An animal bloodmobile lets pooches donate blood for other canines in need
An animal bloodmobile lets pooches donate blood for other canines in need
Harleysville, Pennsylvania, resident Paula Hackett holds her dog, Tosey, a five-year-old Great Dane, during a visit to the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school's animal bloodmobile.
If man's best friend is a dog, then who is a dog's best friend? That would be Rover. Or Glow, or Ivan, or Raina. These four canines recently donated valuable pints of blood to their fellow pooches. And they did it without having to travel far from home: They visited an animal bloodmobile.
Similar to the Red Cross vehicles for humans, the University of Pennsylvania's traveling veterinary lab goes to where the donors are to make it easier to give. The bloodmobile makes weekly rounds through suburban Philadelphia and New Jersey. Kym Marryott is manager of Penn's Animal Blood Bank. "You don't really think about it until you actually need it," Marryott told the Associated Press. "Just like in people, dogs need blood too."
Like humans, not every dog is eligible to donate blood. The pooches are screened for health first. Dogs must have the correct blood type, weigh at least 55 pounds and be younger than 8 years old. About 150 dogs participate in the program. Each donates three or four pints a year, which can help animals suffering from illnesses like cancer or an accidental trauma like being hit by a car. One pint can save up to three dogs.
Owners volunteer their pet for the short procedure, which requires no sedation. That’s when a patient is given medicine to calm him or her down. Marryott said it's the dog that ultimately chooses to lie still and give. "If (the dog) wanted to get up and leave, he could," she said. "But they're really good about it, they trust their owner."
Sandy Lucas brought her 7-year-old black German shepherd, Raina, to the bloodmobile last week, when it was parked at a strip mall in Harleysville, Pennsylvania. The Pottstown, Pennsylvania, resident said she wouldn't have braved highway traffic and city parking problems to take the dog to Penn Vet's animal hospital in downtown Philadelphia, which is twice as far from her home. But the bloodmobile made it convenient to find out if Raina could donate, she said. "I was very, very thrilled that she had the right blood that was needed to help another dog out," said Lucas. "We'll definitely do it again."
Just like people, the furry donors get a snack and a heart-shaped "U of P Blood Donor" sticker immediately after giving. In addition, they receive free blood screenings and dog food to take home.
Officials at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine said they don't know of any other animal bloodmobiles operating in the U.S. And what about a catmobile? Felines are a bit less cooperative. They need to be sedated in order to give blood, so Penn does that only at its animal hospital.
The Philadelphia-based school does more than help animals. The Penn Vet Working Dog Center trains dogs to use their keen sense of smell to help humans. The dogs can learn to locate bombs, sniff out allergens, and even identify cancer. Last summer, TFK visited the center to learn more about these hardworking dogs. Watch a video from the trip below (or click here).