Eye Exam

During the month of May service animals can get free eye exams through the ACVO/StokesRx National Service Animal Eye Exam. This is a great opportunity to get your dog's eyes checked for free so I decided to sign Morey up. I was glad to see that one of the vets who was participating in the program was one who had worked with Morey a few years ago when he had a floating spot in his eye that needed to be checked out.

The vet clinic is a specialty and emergency clinic and being in that environment made me thankful that I was only bringing Morey in for a preventative exam. Seeing dogs being dropped off for surgeries or brought in for consultations made me grateful that Morey is healthy.

The vet said that Morey is the first big service dog they have had come in for the free exams. She said most of them have been smaller emotional support animals. It is fascinating to see the equipment they use for canine optometry. The vet tech and vet were impressed by Morey's cooperation even when it was obvious he wasn't enjoying the experience. I don't think any of it hurt him it just probably felt weird to have them touching his eyes and getting so close with their equipment. All that socialization and body handling during Morey's training is put to good use in situations like this!

The vet asked if Morey was going to be working the rest of the day because she wanted to dilate his eyes. I said he would be working but that his tasks of the day would be sleeping under my desk so I didn't think having his eyes dilated would interfere with that. I appreciated her asking and recognizing that service dogs have different considerations than pet dogs.

I asked Morey if he wanted to borrow a pair of my sunglasses when we left the clinic. Despite how stylish he looked he politely declined. As soon as we stepped outside I could see him squinting because of the sunlight. The rest of the day was spent inside and by the time we left the office at the end of the day he seemed to be back to normal.

 The vet said Morey has a touch of cataracts that is probably age-related. She said to bring him back next year so she can continue to monitor it. I still think of Morey as my young pup and don't like to think about him getting age-related anything but I am glad it is nothing serious.