Golden retriever provides life-saving blood donation for another dog

About one in 30 Australians actively donate blood each year, but demand still heavily outweighs supply.

In the animal world, the need for blood donors is also on the rise.

Three-year-old golden retriever Bruno saved the life of a fellow canine this month when he donated blood at the Millicent and Kingston Veterinary Clinic.

"Blood transfusions and the need for dog blood donation are an important part of our practice, and we're keen to get more donors on our list," said Sarah McGrath, the clinic's co-director.

"It's one of those situations that when you need it, you really need it."

'Simple' procedure

Dr McGrath said donations did not store well, so a list of potential donors ready to be called upon if needed was important.

"The best way to help save a dog that is in need of blood is to get a fresh donation and give it quickly," she said.

For Bruno, a fit, active and healthy dog, the task was "simple and straightforward", according to his owner Michelle Gysbers.

"I was very proud of him. He did a great job. He was back to his self as soon as the sedation wore off," she said.

Ms Gysbers said the decision to offer Bruno to help a dog in need was an easy one.

"It's certainly something I didn't have to think twice about," she said.

"As a dog owner I'd like to think if one of my dogs was ever in need someone might bring in their dog for me."

More donors needed

Across the country, vet practices are echoing the need for dog blood donors.

Red Cross Lifeblood notes one dog blood donation can save up to four lives, while feline donations are usually a one-to-one match.

In an emergency, dogs can also give blood to cats.

"Cat blood is notoriously difficult to source so in critical, high-stakes situations where cat blood isn't available, veterinary teams sometimes perform a xenotransfusion, which means giving dog blood to a cat to buy them time," said Stephanie Leeder, an internal medicine specialist at Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH) in Adelaide.

Dr Leeder said a dog's blood type mostly fell into two categories: positive or negative. 

"Fascinatingly, for their very first transfusion, a dog can receive blood from any other dog type," she added.

Having identified the need for an in-house blood bank to meet the growing demand for blood transfusions in seriously ill dogs, SASH established its own in 2007, and has since created a feline blood bank.

Today, hundreds of owners have signed their dogs and cats onto the registry. 

Partnerships built

On the Limestone Coast, Dr McGrath is building a list of potential dog donors for the vast geographical areas her practice services.

"We have clients from Meningie to Millicent, Robe, Lucindale and everywhere in between," she said.

"We might need to call upon a donor at short notice, even in the middle of the night."

Dr McGrath said dogs in need of transfusions were commonly those that had ingested rodent bait or poisons, had been impacted by vehicle trauma or farming accidents, or had serious health issues such as cancer.

"We're on the lookout for fit, healthy, adult dogs over 25 kilograms with no pre-existing health conditions as potential donors."

The donation procedure was "straightforward" and low-risk for suitable candidates.

"They come on in and perhaps have a light sedation to make them feel really relaxed, we clip a little hair on their leg and their neck, there's a few in-house tests we do to make sure they're fit and healthy, then we collect blood in much the same way as the Red Cross Lifeblood van does. That is then administered to the dog in need," Dr McGrath said.

"There is one unique stipulation, and that is the dog can't have had a blood transfusion themselves previously."

She said dog donors were "lavished with pats and treats" both before and after the procedure.

"We see this as a partnership between our clinic and dog owners.

"We are always so grateful when someone signs up their dog to help save the lives of dogs in need."