Aiding dogs with urgent needs is the driving force behind a recently inaugurated blood bank program.
Launched by veterinary emergency company, Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG), the VEG Blood Bank program accepts dog donors at their local hospitals in the DC and Boston areas. The program aims to aid in one of the most urgent needs in the veterinary community–the lack of available canine blood.
“Like the human world, when ER cases are critical, they can require blood donations and unfortunately, canine blood supplies are low and always in need,” says Jessie Brown, blood bank director at VEG. “Pets need life-saving blood transfusions, just like people do, but there are not a lot of commercial veterinary blood banks to meet the ever-growing demand for these lifesaving blood products.”
Pet parents in the local community who are interested to see if their dog is eligible to donate will need to visit VEG hospitals that have blood banks or reach out to bloodbank@veg.vet. The screening process to become a donor requires dogs to sit still for approximately 5-10 minutes while blood is drawn. The entire blood donation process for eligible dogs will take an estimated 45 minutes. All dog donors will receive a complete blood screening and a full exam by a licensed veterinarian—free of charge.
VEG Blood Bank donations will be used to treat injuries/traumas, surgeries, diseases/disorders (anemia), blood cell damage, internal bleeding, and immune-mediated diseases. The VEG Blood Bank program, currently available in the DC and Boston areas, will roll out nationally with Philadelphia and Tampa being the next two cities.