Help your dog give something back

Your dog can be a hero to other dogs, and she won't even have to miss dinner. The UC Davis Veterinary Blood Bank needs dog blood donors to help dogs suffering from everything from surgical complications to kidney failure.

The Blood Bank screens dogs carefully. They hope to screen 1200 dogs each year in order to establish a donor bank of 200 to 400 dogs.  Dog donors would be asked to come in 4 or 5 times a year. There is no sedation involved, just like with human donors.

Donors should be between one and eight years old, weigh at least 55 pounds, be up to date on flea, tick and heartworm meds, and never have been pregnant or have had puppies.  The screening visit and all subsequent donation visits will last about half an hour.

If you're interested in helping out, call the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at (530) 752-1393 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or email caninebloodbank (at) gmail (dot) com.

Incidentally, there's still a shortage of human blood in the Bay Area. Visit the Blood Centers of the Pacific website for details on how you can give blood. After all, you don't want your dog to look braver than you are.

Image is from here.