Billings, MT
Best Friends Animal Hospital (1530 Popelka Drive Billings, MT 59105)
Jan 27-29
Mar 14-17
May 23-26
July 25-28
Sep 26-29
Nov 28-Dec 1
Horse Location: Lockwood Veterinary Clinic

Great Falls, MT
Big Sky Animal Health Center (5105 Star Blvd Great Falls, MT 59405)
Apr 2-3
Dec 3-4
Horse Location: Must be arranged with owner

Bozeman, MT
Cottonwood Veterinary Hospital (450 Cottonwood Road Bozeman, MT 59718)
Mar 17-19
May 26-28
Jul 28-30
Sep 29-Oct 1
Dec 1-3
Horse Location: All West Veterinary Hospital (105 All West Trail Bozeman, MT 59718)


Helena, MT CERF Sep 23-24 Lewis & Clark Cty Fairgrounds (98 W Custer Ave)

Kalispell, MT CERF March 11-12 Central Valley Animal Hospital (3650 Hwy 2 East)

Sheridan, WY CERF Apr 22-23 Dog & Cat Shelter (84 E Ridge Rd)


What is CERF?
      CERF stands for the Canine Eye Registration Foundation. CERF is an organization that was founded by a group of concerned, purebred owner/breeders who recognized that the quality of their dog's lives were being affected by heritable eye disease. CERF was then established in conjunction with cooperating, board certified, veterinary ophthalmologists, as a means to accomplish the goal of elimination of heritable eye disease in all purebred dogs by forming a centralized, national registry. The CERF Registry not only registers those dog's certified free of heritable eye disease by members of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO), but also collects data on all dogs examined by ACVO Diplomates. This data is used to form the CERF data base which is useful in researching trends in eye disease and breed susceptibility. Not only is this data useful to clinicians and students of ophthalmology, but to interested breed clubs and individual breeders and owners of specific breeds.

How does CERF work?
      After the painless examination of the dogs eyes, the ACVO Diplomat* will complete the CERF form and indicate any specific disease(s) found. Breeding advice will be offered based on guidelines established for that particular breed by the genetics committee of the ACVO. Bear in mind that CERF and the ACVO are separate, but cooperating entities. The ACVO only provides their professional services and expertise to ensure that uniform standards are upheld for the certification of dog's eyes with the CERF organization.
      If the dog is certified to be free of heritable eye disease, you can then send in the completed owner's copy of the CERF form with the appropriate fee ($12.00 for the original CERF Registration, or $8.00 if it is a re-certification or kennel rate). Hybrid Registration is $15.00 per dog. Re-CERF or kennel rate (10 or more new) is $12.00 per dog). The certification is good for 12 months from the date of the exam and afterward the dog must be reexamined and re-certified to maintain its' registration with CERF. Regardless of the outcome of the dog's exam, the research copy of the CERF form will be sent to the CERF office at VMDB (Veterinary Medical Database) where its information will be entered into the database for that specific breed. This information will be used in generating research reports, but the individual dog's identities will become confidential and will never be released.

      *"Board certified", indicates that a veterinarian has advanced education and training in a specific discipline of veterinary medicine and surgery. In the case of ophthalmology, this indicates that an individual is certified to meet the high standards of the ACVO (American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists) and has been granted diplomat status in the organization.
      ACVO diplomats are trained to accurately diagnose and treat eye diseases, screen animals for genetic eye diseases, offer breeding advice regarding actual or presumed genetic eye disorders, and offer micro-surgical options for the treatment of certain conditions. Board certified veterinarians typically limit their practice to their specific area of expertise in order to provide the highest degree of veterinary care.