Dog donates blood to save another pet’s life
Labrador comes to the rescue of Finnish Spitz who was on the verge of death
DUBAI A four-month-old male Finnish Spitz, which was hours away from death, got a new lease of life after a local vet performed an emergency blood transfusion from her own pet Labrador.
Knut was battling tick-borne infectious disease Ehrlichia in which parasites attack a cannine’s immune system and its blood cells. If left untreated, Ehrlichia can be fatal
The pet dog’s condition was deteriorating fast when he was taken to the British Veterinary Hospital in Dubai.
The hospital’s director Dr. Sara Elliot recognised the symptoms immediately and got her eight-year-old Labrador (Pippin) to donate blood.
Routine test
Dr. Elliott said a routine test was done to match the blood type. “It was not a perfect match, but dogs can get away with one transfusion in their lifetime without hundred per cent compatibility. It is not the same with cats, as they have an immediate reaction if the blood type is not compatible. In any case, time was running away and we had little choice. Knut was losing red blood cells rapidly and was almost on the verge of death. Thakfully, the procedure was a success and we were able to save Knut’s life.”
Interestingly, this is the second time when her labrador has donated blood to save the life of another cannine.
“Pippin has donated blood in the past too. But I don’t think he will be able to do it again as he is growing old,” said Elliot, who also has a cat that has donated blood four times.
“There is no established blood bank for animals in the UAE so we have to often get our own pets to donate bood,” said Elliot.
She also urged petowners to remain vigilant about tick-borne diseases which flare up during this time of the year. “Look out for your dog excessively scratching or licking a particular area and do thorough body checks. Ticks are are visible to the naked eye but are drawn to dark areas such as the ears, between the toes and groin. You can remove ticks with tweezers, gripping it by the head and pulling it straight out avoiding twisting it, she advised.
