Is your Bird Dog a Blood Donor?

I took an interesting call from Charlie Payne, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s regional representative for Ohio, last week.  Payne suggested I write about canine blood donation in my blog.  You may have predicted my response; “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

 

“Yep, my dog donates blood through Ohio State University*,” Payne explained.  “In return, OSU takes care of all my pup’s medical tests, blood work and I receive a bag of free dog food each time we make a blood donation.”  *Typically there should be at least 6 to 8 weeks between donations*

 

Payne went on to explain that he learned about canine blood donation through his father, Dr. John Payne, an accomplished veterinary surgeon.  Just like the emergency room of your local hospital, vets need canine blood supplies for a variety of medical situations. 

 

Charlie also connected me with Dr. Christine L. Guenther, DVM & DACVECC.  There are two major canine blood types Dr. Guenther explained:  DEA 1.1 Positive and DEA 1.1 Negative.  They both occur with equal frequency in the American canine population.  Unlike in people, dogs do not have pre-formed antibodies for different canine blood types.  However, after receiving one blood transfusion, dogs will develop antibodies so blood-typing and cross-matching is important, especially if a dog has been previously transfused. 

 

Donor dogs typically give 450 mls of whole blood in a single donation.  This is approximately one pint.  The whole blood can be further separated into packed red blood cells and plasma.  One donation can potentially help as many as four dogs.  After donating blood, dogs can typically go back to their normal activities within a couple of days.  However, if your dog is actively hunting, you should limit their donation time to the offseason.

 

Ask your local vet about canine blood donation programs in your area.

Learn more about canine health at AKC Canine Health Foundation.

 

The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever’s Vice President of Marketing.  Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre.