As dogs and cats become more and more a part of the family,
there is an increasingly and growing demand for
transfusion therapy to treat many diseases and
injuries.
And with this, comes the demand for blood
products.
Before the current rise in blood banks, veterinarians
utilized their own dogs and client family dogs to help
with the need. Now there are several blood banks that
help fill the need.
Some of these banks house their own dogs for blood collection in on site kennels. These dogs are primarily rescues whose time was running out at the local shelter. Some are retired racing
Greyhounds.
These banks use the dogs as blood donors for a specified amount of time, then look for permanent, forever homes for their retired donors.
Other blood banks rely on everyday family dogs (who we call heroes) who register as canine blood donors.
They visit regularly for scheduled appointments to donate.
Some of these blood banks conduct blood drives, to create awareness and encourage others to contribute.
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