{"id":80663,"date":"2024-06-25T09:01:16","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T09:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/when-sick-pets-need-blood-animal-superheroes-come-to-the-rescue\/"},"modified":"2024-06-25T09:01:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T09:01:16","slug":"when-sick-pets-need-blood-animal-superheroes-come-to-the-rescue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/when-sick-pets-need-blood-animal-superheroes-come-to-the-rescue\/","title":{"rendered":"When Sick Pets Need Blood, Animal \u2018Superheroes\u2019 Come to the Rescue"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cThere\u2019s no specific breed we\u2019re looking for,\u201d said Dr. Valerie Latchford, the veterinarian and phlebotomist at Blue Ridge Veterinary Blood Bank, a commercial blood bank in Virginia that relies entirely on donations from pet dogs. \u201cWe have everything from dogs that were picked up in shelters, a few of them in other countries, all the way up to like the top winning Spinone\u201d \u2014 a shaggy, Italian breed \u2014 \u201cof all time, show dogs, service dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

One nonnegotiable: The dogs must seem comfortable with the staff and the process, able to remain relaxed for the roughly five minutes it requires to draw their blood. \u201cThey didn\u2019t sign the forms to come in,\u201d Dr. Latchford said. \u201cBut they do get to have an opinion on whether they donate or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dog owner Beth Acker has seen that firsthand. Her former dog, Harley, a Bernese mountain dog who craved food and attention, spent six years as a Blue Ridge donor. <\/strong>To have his blood drawn, Harley lay on his side on a table, spooning with the blood bank\u2019s designated \u201cdog snuggler\u201d while being hand-fed cheese and peanut butter. \u201cHe loved it immediately,\u201d Ms. Acker said. \u201cI was really proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harley ultimately donated nearly four gallons of blood; in the final years of his life, Harley needed a transfusion himself, bringing the experience full circle.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Ms. Acker\u2019s coonhound-black Lab mix, Pancho, did not seem comfortable giving blood himself, though he tagged along on Harley\u2019s appointments \u201cto share the awesome treats,\u201d Ms. Acker said.<\/p>\n

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