We thank the ophthalmologists who give their time and expertise to care for these animals. And last but not least, we stand tall and proud in honor of the service dogs themselves. Dogs are more than pets and friends. They are doers, helpers and life-savers.