Should we have our dogs eyes certified? - Page 1

I own a couple of labs and they go and get their eyes checked for PRA,
I was thinking of having my Shepherd's jump on the band wagon too,
does anyone think or has anyone been certifiying eyes on their GSD's,
does anyone feel there may be the need to have that testing done?

Has anyone had problems with sight with their GSD?

I got my boy's eyes certified (CERF) just for the heck of it.  They were testing at an AKC show I was going to, so I figured...why not.  All was good, I got a certificate and it shows up on OFA's website.  I think any extra testing is good esp if you are breeding.

I also had one of my gsd eyes certified (CERF).  Next time it is available at a show I am at - I will have the others done as well.  All was good with Falon's eyes as well.

C

I have had Chaos's eyes done when he was 6 months old.  I was told that I should because my white GSD has Pannus.  It's a herding dog eye disease.  I wanted to make sure he was in the clear so far.  It's not fun having to do eye drops every day 2wice a day.  And I have to drive 2 hours there and 2 hours back on Monday to get her injections into her eyes.  Her eyes are filming over again so we have to nip it in the bud once again before she goes blind : - {

Shepherd, injections into the eyes?? I'm interested in knowing more. I have an old dog with  pannus, have spoken to several vets including the canine opthomologist at U.C. Davis, and have never heard of injections for pannus. He does get RX drops. Please share the information. Thank you.

Also, would someone type out the full name of CERF so that I may Google to research on this? I'd like to know more about it. Sounds like a very good idea to me. Thank you.

Canine Eye registration Foundation here's a link to a site that is very informitaive. http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html

CERF is only good for a limited period before recertification is required. Other than occasional pannus (which is usually visible to the naked eye), GSD's rarely have eye diseases. I would not suggest that routine CERF testing for the breed is warranted.

I had it done on one of my studs (at age 6 or 7) because the owner of a bitch requested it and paid for it (wanted a whole string of letters behind dogs' names to impress puppy buyers). CERF numbers do show up on the OFA website.

Ranchinglady Hi ya.  The doctors name is Dr. Ramsey.  He owns and runs The Animal Ophthalmology Center in Williamston, MI.  It's near Lansing.  I was refered to him by my vet here in Schoolcraft, MI.  What they do is numb the eye and shoot injections into the lower eyelid.  I can't remember the name of the stuff that he uses, but it WORKssss.  With in 3 weeks or so of the injections and also using the drops every day, her eyes were totally cleared up!  We started running out of drops so we cut down on them and it's back : - {  So now I have to go through it all over again with her.  She didn't even mind the injections as she is so use to us messing with her eyes.  If you would like to call them and find out what the stuff is called that they use to inject, I'm sure they can refer you to someone in your area to see if your dog can be helped.  Good luck with it.  Here's his website.

http://www.eye-vet.com/

Shepherd Woman, thank you very, very much!! That's a great website, and yes, I'll certainly look into it. I wonder why it was never suggested to me. I appreciate the shared information.

I also have a background in Labradors and always did the yearly eye checks.    I would think this would be up to the GSDs owner to decide whether or not they wanted to get the eye checks; it is, however, one of the least expensive yearly health checks--usually about $25.00 to $30.00 at an eye clinic.  You can find a list of upcoming health clinics at the OFA web site  www.offa.org  and also at the MBF- superintendants website  www.infodog.com  click on show information, then on matches, clinics and seminars.   You would want the eye examination done by an ACVO board certified canine opthamologist. 

In addition to pannus which is fairly common, GSDs sometimes have cataracts, PRA, and retinal folds.  

I always consider it a good sign that GSDs breeders screen for hips and elbows, and if they do some additional health checks, that is a plus.  But breeding is a crap shoot even in the best of lines, and you try to tip the odds in your favor by doing the health checks.   There are so many variables to contend with in the gene pool.

Just my 2 cents worth.  :)

Best Regards,

Cathy M.