# Can our dogs donate blood?



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

I just read this thread:
http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?p=46851#post46851

Now I am researching the idea of dogs giving blood. So far I've found this, in Minnesota:

http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vmc/aboutvmc/blooddonor/index.html

Many dogs would meet the requirements.

I'm going to keep looking.


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

My big Doberman Mingus used to give blood regularly at the emergency clinic. He literally paid for his own dogfood. Now the clinic gets frozen whole blood and plasma from somewhere.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Becky Shilling said:


> My big Doberman Mingus used to give blood regularly at the emergency clinic. He literally paid for his own dogfood. Now the clinic gets frozen whole blood and plasma from somewhere.


Thanks, Becky. That's a good idea, to call emergency clinics.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

It's definitely a needed service! The vet school has a few retired racing greyhounds as blood donor dogs (we also use them as live palpation dogs in anatomy) and they probably have cats too. As I can't have an indoor cat at home (DH has allergies and I don't really feel like scooping another litterbox), I'll probably have an office cat or two as blood donors.


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## Amanda Layne (Aug 9, 2006)

A vet that I used to go to has a Rottweiler that gives blood at their clinic. He is a rescue dog. He is spoiled rotten and loved every day by the staff, and in return, he gives blood.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

The U of M vet school is a bit of a drive, but close enough for me to go. (I love that place!) But now I see my pets are all too small.  I've always been a bit curious about pets donating blood, but apparently it isn't an option for us.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> (we also use them as live palpation dogs in anatomy)


what exactly does that mean Maren?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Anne Vaini said:


> The U of M vet school is a bit of a drive, but close enough for me to go. (I love that place!) But now I see my pets are all too small.  I've always been a bit curious about pets donating blood, but apparently it isn't an option for us.


50 pounds, right? At first I thought that a small dog could give enough to help another small dog, but maybe the small amount you can safely take from a little dog just isn't worth the procedure.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Hil Harrison said:


> what exactly does that mean Maren?


Palpation is feeling the live dog from the outside to see what is normal so when we do a physical exam, we know the normal from the abnormal. Basically it's how to take things from the book and the dissection dog to the live animal. I love the palpation dogs. They are very sweet greyhounds.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Palpation is feeling the live dog from the outside to see what is normal so when we do a physical exam, we know the normal from the abnormal. Basically it's how to take things from the book and the dissection dog to the live animal. I love the palpation dogs. They are very sweet greyhounds.


oh ok thanks for the explanation. I love greys and I couldnt figure what they were doing to them;-)


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Palpation is feeling the live dog from the outside to see what is normal so when we do a physical exam, we know the normal from the abnormal. Basically it's how to take things from the book and the dissection dog to the live animal. I love the palpation dogs. They are very sweet greyhounds.


And every well-dog physical starts that way, according to all the manuals for non-vet owners who want to check their dogs' health regularly.

When my dogs do go to the vet, I notice that it's her first step, too: Feeling and kinda pressing them in the internal organ spots.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

> I love greys and I couldnt figure what they were doing to them


Greys are commonly used as canine blood donors because 60% or more have the universal canine blood type. Plus greys have higher RBC counts.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Anne Vaini said:


> Greys are commonly used as canine blood donors because 60% or more have the universal canine blood type. Plus greys have higher RBC counts.


 
wow thx Anne..........see I learn something everyday on here. Seriously thanks for that


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't there a limited # of blood transfusions possible from a universal donor (to one specific animal) before the types have to be matched?

this is just what comes to mind from "back in the day" when i was working in a small animal clinic (whose 3-legged donor was also spoiled rotten, and a plumb sweet guy to boot). perhaps "progress" has progressed since then?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

ann freier said:


> correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't there a limited # of blood transfusions possible from a universal donor (to one specific animal) before the types have to be matched?
> 
> this is just what comes to mind from "back in the day" when i was working in a small animal clinic (whose 3-legged donor was also spoiled rotten, and a plumb sweet guy to boot). perhaps "progress" has progressed since then?


I don't think so. I think what the deal is, is that dogs rarely have isoantibodies against other blood types. Of course, "rarely" is not "never."

There are 13 types, and one dog can have more than one type.

You may be remembering cats, though, which have strong isoantibodies against other types than their own. Luckily, though, they have only a few types. I think three.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-vth/donors/

http://www.wisegeek.com/do-dogs-have-a-blood-type.htm

I can't find the thirteen-types thing, but I know I got that from something authoritative, like a vet med teaching hospital.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

well, i'd rather be wrong than right on this one!! that makes me "feel better", though it may not make Brix "feel better", as i believe i'll volunteer him as a donor for any of the 3 clinics i deal with: pump him up w/tug for a minute and the old blood's flowing, then tell him "platz" and he just stops--and NOW--and then "it's OK", he relaxes, gets stuck, gets spoiled; oh, he'll think he's all that and a box of HO-HO's .

do dogs get OJ (take THAT however you want ) after donating? i don't remember our old clinic dog getting anything special.


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

I used to give Mingus a P/D sundae after he donated. Prescription diet puppy canned food with pet-tinic on top!


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## Lisa Baker (Oct 24, 2007)

I heard something on the radio this week in the UK, that our vets are calling for a National blood donor register for dogs to be set up. Thought it was a good idea and wondered if other countries already had a register in place?


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