First Cerf clinic held in Portugal
...and the only one ever!

"In July 1994 an eye clinic was conducted in Cascais, Portugal for the purpose of identifying dogs with congenital and hereditary eye disease.  The event was co-sponsored by Portuguese Water Dog enthusiasts in the United States and in Portugal. The dogs were examined by Dr. James M. Clinton, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, and Dr. Pedro Neiva Correia, Director of the Veterinary Medical Center in Cascais.  Most of the examined were European-born PWDs, although other dogs were also examined.  Nearly all of the dogs came from the southern part of Portugal.

Just as in the United States, most of the dogs examined were ophthalmoscopically normal.  Some of the owners of the normal-eyed dogs elected to register them with the Canine Eye Registry Foundation, a non-profit registry of dogs with normal eyes.  (CERF, SCC/A, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.)  The following ocular anomalies were identified: (a) Luxated lens with glaucoma, (b) ventral entropion, (c) cataract, (d) corneal lipid dystrophy and (e) Progressive Retinal Atrophy, PRA.

The most serious hereditary ocular disease in Portuguese Water Dogs is PRA, a disease which starts in young adulthood.  An early sign is night-blindness, which slowly becomes more apparent.  eventually, defective day vision also occurs, with the pupils remaining dilated most of the time.  Such dogs have difficulty seeing pieces of cotton wool when dropped a meter or so in front of the face.  The identification of a dog with PRA implies that both parents are carriers (at best), and should not be bred."

Dr. James M. Clinton wrote further:

300 Brookmead Drive
Cherry hill, NJ 08034-2729 U.S.A.
4. September 1994

Sr. Augusto Guimaraes
Quinta da Marinha
Casa Vale de Areal
2750 Cascais PORTUGAL

Dear Augusto

Thank you very much for the enjoyable time Jane and I had in Portugal.  We enjoyed meeting you and working with you at the eye clinic and appreciate your introducing us to your many friends.  even with all of the efforts you had to spend organizing the event, you still found time to make our visit to Portugal rewarding and memorable.  We both appreciate it very much.  I hope that if you and your colleagues ever do anything like this again, you will consider me as the examining veterinarian.
Thank you again for all of your efforts in our behalf.  I hope that if you are in this area, you'll feel free to contact me.

Special thanks to the following PWD fanciers who graciously helped out along the way:  Dr. James M Clinton and his wife Mrs. Jane Clinton, Chris Harris, Lewis Grello, Suzanne Garcia, Susan McMahon, Art and Martha Stern, Barbara Paul, Robin Valliant, Carol Mattingly, Sandra Saybolt, Bev Jorgensen, William and Mary Harkins, Judy Ferland, Daryll and Jeanne Rylatt.

My thanks in Portugal to Dr. Pedro Neiva Correia, Sally Strate at Condinho, Maria De Barthes, Herta von Strempel, Pedro Oliveira da Silva and all the PWD owners that attended the clinic.