Did You Know...

That dogs can be blood donors?

I had absolutely no idea. Zero. But my folks' vet recently had a blood drive (take a look at pictures of the donors-- so adorable!) and my mom sent me the e-mail notice about it.

As big as a proponent I am of blood and organ donation, I'm pretty embarrassed to admit I'd never once given a thought about where dogs get blood when they need it. Thank goodness someone thought about it!

The only catch is that weight and age requirements vary by collecting organization, veering toward the larger side. At my parents', dogs had to be big-- I think over 50lbs. But according to BellaOnline's article on dog blood donation, it mentions that one accepts dogs at 35-- probably the super high end of puggles, but feasible. Maybe as technology improves and the practice becomes more common, they'll be able to reduce the weight.

If you know some big guys, BellaOnline has a listing of donor programs around the US, Canada, and the UK, as well as additional resources for information. Wouldn't it be great to be able to help out fellow dogs like that?