Veterinary University Will Treat Guide Dogs for Free

The University of Veterinary Medicine will in future provide for guide dogs free of charge, the institution told the state news agency MTI on Saturday.

According to the statement, guide dogs will be able to be treated at the best-equipped small animal clinic in the region.

The University of Veterinary Medicine's donation worth several million forints "is a significant help for the owners and the Hungarian Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (MVGYOSZ), because the Guide Dog Training Center provides only basic care. Prevention and the professional and rapid care of guide dogs, which are considered working dogs, is a primary objective and a social interest," the statement says.

According to the information, guide dogs are among the best in terms of their genetic make-up, are highly disciplined thanks to complex training and have an excellent nervous system. In Hungary, more than a hundred of these dogs help the blind and visually impaired in everyday life, all of them are owned by MVGYOSZ members.

"Owners are expected to take their dogs to the vet for a check-up and general health examination at least every six months, as overbreeding also causes breed diseases, the timely detection and treatment of which is a priority," MVGYOSZ service manager Mónika Berke Nagy is quoted as saying in the statement.

At the Guide Dog Training Center for Guide Dogs for the Blind, the dogs receive basic care, and there is no possibility of interventions requiring special expertise and equipment. "At the Small Animal Clinic of the University of Veterinary Medicine, however, everything is there for the highest quality of care, so the donation is a great help for the companion animals, the owners and the Association", Mónika Berke Nagy added.

The monetary value of the donation of the University of Veterinary Medicine is between HUF 5 and 10 million per year. It is not possible to give a more precise amount, as it depends on the number of cases and the complexity of the interventions needed. The cost of a more complex spinal operation on a dog can be more than HUF half a million," the summary says.