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Vet school offers incentives
for canine blood donors
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at NC State is offering dog owners incentives – free vaccinations, comprehensive health-care screenings, and lifetime blood transfusions – for their pets if the animals qualify as donors for a canine blood bank.
The incentives, which could annually save owners between $350 and $500 in vaccinations, health care screenings, and blood work, are provided for as long as the dog remains a donor. Blood transfusions, each of which can cost as much as $300, are provided free for the life of the pet.
The hospital is making the appeal for canine blood donors in order to build up a reserve and ensure an adequate blood supply for the many sick and injured dogs that are referred to the hospital’s clinics or that are admitted to the Small Animal Emergency Service.
To be considered, donor dogs should be of good temperament, weigh more than 50 pounds, must be between the ages of 1 and 5, have a clean health history, and should have the likelihood of remaining in the area so they can serve as donors for up to three years.
Following the initial screening, which can be done by telephone, donors will be blood typed and checked for infectious diseases such as tick-borne illnesses. Those who are evaluated as universal donors will then receive a comprehensive health care screening, which will include blood count, blood chemistry profile, a urinalysis, and a physical examination. The dog may become a donor if tests reveal a healthy pet that is not overly stressed by the experience.
“We only select dogs that are not stressed, and we make sure that they are comfortable,” says Dr. Bernie Hansen, a board-certified critical care specialist who helps manage the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. “It’s a positive experience. They receive excellent care and the owner has the satisfaction of knowing that the pet may help save the life of another dog.”
The blood donation process, which is done every eight weeks for a maximum of three years, is painless and involves a local anesthetic. A 70-pound dog may donate a unit, or one pint of blood, at a time. During the course of three years, this can amount to 18 units. Last year the Veterinary Teaching Hospital required some 358 units of blood.
“We could use an additional 40 donors,” said Samantha Normandin, the veterinary technician who manages the canine blood bank. “Just as people donate blood to save the lives of other people, dogs can save the lives of other dogs. A single donation can potentially save four lives.”
For more information, contact Samantha Normandin at 513-6030.
Posted December 17, 2004
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