January 29, 2013

Blood donor dogs and cats.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital:
To do that, the hospital has its own Animal Blood Bank with a dedicated core [sic] of 12 dogs and 11 cats who serve as regular donors, many of them the animal companions of students or staff members at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. “We actually have a waiting list of pets to become new donors,” notes Bach.

The typical canine blood donor is a healthy, larger dog — more than 50 pounds — that has been screened for blood borne parasites and diseases that affect the qualities of blood. Importantly, the dog donor possesses a good nature.

“We don’t sedate the dogs,” explains Bach, who says a typical blood draw from a dog takes about 7 to 10 minutes. “Cats are certainly different than dogs. Cats are a little more reclusive and sometimes have a little higher stress level in the hospital. They are sedated.”
Cats also need a more compatible blood-type cross match when they are getting transfusion.

They also do horse and cow transfusions.
Their most recent resident donor horse, Drive Thru, retired this fall after seven years of donating blood and serving as a calming presence and companion for any skittish equine patients at the hospital. In the hospital’s large animal practice, Drive Thru was a star, getting presents and mail from the children of clients and visitors and occasionally popping his head into the waiting room for peppermint candy, his favorite.
The resident cow donors are Maxine and Natalie, "beautiful and pampered Holsteins." How much blood goes into a cow getting a transfusion? 6 to 12 liters.

12 comments:

Wince said...

"Oh, I'll take a vet over an MD anyday."

Strelnikov said...

That's a lot of blood sausage.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I understand the vet school also leads the nation in the treatment of vampire bats.

edutcher said...

Have to tell Herself about this.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

a dedicated core [sic] of 12 dogs and 11 cats who serve as regular donors

Somehow I doubt that the dogs and cats are "dedicated" volunteers donating their blood.

The reality is that they are prisoners. Trapped in cages, drugged and bled out on a regular basis. It must feel like torture.

If we had humans snatched off of the streets, incarcerated and forced to donate blood...would you all consider this acceptable?

I'm quite sure that given the choice, the dedicated dogs and cats would rather be someplace else, doing something else.

Mumpsimus said...

I don't think "core" deserves a [sic]. It can mean the central, essential part of a group or organization; not necessarily a typo.

Petunia said...

Um, the dogs and cats live in their homes with their owners and come in to donate blood when it is needed. Did you not read the sentences about their being animal companions of students and faculty, and about there being a waiting list of PETS to become blood donors?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

There being a waiting list of PETS to become blood donors

I didn't know that dogs and cats could read, much less write to sign onto a waiting list. I wonder how they get the word out to the dedicated blood donating cats, dogs, horses, cows?

Petunia said...

Oh FFS. Dogs and cats can't consent to or understand veterinary care, either. Does that mean we should just let them die when they get sick or injured?

Ann Althouse said...

"I don't think "core" deserves a [sic]. It can mean the central, essential part of a group or organization; not necessarily a typo."

They meant corps.

Nichevo said...

I guess the professor's comment ends discussion, but in the world of human blood donors, as in other human organizations, the word core can mean a nucleus, as in a core group of the most dedicated regular donors, e.g. a core group of 20% of the donors provide 80% of donations.

Nichevo said...

Corps, obviously, makes complete sense.