Critically ill veterinary patients with cancer, anemia, underlying clotting issues, or trauma (such as internal bleeding from a motor vehicle accident) often need blood or plasma transfusions. Blood products can be a life-saving treatment, and are currently provided to FTAH patients by animals belonging to our veterinarians, staff and volunteer client owned animals. We are currently looking for volunteer dogs to donate blood to FTAH patients. Please see the requirements below to find out if your pet can become a life-saving HERO!
If your pet meets the requirements to become a blood donor, initial blood screening tests will be performed, along with a preliminary physical examination. All of the blood results will be available for your own record. To qualify for this complimentary screening, you must commit your pet to blood donation four to six times per year.
We would love to have you as part of our life-saving team! If you are interested in having your pet donate blood, please contact info@ftahvet.com.
Not only are you and your pet saving another pet’s life, but you will also receive other benefits:
Blood donation takes about 15-30 minutes, and we often have owners drop off their pet for a few hours while they are donating. For dogs, sedation is rarely (but sometimes) necessary. We lie your dog down on his or her side on comfortable blankets and we clip an area of hair over their jugular vein. After preparing the area with a sterile scrub, blood is collected through a needle into a sterile collection set (just like when you donate blood). Afterwards, your dog is given IV fluids through a separate catheter to replace the one pint of blood that was removed (approximately 450 mls or 16 oz of blood). The catheter is then removed and your pet is given lots of love and attention, along with a toy or treat to go home with.