Dog blood donors. - Page 1

Has anyone ever had their dog donate blood before?  Chaos is going to start being a blood donor today.  I think it's going to be a good thing for him to do.  He said he reallyyyyyy wants to do this, lol.  Well at least that's what I heard him say anyway!   Any way we are doing it at

12:40 today.  I'll let ya know how it goes.

Well, my dogs have been on "stand by" for others at certain times.  They have yet to have to be drained as of yet though!  I have assisted to getting blood from a dog on occasion though.  Oddly enough Greyhounds make good blood donors.  Their PCV (packed cell volume) is usually on the higher end or above normal.

I guess we fill out the paper work first today, then they check to see what blood type he is.  Don't know where they go from there.  I'll post when we get home to let ya know how it goes.

I would guess that they will type him today and then find out what his PCV is. 

      I had my dogs donate blood a few times and my Aunt donates with her dog regularly.  It is a pretty simple process.  First the draw blood to run tests on and to find out your dogs blood type, both of mine were universal donors.   Once they get the results which may take a few weeks then you can start to donate, I believe they can donate once every 10 weeks.  Your dog must be stable enough to be taken away from you and put up on an exam table, held by several people while they have a spot on their neck shaved and blood drawn, they whole process doesn't take more than 30 minutes.  Afterwards they get a nice treat of some canned food.  They have to be over 1 year old and more than 50 lbs to donate.  If a breeding male donates they do more extensive blood work every year on him and a female can donate until she has been bred for the first time because once she carries a litter it effects her blood antibodies and she can no longer donate. 

      If you have the time and don't mind having a spot shaved on your dogs neck it is a really good thing to do.  It saved my Aunts dogs life.  At the clinic where she donates they offer free blood products to any dog who donates.  Unfortunately a few years ago her dog became deathly ill and spent 2 weeks in the emergency clinic where she was donating regularly.  She required daily plasma infusions to save her life, if she had not been a donor and able to receive the plasma for free it would have cost my Aunt well over $5000 for the plasma alone which she wouldn't have been able to afford and would have had to euthanize her dog.  Today the dog is alive and well, she just has to be on a special diet because she ended up being allergic to all sources of protein.

      One more note, if you have a dog that donates and for some reason they become a recipient of blood or blood products they can no longer donate.

Chaos did awesome today.  They took a little blood at first to check all of his levels.  The vet there looked at them and said he was fine.  We went in to the back room of the store where they had things set up.  Lifted him onto the table and I have him his down command.  Only 1 girl had to hold him down while they took his blood.  He gave 400 ML today.  They did not shave his neck, as he has a show next weekend and they said they would not shave it if I didn't want them to.  They said that I would know his blood type in about 10 to 15 days.  He got a toy, and a bandana today for donating his blood.  He did great though.

good job chaos!

OMG, lol.  Chaos is just so proud of himself for what he did today.  I turned to get out of my computer chair and this was him behind me, lol.  He has the toy that they gave him today for giving his blood!  What a cutie, lol.