London pet owners encouraged to sign their dogs up to be blood donors

Signing your dog up to be a regular blood donor could save the lives of other canines.

It could also save your own, officials with the Winnipeg-based Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB) say.

The non-profit held a canine blood donation clinic on Friday at the North London Neighbourhood Pet Clinic, and will hold one on Saturday, with another in three months.

Quinn Moyer, a veterinary technician and regional unit manager with CABB, said many don't realize their four-legged friends can donate.

Donations can be used for things like parvovirus in puppies, for trauma, or as a preventative measure for dogs going through chemotherapy or extensive surgery, she said.

CABB supplies veterinary hospitals across the country and has a nationwide donor base of around 3,500, she said. The need for new donors is constant.

With a median lifespan of 12.5 years, donor turnover is higher compared to humans. 

Canines must also be between one and eight-years-old or 18 months for giant breeds, and weigh above 25 kg. Once enrolled, dogs can donate up until the age of 10.

Human donors have no upper age limit, and must weigh above 50 kg, according to Canadian Blood Services.

Celine Harlock, who works at the veterinary clinic with her husband, says the couple signed up their six-year-old dog, Serena, a great pyrenees/German shepherd mix, knowing it would help others.

"There wasn't any real reason not to give it a try," Harlock said. Serena's inaugural donation was over the summer, and she was one of several dogs at the clinic on Friday.

"It can be a little nerve wracking, but Serena, if she didn't respond well, we wouldn't keep doing this, but she is absolutely fine," she said.

The process of drawing blood is similar to that of a human, although there are key differences. For one, humans aren't treated to belly rubs and liver cookies, nor are they given a handsome, red bandana.

"We don't have much time for them to sit still in position, so their bleed takes anywhere from three to five minutes… We do use a pump," said Moyer, who performed Serena's procedure. 

"We also use a larger vessel, we use their jugular versus maybe a peripheral arm like they would in humans." A minimum of 350 millilitres is drawn.

Beforehand, a small sample is drawn for on-site tests to determine blood type, packed cell volume for proper red blood cell levels – above 42 per cent – and total protein for liver function.

If either comes back "a little out of whack," the donation is postponed pending further tests, she said.

A 4DX test is also performed on new donors for heartworm and three tick-borne diseases.

It was through a pre-donation test that Amanda Thompson says she learned her dog, Little Man, a black lab/American bulldog, had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer very rare in canines.

"None of the veterinarians I work with have ever seen a case in person," said Thompson, an inventory specialist at Neighborhood Pet Clinic.

There were no clinical signs, and Little Man's annual blood work in August 2023 showed no issues. A sample in December, however, showed high protein levels.

His diagnosis came in March, after other possibilities were ruled out. After receiving chemotherapy every three weeks, Little Man now receives a less-aggressive at-home treatment.

"He'll likely be on it forever, but we didn't think he would make it to his 10th birthday, and he just turned 10 on Sept. 3," Thompson said.

"You're going to make me cry," Quinn said across the room.

Another staff member, Alicia Foord, who helped bring the blood bank to the clinic, says a pre-donation test also caught an illness early in her late dog Bruce.

"(He) did it for eight or nine years, and that's how I got involved. Then from him, just spreading the word, it's really important," she said.

Calgary Eyeopener7:50Dog blood clinics

A bunch of dogs are set to donate blood at a local clinic today. We hear why they're donating.

For every unit donated, CABB gives donor dogs a complimentary blood product should the need arise, and free microchip identification.

Moyer said demand is higher for DEA 1 Negative blood, which can be transfused in DEA 1 Positive dogs, but not vice versa. 

She says she finds herself in London every three months at North London Neighbourhood Pet Clinic, and at the London regional veterinary hospital.

Appointments for Saturday's clinic are full, but she said those interested can email kwc@canadiananimalbloodbank.ca for more information. A schedule of upcoming CABB blood bank clinics can be found on their website.