Twitter
Advertisement

Doggy blood donation camp at Parel hospital gets just 6 takers

The city failed to showed its compassionate side on Wednesday even as vets grapple with an acute shortage of canine blood

Latest News
article-main
Above: Lucky is almost done with blood donation at the Parel hospital on Wednesday Below (L to R): Snowee, Chloe and Cooper wait for their turn
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

If you are an animal lover and have a healthy pet dog at home, the canine community desperately needs your help.

Mumbai, which sees a spate of animal cruelty cases, hit-and-runs, and viral outbreaks daily, is facing an acute shortage of blood for dogs. Hoping to overcome this shortage, the Bombay Veterinary College and Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital at Parel had organised a blood donation camp for dogs on Wednesday. However, the city failed to showed its compassionate side, with just seven dog owners registering for donation, and only six turning up.

Like humans, dogs also require blood transfusion during treatment for diseases like anaemia, renal failure, blood clotting disorder and major injuries. The Parel animal hospital is the only one in the state which has a dedicated blood bank for dogs. It has a machine that separates fresh frozen plasma and pack cells from whole blood. These components are provided on the basis of the type of treatment.

According to the hospital's vets, they need at least 200 units (bottles) of blood every year for the treatment of dogs, but only 15-20 dogs get blood transfusion, that too after their owners themselves scout for a donor. Every year, around 70, 000 animals visit this hospital for treatment.

Four-year-old Snowee, a Dalmatian, and owner Sandip Chitnis, a resident of Vile Parle, were one of the first to turn up for the blood donation camp and patiently sat through the waiting period. "I didn't know that such camps exist and that dogs also need blood for treatment. I am happy to participate. Most people don't know that there is an acute shortage of blood," said Chitnis. Lata Birwadkar, a resident of Naigaon, and her Dalmatian, 2-year-old Lucky, are loyal donors. "I came last year too. All dog lovers should come forward for this cause."

"There is a serious need to create awareness among people, especially dog lovers, about this. Donating blood a least once a year poses no harm to your dog. We take blood from dogs only after it is deemed fit after a screening," said Dr R V Gaikwad, professor, medicine department, Bombay Veterinary College.

"Like humans, dogs have blood groups too. We cross-match before transfusion. There are situations when we have blood but no match. Then we give a supplementary injection, a hormone shot as part medication."

"A few tests are done on the spot to ensure that your dog is healthy. One the tests are declared normal, the dog can donate blood," said Nikita Mehta, fourth year student of the college.

What you need to know

Dog also have blood groups. They are: DEA 1, DEA 1.1. DEA 1.2, DEA 1.3, while DEA 7 is a universal donor

To donate blood, a dog should be healthy, more than a year old, and weigh between 20 to 25 kg or more

After registering the dog, the owner needs to take it to the hospital's OPD, where doctors conducted a basic blood investigation test including complete blood count, haemoglobin, and check for infections.
The dog also undergoes an ECG test

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement