It’s time again to take your seeing eye dog to an ophthalmologist for his annual eye exam.
Has it really been a year already?
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Ryan Hospital is offering free eye exams for service dogs May 14 through 18, and they’re taking reservations now, Penn Vet announced this week.
They’ll be checking for redness, squinting, cloudy corneas, retinal disease and early cataracts, among other things
Service canines don’t just include seeing-eye dogs. They can also be:
* signal dogs for the hearing impaired
* mobility dogs, which can retrieve items, open doors, push buttons and even turn lights on and off for owners with limited physical abilities
* medical alert dogs that can actually warn their owners of upcoming medical attacks such as seizures, stroke, heart attack, or diabetic complications – based on their acute sense of smell and their observation of subtle warning signs
* psychiatric assistance dogs, which can predict oncoming panic attacks, ease the symptoms of clinical depression, and even let autistic people know they’ve slipped into certain behaviors that they’re supposed to avoid
All these animals need good eyesight.
So if you or someone you know has an active working animals that’s been certified by a formal training program or is currently enrolled in one, register the animal at www.ACVOeyeexam.org Once you get a registration number, call Ryan Hospital at (215) 746-8387 to schedule an appointment.
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