Retriever Owners: Find Out About GRPU

GRPU. I had no idea what that might be. My service dog Frax and I were lucky enough to take part in the 2015 ACVO National Service Animal Eye Exam. Last year my service dog partner Frax participated and had a clear exam.

ACVO/Stokes is a non-profit organization that organizes complementary service dog eye screenings each April through May. Frax got scanned on his birthday ironically enough this year. The exam came back questionable. We spent six weeks wondering about his eyes.

The question mark about Frax's eyes has been traumatic for me and my family since I had lost my first service dog Jet prematurely to cancer. The thought that Frax might have an incurable progressive eye disorder usually seen in Golden Retrievers was stunning. GRPU. Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis, a degenerative inflammation of the sight tissues of the eye. There are several components to it: potential cataracts, retinal atrophy, and GRPU.

There is no cure, only treatment to mitigate the effects of the disease process and to hopefully decrease the pressure in the eye that causes pain and ultimately the loss of sight. Dogs being the beings they are, many times owners haven't a clue that their canine is in pain or distress till the disease is far gone.

There is a fair chance if you own a Golden Retriever, or if you own a retriever-mix as I do, that your dog is at significant risk for the disease. It is endemic in Golden Retrievers in this country since the late 1990's. Few general veterinarians know or have seen it's presentation symptoms due to few having access to the research papers and canine ophthalmologists locally to refer a dog presenting with these symptoms.

Owners of service dogs and professional breeders are now aware of this disease and scan for it with veterinary ophthalmology exams yearly and as necessary. The general public does not know. Unfortunately the disease has spread so quickly because it doesn't present until the dogs are five years or older in most cases. Most breeding stock has already been bred by then. The early signs are: redness of the membrane that wraps around the corners of the eye, color change to the iris, squinting, pupil constriction/abnormal pupil shape, light sensitivity, cloudiness of the eye, and low eye pressures. Only a canine ophthalmologist can diagnose and suggest treatment for a canine with suspected uveitis or GRPU.

Frax and I are lucky to have been part of the national eye exam. So many other dogs are at risk for pain and loss of sight...perhaps this information will help. Frax will be followed closely and evaluated every six months for uveitis. Luckily again for us, we are fifteen minutes away from the University of Tennessee Veterinary School and Hospital. Most folks are not.

Here are several links for people who would like to know more so they can check for early signs in their dog and get them treated if needed. One great site is http://animaleyecare.net/diseases/grpu/. To find out more about the yearly ACVO/Stokes service dog eye exams please go to http://www.ACVOEyeExam.org/.

I can't say enough how thankful we are to ACVO for scanning Frax each year so we know to watch him more closely. My hope is through sharing our experience more regular owners will have the knowledge to watch over their dogs as well.

#dogeyes #vetrinariansopthamologists #GPRUGoldenRetrievereyedisease