Health & Fitness
CARES Provides Free Sight-Saving Eye Exams to Service Animals
CARES participates in the 6th Annual ACVO®/Merial® National Service Dog Eye Exam Event. Online registration is now through April 30.
Guide dogs, detection dogs, search and rescue dogs, therapy dogs and animals assisting people with disabilities selflessly serve the public. To honor these animals and their work, the Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services (CARES) is teaming up with the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) for the 6th Annual ACVO®/Merial® National Service Dog Eye Exam Event to provide free, sight-saving eye exams to service animals during the month of May.
“With eyes, one day you’re fine and the next day you have a cataract,” says Dr. Marlene Chait of Philadelphia. That’s exactly what happened to Chait’s first service dog, Jake. Never wanting to experience that again, Chait was thrilled to learn about the event last year and is planning to take Innis II, her 5-year-old Black Labrador/Golden Retriever mix, back to CARES to get another free eye exam this year. “The fact that I can have him checked out for free is just really worthwhile.”
Dr. Robert Peiffer, a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist at CARES, will provide free eye exams to eligible dogs throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Dr. Peiffer’s participation is part of a national effort of more than 250 board certified veterinary ophthalmologists in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico who will provide free sight-saving eye exams to thousands of service dogs. Online registration runs now through April 30 at www.acvoeyeexam.org. Eye exams will take place throughout the month of May at CARES.
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“In these exams, we hope to identify any health issues in their early stages,” says Dr. Peiffer. “Early detection and treatment are the keys to fast recovery.”
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2013 EVENT:
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To qualify, dogs must be active “working dogs” that were certified by a formal training program or organization or currently enrolled in a formal training program. The certifying organization could be national, regional or local in nature. Specific service groups are listed on the website at www.ACVOeyeexam.org.
Owners/agents for the dog(s) must FIRST register the animal via an online registration form at www.ACVOeyeexam.org. Registration runs from April 1-30, 2013. Once registered online, the owner/agent can contact CARES directly to schedule an appointment, during the month of May. Appointment dates and times are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more about and register for the ACVO®/Merial® National Service Dog Eye Exam Event, please visit www.ACVOeyeexam.org.
About the Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services (CARES): CARES is a full service, specialty referral, 24-hour emergency and critical care veterinary hospital with one clear goal: to provide a gold standard of care for your pet. The highly trained and compassionate team of veterinarians at CARES collaborate between specialties as well as with referring veterinarians to optimize the care of your pet. CARES ensures the latest, most advanced and best treatments available. Specialty and referral services include: Anesthesiology, The Cancer Center at CARES, Cardiology, Clinical Pathology, Emergency and Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Radiology and Surgery. Specialty cases are seen by referral from your primary care veterinarian. CARES’ emergency service operates 24/7. For more information, visit www.vetcares.com. You can also find CARES on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CARESvet.
About Dr. Robert Peiffer: An award-winning veterinarian and published author, Dr. Peiffer is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, having earned his Bachelor of Science in 1969, his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1971 and a PhD in 1981. He became board certified in veterinary ophthalmology in 1976 and has received the American Animal Hospital Association veterinarian of year award and life-time achievement awards from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the World Small Animal Veterinary Medical Association. He has served as President of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, the American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology and the International Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology. Dr. Peiffer is a member of CARES’ full-time staff.
