The Abbeyside Blood Donor Dog Scheme
Just as blood is sometimes vital in the treatment of human patients, so it is with dogs. Unfortunately there is no blood bank where we can obtain blood when we need it so we rely on a group of dogs who have been volunteered by their owners to act as blood donors.
Since the scheme began many lives have been saved (see below) as a result of the generosity of donor dogs and their owners. We now need more donor dogs and would appreciate it if you would take the time to read this page and consider volunteering your dog as a donor.
We are happy to answer any other questions you might have. If you are interested in registering your dog as a donor, please contact us by e-mail or call in to us at Abbeyside.
Pippen
Pippen is a small curly coated mongrel terrier who was brought to the hospital one evening after a traffic accident. She was completely collapsed and shocked and we immediately realised that she was losing blood rapidly. When we examined her we noticed that she had a fracture of the femur (thigh bone), but more urgently we suspected that she had a ruptured spleen. We contacted the owner of one of our donor dogs who was able to bring her dog into us right away. In the meantime we got Pippen ready for emergency surgery.
As we suspected Pippens spleen was badly damaged and had to be removed. She had lost a lot of blood and we were very worried that she would not survive the surgery. Fortunately, as soon as we had stopped the bleeding, we were able to give her a blood transfusion and this certainly saved her life. She not only survived the surgery but was well enough to eat a little breakfast the next morning! Two days later Pippen had more surgery, this time to repair her broken bone.
That was more than a year ago and Pippen is now healthy and well, thanks in great measure to the dog who gave the blood which saved her life.
Barney and his Brothers
Barney was an eight week old puppy when he was brought into us with what his owner thought was pneumonia. His breathing was very raspy and he was dull and depressed. When we examined him we saw that he was very anemic and we suspected that he was bleeding into his lungs. This is sometimes caused by eating rat poison and sure enough, when we questioned the owner, rat poison had been recently used on the farm where he lived.
We quickly took some blood samples and when we analysed them realised that Barney was in real trouble, he had so little blood left in his system it was a wonder he was alive. We immediately started him on the antidote to the poison but knew this might not be enough to save him—he needed blood. Within minutes one of our donor dogs was brought to the hospital and gave a blood donation.
Then Barneys owner was on the phone again; a chewed up box of rat poison had been found in a shed and Barneys two brothers were not looking well. When the other puppies came in we found that they too had taken poison, though they were not yet quite as badly affected as Barney. Because the pups were so small one blood donation from a big Labrador was enough to treat them all. Two days later the pups were well enough to go home. The blood donation from one dog had saved all three little lives.
What is involved for your dog?
If your dog becomes a donor he or she will be asked to give blood no more than twice a year and usually less often. Only a small percentage of the dogs’ total blood is taken and a healthy dog rapidly replaces this; you should not be aware of any after effects. Some hair will be clipped in the dogs’ neck area in order to get a vein. Giving blood is not painful, dogs do not usually need to be sedated and the whole process should take no longer than an hour at most.
What is involved for you?
Blood is often needed urgently so you must be willing to bring your dog to the hospital at short notice. Because we have a panel of donors if this is not possible for you we can move on to the next dog on the list, so you do not have to be available around the clock! Occasionally we may need blood urgently in the middle of the night so you should be prepared for this possibility.
What are the benefits of this scheme?
We, and therefore our patients, have access to blood when it is needed. Should your dog ever require blood, as a donor it will be given free of charge. Since we need to be sure that your dog is healthy he or she will have a check up which includes several blood tests free of charge, which means that his or her health will be very closely monitored. You will know that your dog has helped to save the life of somebody else’s pet.
Are all dogs suitable?
Donor dogs need to weigh at least 25 kg (about 50 lbs), be healthy and vaccinated and have shown normal results on a series of blood tests. They should have a sensible temperament so that taking blood does not distress them.
We also need to find out your dogs blood group. From the point of view of donors there is just one important blood group in the dog, known as DEA1.1. To be a donor a dog must be DEA1.1 negative. About 40% of dogs are unsuitable donors because this is not their blood group.
