Superhero Therapy Dog Provides Emergency Blood Donation to Save a Young Life

It’s a dog-help-puppy world out there, thanks to canines like Olivia.

The pooch is no stranger to saving lives. She’s a registered therapy dog at DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital in Portland, Oregon, so she spends her days providing critical care and comfort to humans and pets.

Olivia took her work a step further, going beyond emotional support to help a 5-month-old puppy in need earlier this year. The puppy, Jaxon, arrived at DoveLewis with a life-threatening case of rodenticide poisoning. He was lethargic with signs of uncontrolled, abnormal bleeding, leading to a diagnosis of coagulopathy, a condition that prevents proper blood clotting and can be caused by rodenticide poisoning.

Jaxon was losing blood fast, and his condition became more critical with each passing moment. Before providing treatment, DoveLewis needed to give the pup an emergency blood transfusion. Luckily, Olivia was willing to take on the task and was the same blood type as Jaxon.

The therapy dog bravely and calmly sat through an emergency blood draw so Jaxon had the best chance at survival possible. When her donation was complete, veterinarians rushed the blood to Jaxon.

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According to DoveLewis, Olivia’s donation was key to saving the pup’s young life. After Jaxon received the transfusion, his vitals started to normalize, his anemia diminished, and he began to regain the strength he needed to complete his treatment.

“The need for blood products to help sick and injured dogs and cats is very real. Healthy dogs like Olivia regularly donate so that patients at DoveLewis can recover and return to their families happy and healthy,” Olivia’s owner, Grace Epstein, said about the pup, who routinely donates to the DoveLewis Blood Bank.

Olivia’s donation to Jaxon was her sixteenth time providing blood to a pet in need. DoveLewis staffers consider Olivia a superhero and hope her kindness inspires other pets and their owners to consider blood donation.

“Every blood donation is vital, but in emergencies like Jaxon’s, it’s the difference between life and death,” said DoveLewis’ blood bank director, Kelsey Reinauer. “Thanks to Olivia, we were able to save Jaxon’s life, and she serves as a perfect reminder of how important blood donations are to critically ill pets.”

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