Seattle has its own blood bank for dogs called the Acces Blood Bank, short for Animal Critical Care and emergency Services. And guess what? As with human blood banks, the Seattle dog blood bank relies on volunteer blood donors to fill its coffers. So how does a dog blood bank work anyway? And can it be there for your dog in an emergency?
Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services specialize in giving the Seattle dog community state-of-the-art medical care in health emergencies. And last year, the blood bank provided over 300 blood transfusions to save sick dogs from illness or death.
How Is a Dog Blood Donor Chosen?
When a potential blood donor comes into the Seattle blood bank, he is given a quick blood test to determine if he is a good candidate for becoming a dog blood donor. If the answer is yes, a 30 minute appointment is set up for the dog to come back and donate blood.
So What’s in it for My Dog?
Of course, the most important fact about the Seattle blood bank is that it is there for health emergencies, trauma and serious illness in dogs, much as human blood banks are for humans. Many dogs owe their lives to the Seattle dog blood bank, and by becoming a blood donor, your dog can be a part of that. Beyond that, a dog blood donor is given treats, hugs and praise and a free toy to take home with him.
Can Being a Blood Donor Hurt My Dog?
Only healthy dogs, who are under 5 years old (and older than 1 year old) are welcome to become blood donors. This ensures that the dog will be able to handle the minor loss of blood. Only 450mls of blood (which is about 2 cups) are drawn, and only medium to large breeds are consequently permitted to donate. The donation is quick and numbing around the area ensures that it does not hurt. There might be a little bruising, as happens to humans who donate blood, but these are typically minor and cause hardly any pain.
Yes. In fact, because screening for blood donors is costly, the Seattle dog blood bank asks that dogs be committed to donating blood 12 times. This is spread out over 3 years, with one appointment every 4 months.
Basically a dog that’s well-behaved and can sit quietly for ten minutes is a perfect candidate for donating blood. The dog will be stretched comfortably on a table as blood is drawn, with loving assistants watching over him and telling him how brave he is. Ten minutes later, it will all be over.
Where is Acces Located?The Seattle blood bank for dogs is located at 11536 Lake City Way NE, Seattle WA 98125, and can be reached by telephone: (206) 364-1660, or by email at: [email protected].
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