Sign up to receive updates when articles like this are published. Sign up to receive alerts when articles like this are published. We just can't keep up.'' Only about 5 percent of dogs meet donor criteria, the blood bank says, 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. My dogs and cats and chickens are part of my family,'' Ms. Kuriga said. Doctors at the 24-hour Animal Emergency Center in Glendale, Wis., are pleading with pet owners to increase blood donations from their animals, Dr. Marla Lichtenberger said. Her clinic, like many others, calls on animal donors any time there is an emergency need for blood.