Desperate for dog blood
2006-11-02
CAESAR might be man’s best friend, but does his ownerrealise his four-legged friend could die without blood for a transfusion?
There is an urgent need for dog blood donors, say veterinary surgeons in Paarl and Wellington.
So if your dog is healthy and vaccinated, weighs over 30kg, is between two and eight years old and has a friendly nature, register him or her as a blood donor at veterinary surgeries.
There is a blood bank at Onderstepoort, where Greyhounds - known for their fast metabolism - are used as donors.
The Wellington animal hospital was fortunate to have had the services of Rex, the surgery dog until last year. Now donors are urgently needed.
Donor dogs are anaethetised in veterinary surgeries before blood is drawn, with intervals of two months. Refrigerated blood can be stored for two weeks.
Veterinary surgeons are also imploring vaccination against cat flu, which, together with the current onslaught of ticks, has been affecting hundreds of dogs.
It is especially vital that pets are immunised against the parvo virus (flu) with vaccinations at three, six and twelve weeks. Signs of tick-bite fever in dogs could be when the pets are lethargic, without appetite and the gums turn white.
That is the time when Caesar will be thankful that a canine had donated blood, so that he has a chance to live.
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