PIMMIT HILLS, VA — To help meet an urgent need for canine blood donations, dog owners can now have their pets safely donate blood at a Falls Church area veterinary hospital.
Veterinary Emergency Group, a pet ER located at 7500 Leesburg Pike Suite 11 in Falls Church, announced the launch of its blood bank program. Dog donors are now being sought at the Falls Church location ahead of the program rolling out nationally.
The veterinary hospital noted canine blood donations are one of the most urgent needs among veterinarians. Blood donations may be used to treat injuries, trauma, diseases such as anemia, blood cell damage, internal bleeding and immune-mediated diseases as well as for surgeries.
Jessie Brown, blood bank director at Veterinary Emergency Group, told Patch that there are a limited amount of commercial veterinary blood banks to supply clinics around the U.S. Red blood cell donations expire every 28 to 35 days, so veterinary hospitals often have to replenish supplies.
“VEG blood bank helps with this supply issue for the Falls Church area,” said Brown. “At VEG we are committed to helping people and their pets when they need it the most, and our heroes help us accomplish this by ensuring we have blood products when we need them! We are also open to sharing blood products to local veterinary clinics so no patients go without the life saving products.”
Brown says it is safe and not painful for dogs to donate blood. The only requirement is that dogs have to sit or lay still for 10 to 15 minutes during the process. Some even fall asleep during the blood donation, according to Brown.
If a dog shows signs of being uncomfortable during a blood donation, the process stops immediately.
“We strive to make the donation process as positive and enjoyable for our heroes as possible by providing a comfortable donation experience filled with love, celebration and delicious treats,” said Brown. “Our [heroes] help us save pets all over the nation so we make sure to celebrate at every donation.”
Before blood donations, dogs receive a full physical exam from a Veterinary Emergency Group doctor and blood count screening at no cost to the pet owner. Dog blood donors typically donate blood once every other month, and the donation information is shared with the pet’s veterinarian.
Interested dog owners can contact [email protected] for more information.