Labrador undergoes blood transfusion in Kerala

In a rare case of canine camaraderie, a two-and-a-half-year-old Labrador Retriever successfully underwent blood transfusion, receiving blood from a female German Shepherd at a hospital here.

Rooney, the Labrador, diagnosed to be suffering from 'Canine Ehrlichiosis', a disease resulting in loss of blood through urine, was admitted to the District Veterinary hospital recently. Doctors asked Rooney's owner to arrange for a 'donor' to save his life as he was unlikely to survive for long, hospital sources said.

Fortunately, Rooney's owner came across a friend who owned the one-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd Rex whose blood also matched for transfusion.

Dr PT Dinesh, who led a team of doctors, conducted the blood transfusion on Friday, after sedating the animals.

The process was completed in less than an hour and Rooney looked better, the sources added.

A similar blood transfusion for dogs was conducted at the same hospital three years ago.