BLOOD Hound Australia is a campaign that was started to promote and normalise canine blood donation. The aims of the campaign are;

• Raise awareness- teach people that canine blood donation is REAL and IMPORTANT
• Educate- teach people about the facts surrounding the need for donated blood
• Call to take action- encourage people to sign up their dogs, encourage vets to have their own banks and get people spreading our message

Pre Requisites and the Donation Process

WHY SHOULD YOUR DOG DONATE BLOOD?

It’s not just dogs, clinics look for feline blood donors too!
There are a many different reasons a pet might need a blood transfusion;
~ Traumatic injury
~ Surgery
~ Some immune diseases
~ Certain cancers / cancer treatments
~ Blood disorders
~ Some snake bites
~ Certain types of poisoning
Just to name a few!

IS YOUR DOG ELIGIBLE?

If your dog is
~ Over 25kg
~ Between 1 and 7 years old
~ Up to date with vaccinations and parasite prevention
~ In general good health
~ Cooperative and calm in a clinic environment

Then they may be a good candidate for blood donation!

THE DONATION PROCESS

Your dog will get an examination before the blood donation is collected and a blood test will be run to ensure all readings are normal. First time donors will find out their blood type too! There are over 12 blood types in domestic dogs, however it is a particular antigen (DEA 1.1) that matters for blood donations. A dog is either DEA 1.1 NEG or DEA 1.1 POS. Positive blood can go to positive dogs, while negative dogs are universal donors!

Some dogs may need a light sedation for the actual donation. The neck will have some fur shaved and the blood is taken from the jugular vein. The donation takes about 5 – 10 minutes and in that time the vet will collect between 400 – 500 mLs of blood (the average Labrador-sized dog has an approximate blood volume of 5 pints).

After the donation your dog will be given IV fluids to replace what was taken and will also be treated to a delicious meal before going home. All up the process takes a few hours.

Donors are also rewarded with incentives like free food, blood donor merchandise and discounted veterinary services!