UF Small Animal Hospital to provide free eye and heart screening to service animalsMarch 27, 2019Service animals near the University of Florida's (UF's) Small Animal Hospital will be able to receive free eye and heart screenings, come May 3. Sponsored by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) and StokesRx National Service Animal Eye Exam, the event will only provide free exams on active working animals that have been certified by or enrolled in a formal service animal training program/organization. "Healthy eyes and vision are critical for a service animal to be able to perform to the best of its ability," says Caryn Plummer, DVM, who will perform the eye examinations. "Regular screening may help detect problems early, which are potentially sight- or comfort-threatening, so intervention may be possible." UF veterinary cardiology faculty members will do the heart screening exams. Should veterinarians decide further examination is required, the owners will be able to make a secondary appointment at the event. To participate in the event, service animal owners can register on the website from April 1 to April 30. They must also call UF Small Animal Hospital at (352) 392-2235 to schedule an appointment. (Ask for Holly Kitchen or Katherine Devine of the ophthalmology service.)
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Dog defies death three times after treatment at UF Small Animal HospitalMarch 21, 2018Rupert, a young dachshund run over by a golf cart in Ocala, Fla., last month, is now living a charmed life after being resuscitated three times by University of Florida (UF) veterinarians. Rupert was discharged Feb. 27 from UF's Small Animal Hospital after being treated for eight days in the hospital's intensive care unit. His owner, Jamie McAllister, couldn't be happier. "To say Rupert is a miracle is an understatement," McAllister said. "If it weren't for the doctors and staff at UF, I don't know where we would be." McAllister said Rupert had jumped off a friend's golf cart while she was driving and rolled under one of the vehicle's tires. She immediately took him to her veterinarian, who advised her that Rupert be taken to the UF Small Animal Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. "His veterinarian called me in Gainesville to say Rupert's family wanted to bring him to UF for treatment of severe pulmonary contusions, but he was not stable enough for transport," said Ashley Allen, DVM, a clinical assistant professor of emergency and critical care at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. "So we teamed up," Dr. Allen said. "Dr. Gareth …
