Advances in veterinary medicine and pet owners increasingly willing to spend large sums on the family dog or cat have caused a nationwide shortage of blood for critically ill animals. The blood banks ship blood and blood products to clinics around the country, often on a moment's notice, so doctors can perform emergency surgery when Spot's been hit by a car or Felix needs a kidney transplant. The Animal Blood Bank in Dixon, Calif., the country's largest animal blood supplier, ships between 1,600 and 2,000 units a month to 3,000 clinics throughout the United States and Canada. We just can't keep up. Only about 5 percent of dogs meet donor criteria, Kaufman said, and animals must have vaccinations and be screened for diseases and blood disorders.
Large dogs make the best donors.
A German shepherd, for instance, can more easily part with a pint of blood than a poodle. Demand for blood has skyrocketed in the last year as clinics perform more and more procedures. They want to do whatever is best for their family member. Juneau, a Siberian Husky, donates every two months at the Glendale clinic. On Thursday, a technician shaved fur from a spot on his neck, then inserted a delicate needle and plastic tube in his jugular vein as he lay calmly on an examining table.