Your Dog Can Give the Gift of Life This Holiday Season

As often as every seven weeks a dog blood donor can offer their paw to help save the life of a very sick dog in need of a blood transfusion. At each visit the dog can offer between 8 and 16 ounces of blood. Over a year’s time, the dogs will produce enough samples to save the lives of more than 40 dogs. In order to be an official doggy blood donor your dog must weigh at least 35 pounds and be between the ages of 9 months and 7 years. Your dog must be up to date on vaccines and heart worm prevention and cannot be on any long-term medications. The owner also has to be willing to make a yearlong commitment to bringing the dog in at regular intervals or when it is needed. Your vet will discuss their policy with you.

In more high tech facilities blood taken from your pet and spun down so it separates into plasma and red blood cells. It is then stored until it is needed by a sick or injured dog in order to bring their red blood count up. In less high tech facilities dogs are often kept on a list with their blood type clearly marked so in case of an emergency the Veterinary clinic calls the owner and asks them if they can bring over the dog to donate. If the blood transfusion is for a pre-planned surgery or for a regular transfusion the owner is given notice of when their dog will be needed. If however it is a major emergency and the clinic is small and in a remote area they might not be able to afford separated blood supply and don’t have their own equipment to separate the blood in order to store it then the emergency call could come. Chances are you still wouldn’t be called in the middle of the night and asked to bring your dog in a dog who experienced trauma will often be allowed to try and produce Red Blood Cells on their own even if that means their levels drop extremely low so there would still in most cases be some lead time before your dog was needed. Transfusing a dog that has experienced trauma will in all likely hood become anemic again in a weeks time because their body was tricked into believing it did not need more Red Blood Cells. The cost of purchasing Blood from the Dog Blood bank can prove costly for the clinic to have on hand and for the owner of the dog in need of the transfusion.

How it works:

Before being admitted to the program your dog will be blood typed and in most cases a full blood work up will be done to make sure they are fit for the task. When it is time for a blood draw the dog is laid on its side and is fed treats while the blood is drawn. Afterward, the pet is fed more treats to ensure a positive experience. Sounds like a pretty easy job for a dog considering they are saving a life while eating treats.

Dog too small to be a Blood Donor or looking to add to your family?
Many veterinary colleges keep a small number of dogs that live with them at the hospital. These dogs in many cases have been rescued from local shelters and are given the best life possible while living in a kennel situation. They do have more interaction with people then at a shelter and are kept fit and healthy with regular exercise in order to be suitable blood donors. The dogs provide life-saving blood products while they wait for permanent loving homes. They are temperament tested, fully vaccinated and spayed or neutered. Depending on the veterinary college they available for adoption either after one year of service or several years depending on the policy of the facility. Some teaching colleges will adopt out the dogs sooner as long as the adopting family will agree to bring them back for blood donations during that period.