CAT’s mission is to work with our community to save the lives of homeless, sick and injured cats and kittens by offering shelter, adoption, foster, hospice, and veterinary services to end needless feline euthanasia in our community.
Is your dog a LifeSaver?
by CAT’s friends and supporters at NWVS
Shortages are everywhere these days, whether it is a shortage of water in dry areas or an impending global shortage of oil for fuel. Veterinarians understand the concern for “running out” as we have been dealing with a severe shortage of an even more precious liquid since the profession began. The liquid? Blood. Often the red stuff comes out of our patients faster than we can find more to put back in. In the past, we at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists have been able to meet the need for blood by shipping it in from regional and national blood banks. However, as more and more injured and ill pets have come into our hospital—and often at 2 a.m. on a Sunday—a better solution was required. That solution was the creation in 2007 of an on-site community volunteer blood bank—NWVS Critical Care Blood Bank.
Over the past four years, we have enrolled over 150 dogs and 70 cats in our blood bank; their donations have allowed us to produce over 2,500 blood components to help the critically ill and injured dogs and cats of Portland. However, finding good candidates for canine and feline blood donation is a challenging process: only one in 15 dogs is a “universal donor” blood type and cats must be indoor-only pets. If young, healthy, large dogs and cats meet those criteria, the blood bank can continue to the next step in the blood donor screening process: submitting blood samples to the lab for testing, taking detailed medical histories, and completing thorough “nose to toes” physical exams. As you can see, ensuring adequate supplies of the safest possible cat and dog blood is complex! Interacting with these dedicated “lifesavers” and their parents has been extremely gratifying; we have been further rewarded when the readers of Spot Magazine bestowed on us their “Top Dog” award for “Best Veterinary Medical Specialty” for 2008 and 2009.
Our adventure took an exotic twist in 2008 with the arrival of the first elephant birth in Portland since 1994. As the Oregon Zoo veterinary staff and elephant keepers worked to be prepared for every possible birthing scenario, one of the essential items on their list was elephant plasma. Plasma is critical for zoo veterinarians to have on hand in the event a baby elephant doesn’t get enough milk (and the antibodies it contains from the mother) soon after birth. VCA NWVS blood bank staff drew blood from dad—Tusko—and processed it into plasma. Although they had hoped for an uneventful birth, the Oregon Zoo was well prepared when it became apparent that the newborn elephant had undergone trauma in the birthing process. Approximately three liters of plasma were administered to the calf in the first day of his life; and he responded, slowly but steadily, to all the intensive care efforts. We are thrilled to have played a small role in the arrival of Rose-Tu and Tusko’s baby, Samudra!
At VCA NWVS, we know there are more adventures ahead as we try to make sure blood is available for the Portland dogs and cats that are injured, need surgery, or have a life-threatening illness. We are always on the lookout for a “few good dogs” to join the ranks of our blood donors. As for cats, we keep our blood bank stocked by donations from the large number of veterinary staff who have generously enrolled their felines. Whether it is for a dog that was hit by a car, a cat with cancer—or a baby elephant needing help getting started in the world—a blood transfusion is the gift of life to these animals. In this time of shortages, you can not only conserve water and drive cars less, but you can also help the shortage of canine blood by passing the word to someone who has a big, healthy, happy dog. We would greatly appreciate your steering them our way either via clinic phone or website.
14175 SW Galbreath Drive.Sherwood, OR 97140.(503) 925-8903..(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
