Canadian Animal Blood Bank needs donations from Calgary dogs

A little-known lifesaver for our furry friends Not a lot of people know about the Canadian Animal Blood Bank, which hosts blood donor clinics for dogs across the country.

When dogs have a medical emergency or trauma requiring surgery, they likely need blood – just like people.

The Canadian Animal Blood Bank collects donations from volunteers across the country.

Laurie Dygras, regional unit manager for Calgary and area, says each donation from a dog helps to save up to three dogs' lives.

"The families that love (their sick or injured dogs)… it makes a world of difference to them," she added.

The program works with local veterinarians to host blood drives at their clinics.

Organizers say while they try to have five blood drives a month, they'd like to increase that number as they get more donors.

"We rely on our vet clinics in the community to host us," Dygras said. "So the clinics that we do have very generously offer space and time in their practice, and we also have community volunteers that help out, and we couldn't do it without any of those things."

Animal blood bank statistics show that Alberta has the second-highest need across the country for blood products, and while blood can be shipped across the country, the organization tries to keep blood that's collected in Alberta within the province.

"Our blood products are used for different things," said Dygras. "Like cancer support, therapy, toxicities like rat poison, parvo treatments, surgery and trauma."

Donor dogs need to be healthy and undergo a wellness check before every donation.

"We're looking for dogs that are 25 kilograms – or 55 pounds – or bigger, between one and eight years of age," said Dygras. "Unless they're giant breed dog, we'd like to start them more around 18 months, just because we want them to be through their growth phase."

Dogs have 12 different blood types that vets screen for.

James Lange, critical care veterinarian at VCA Canada's Western Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Centre in Calgary, deals with some of the most critical patients at the clinic.

"Blood is a really valuable resource and it's a limited resource, it can be hard to get," he said. "It is life saving, and my own dog (Rolo) has required a blood transfusion. We're absolutely dependent on donors for this resource."

Lange says the collection process doesn't hurt the dog.

"It is easy," he said. "The whole process usually takes about five minutes, and during that time, they get lots of attention and treats. Sometimes they literally fall asleep while we're collecting it."

Lesley Menzies says she found out about the program from a friend and signed up her two Dobermanns. Now they've given blood 12 times.

"I'm pleased that my boy Milo is a negative donor, which is a universal donor," she said. "Olive turned out to be a positive donor, so she's not universal, but it still helps."

To learn more about dog blood donation, you can visit the Canadian Animal Blood Bank's website.