Vets' blood bank seeks cat, dog donors

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Human blood donation saves lives, and now there is a program doing the same thing for pets in New Mexico.

And there is a need for more donor animals.

Recently there was a very special meeting between saved and savior. A dog named Joseph is alive because of Pete and dogs like him who have donated blood at the Veterinary Emergency Specialty Center.

"He laid down and didn't want to breathe," Wendell Gunthorpe, Joseph's owner, told KRQE News 13. "We though he was dying."

A week ago Gunthorpe rushed Joseph to the veterinary emergency clinic. It turned out Joseph had heartworms and needed a life-saving blood transfusion.

"It's fantastic," Gunthorpe said. "I know we would have lost Joseph had it not been for that."

The banking of pet blood is simply a response to need.

"We see a lot of cases that need transfusions unfortunately," Pilar Westell of the emergency center said. "So that's why we started the program."

Pete is one of 20 volunteer dogs and four cats now donating blood. For dogs to donate, they must be between 2 and 6 years old and weigh at least 50 pounds while cats must be ten pounds.

Animals are given a mild sedative before donating every six to eight weeks, and they must have the right attitude.

"We really like dogs to be super-friendly, very outgoing not nervous or skittish," Westell said. "Cats we like sort of mellow, not very fractious or temperamental cats.

"And they need to be indoor-only if they're going to be donors for cats."

Pete is the perfect donor for the program that is community-based and all-volunteer.

"It's just one more step to better care for the pets," Pete's owner Jessica Benavidez said. "The owners are so excited and grateful to all of us when they get to take their pet home. It's very rewarding."

The donors get their rewards as well with free blood work, annual exams and dog and cat goodies.

More donors are needed, and the center is trying to expand to Santa Fe. For more information call 884-3433 or visit the Veterinary Emergency Specialty Center Web site.