Hi All - looking for some info!

My vet clinic is starting a dog blood donor program and is currently accepting applications for dogs. I went in to grab applications, as I have two Shepherds who are extremely healthy, fit all of the requirements (except apparently the one this post is about ) and have perfect temperaments for this type of thing.

I was all excited then I was told that my dogs could not be donors because they are not spayed/neutered. What? I was told that there were issues with transfusing blood from an unspeutered dog to a speutered dog...again...what? If so, are there issues visa versa? Because if so, should they not be taking blood from both then, as not every dog who goes in for an emergency is speutered?

Anyways, right now, if a dog here needs a transfusion they need to bring blood up on one of the daily flights to the tune of $400/transfusion, and if your dog needs blood on a weekend, it will not get it, so your dog may not make it. I think the program is a great idea and will reduce cost and increase access, and I would like to be a part of that!

Also, I checked OVC and other blood donor programs, no one else requires dogs to be speutered.

Anyone have any advice/info?

That is interesting my local dog blood clinic will not take raw fed dog but is ok with S/N.

The donor application for OVC, also asks if the dog is fed any raw meat...hmmmmmm...

 Quote: Niomi Smith

... I was all excited then I was told that my dogs could not be donors because they are not spayed/neutered. What? I was told that there were issues with transfusing blood from an unspeutered dog to a speutered dog...again...what?

I don't understand the answer you were given. I thought the point was that a blood-donor dog can't be bred (or ever been bred).

Why can't a blood donor dog be bred?

I heard of them requiring rabies shots but neutering? No raw diet? WTF?

 Quote: Jamie Craig

Why can't a blood donor dog be bred?

I am not really up on this.

I know that has long been believed and is still controversial (so the conservative stance is usually adopted) about whether pregnancy can cause a bitch to develop alloantibodies. There was some research I saw a couple of years ago that concluded that dogs with histories of pregnancies can safely be blood donors. I don't remember where I read it; I remember it was kind of a small study.

If someone bumps this, I can find the material tomorrow.

What about the males?

Bump....

Also, I called and left a message asking for more details and have yet to receive an answer.

The material would be awesome Connie, I would like to be able to show as much as I can when I go back to get my answer.

Also, neither of my Shepherds have been bred (M and F), and I have no plans to do so at this point (Possibly in 2 years, but that is 2 years I can be donating to the program).

And if I go back with everything I can find, and they still won't let my dogs donate, then at least I can get a straight, honest, answer and be done with it.

Interesting topic....

Because I know nothing about dogs donating blood (other than they do...) but know quite a bit about humans doing it (my sister and I both have AB- blood, they call us all the time and we donate four times a year for plasma), do dogs have different "types" and if so, do they need donors of different "types" to deliver for different dogs? Having a large and very healthy dog, perhaps this is something we should look into...

Hmmmm.... I may go do some research now....