Free Eye Exams for Service Dogs at Participating BluePearl Hospitals

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Ophthalmologists from BluePearl Veterinary Partners will be conducting free eye exams for service dogs during this year’s 6th Annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Event in May.

The eye exams will be provided free of charge to eligible service animals including detection dogs, guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, police dogs, search and rescue dogs and therapy animals.

“We are both excited and proud to help these special dogs and the wonderful organizations that train them”, said Dr. Nicole Scotty Trumble, a board-certified specialist in veterinary ophthalmology at BluePearl in Eden Prairie. “Helping to keep service dogs visual and comfortable allows us to give something back to these service dogs and to help their people.”

This will be Trumble’s fourth consecutive year participating in the event.

Registration for the free eye exams must be completed by service animal owners or handlers at http://www.acvoeyeexam.com by April 30.

To qualify, animals must be “active working animals” that were certified by a formal training

program or organization or are currently enrolled in a formal training program. The certifying organization can be national, regional or local in nature. Owners/agents for the animal(s) must FIRST register the animal via an online registration form beginning April 1, 2013 at

http://www.ACVOeyeexam.org Registration ends April 30th.

Once registered online, the owner/agent will receive a registration number and will be allowed access to a list of participating ophthalmologists in their area. Then they may contact a specialist to schedule an appointment. Appointments will take place during the month of May. Times may vary depending on the facility and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

About BluePearl Veterinary Partners

Formed in 2008, BluePearl Veterinary Partners is headquartered in Tampa, Fla., and employs more than 1,200 people including approximately 250 veterinarians. BluePearl hospitals are referral-only and don’t provide primary care. Most BluePearl hospitals offer 24-hour emergency care services. BluePearl is one of the world’s principal providers of approved veterinary residency and internship educational programs. BluePearl also participates in and conducts clinical trials to study the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments, which give clients access to cutting-edge medicine not yet commercially available and improves the quality of care delivered to our patients.