Blood Donor

[beledi]

Am not sure if this is in the correct spot. Samlur turned a year old yesterday and got the blood draw to check for heartworms and got more meds. He has been on the heartworm meds since I got him. They asked me if they could use him as a blood donor if one was needed at the vet clinic. Do any of you do this with your dogs?

[Wonder]

Passion is a blood doner for the e-vet here. She goes every few months.

 

Sparks used to be but they retire them after 9 years old

[Guest greyladydown]

Yes! Several of my greys are blood donors. At my clinic, they must test negative for all TBDs and be over 50 pounds before they are eligible to donate. Once they are eligible, they can donate blood every three months (although I don't let them donate that often).

[NeylasMom]

My male is. Neyla was too nervous in her younger days to donate (our blood bank won't let your dog donate if they are too nervous to take food during the process) and now she's too old (cut-off is 7 1/2). Zuri just had his first donation last month though - he did awesome! I definitely recommend it if you can manage the donation dates. If you complete a full year of donations (our commitment is 7 donations each year) your dog is entitled to free blood if he needs it, plus all of the TBD/HW testing and blood work is free. Of course, if you're a dumba$$ like me, then you have your vet do it and pay nearly $200 anyway.

 

Once they are eligible, they can donate blood every three months (although I don't let them donate that often).

 

Why not let them?

[Guest DoofBert]

Yes Sir D and Bert are both donors...they are very relaxed at the vet. I don't view it as a problem so long as the dog is relaxed at the vet. I relaly believe they know they are helping other dogs.....Sir D struts into the room, looks around for his treat (a can of beefy dog food---they don't get canned at home)....once he sees the can, he relaxes as if to 'OK, let's get on with it... I want my FOOD!) Bert has much the same attitude.

 

In fact, it's very rewarding to know your dog has helped save another dog in need. We had opportunity to meet the owner of an Italian Mastiff who was going to use Sir D's donation. The family was ever so grateful.

 

My vet doesn't use dogs under age 2....and they must retire from donations at age 8....

 

In fact, many clinics provide the heartworm tablets for the donors.....some even have other 'bonus gifts' like food, flea med, toys etc.

[Guest greyladydown]

"Once they are eligible, they can donate blood every three months (although I don't let them donate that often)."

 

"Why not let them?"

 

Since I have several that are eligible, I can rotate them and I don't need to have them donate every 3 months. I'd personally would rather wait a little longer between each donation.

Edited October 3, 2007 by greyladydown

[beledi]

So what is the proceedure? How long does it take, etc.?

Edited October 3, 2007 by beledi

[Jiffer]

Three of mine are donors. Atlas has a heart murmur so he can't.

 

First time there, they take blood samples and introduce the dog to the equipment. The blood is tested for diseases and they make sure your dog is healthy by doing a thorough physical exam.

 

The procedure at our Evet is they take a small sampling to make sure their okay to go, do a mini-checkup to check vitals (heart rate, blood pressure, etc), then they insert a needle into their neck and allow the blood to flow naturally. I'm not sure how much they take but I was told it's an equivalent ratio to a human donating. The dog gets spoiled and given lots of treats during and after.

 

Our program is really good. We get annual vaccines, heartworm testing and heartworm medications as well as bags of food (after several donations) and lots of take home treats. Plus, I have built up a bit of a repore with the evet staff so I know that if my guys ever got sick and had to stay there, they would be taken good care of.

 

Some other offices have different programs.. others take the blood from the leg, too.

[Guest greyladydown]

The entire proceedure at my clinic takes less than 30 minutes. I get to accompany my dog while the blood is being drawn and I stay with him for the entire process. My dog is placed on a table, on his side. Two vet techs take the blood. One shaves a small area on the neck and inserts the needle. The other holds the tubing and bag near the floor. I sit near my dog's head and make sure he doesn't move. A pint of blood is drawn. Once the needle is removed, the tech puts some cotton on the neck and wraps the neck with some vet wrap for the short ride home. Once I get home, I remove the wrap and give my dog some extra food.

Edited October 3, 2007 by greyladydown

[lovemycoffee]

My vet asked if Coffee could be a donor. She took blood for tests, and said that if they needed a donation she would call and they would take the blood when it was needed, rather than storing it. The only time he's been called upon was to donate to my own boy Tiger who was very sick and failing fast. He had been given synthetic blood transfusions which helped a little but the effect didn't last long. The whole blood from Coffee stabilized him and gave him back his life. I was so proud of my boy, and he was a real sport about it. I love my Coffee!

[Guest LynnM]

Yup... Both Joplin and Louis are Universal Donors (the canine equivalent of O-). Not all greyhounds are, contrary to popular myth. They do have a high hematocrit, so the recipient dog does get a lot of bang for the buck if they get greyhound blood.

 

Joplin gave his last donation when he was nearly 12. Blood is a renewable resource, so as long as the dog is healthy, age isn't much of an issue. Joplin is an easy donor.... it's over with almost before we even start.

 

I try not to use Louis, since he is *not* the best patient in the world. In other words, it takes sedation and me sitting on him to get a drop out. That said, he is FULL universal- negative on every blood antigen- so if there was a dog that had been previously transfused and we needed a full universal, I'd do it. I know he handles sedation allright (heaven knows he's needed it before!) and am not worried.

 

There's no canine blood bank in north Florida, so any donations we've done have been for a specific patient. It's nice to meet the dogs that are receiving the blood. We tell the owners that the dog will run so much faster now that they have all that greyhound blood. Some dogs make it and some don't, so if that creeps you out, then don't meet the recipients. Dogs don't get "routine" transfusions. They only get them if they're critically ill. Joplin's donated for palliative care, too. That was probably the only dog that I wasn't sure how I felt about giving blood for. The owner was a strange bird and the dog was NOT going to get better, but the owner also didn't want to put the dog down and he was in distress. I agreed to give the blood because it would make the dog more comfortable and eventually one of the vets talked her into putting him down.

 

I WOULD recommend anyone that has a larger pack of dogs to have their greyhounds typed. If you have a fight, one of your dogs has internal bleeding or some other clotting/vascular/bleeding issue, you'll save some money by having a ready donor on hand, should one of your dogs be universal.

 

Lynn

[HopeForHounds]

Peanut Jake and Jet are all donors. They donate for Life Stream a canine blood bank that supplies blood primarily in Ontario Canada, but have sent it to Texas and even the Bahamas.

Our program is run by the Greyhound Supporters and we have 30 + dogs that donate every 3 months or so. The clinic is held once a month and is held at someone's home. The blood draw is from the leg and the dog can be in whatever position they want. Most can, and do, move around a bit. Jake is a very fast donor at just under 15 minutes.

 

Jake during his donation

 

Peanut - this donation saved a Momma dog and her puppies, they had distemper.

 

Edited October 4, 2007 by foxysmom