TAMPA, Fla. – Geezer, a four-and-half-year-old American foxhound, has regular appointments at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Tampa, but not because something is wrong with him. Instead, Geezer is a regular donor at the Blue Pearl Blood Bank.
Blood is in high demand at Blue Pearl Animal Hospitals because a lot of its patients suffer blood loss in car crashes or have a disease that causes them to not produce enough blood.
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“Each unit donated can save up to three lives,” explained blood bank coordinator Lalania Hill. “We process them into components, just like human hospitals do. We separate the plasma and then make packed red blood cell units as well.”
Geezer is a regular blood donation at Blue Pearl.
There is constantly a need for donors, so awareness is key.
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“I think people are very aware about blood drives and human medicine,” shared Lenore Bacek vice president of clinical affairs. “Not everyone realizes that dogs and cats need blood products, too. So, a lot of it is just raising awareness, showing people that it’s not a scary process.”
Geezer is slightly sedated when he donates because he gets his nails trimmed at the same time and he doesn’t like it.
Geezer is slightly sedated when he donates blood because he gets his nails clipped at the same time, and he doesn’t like it. However, Blue Pearl said most dogs would not need to be put under to give blood.
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Dogs aren’t the only pets donating blood. There is an even greater need for cat blood donors.
Geezer’s blood donation can help save three lives.
“I think people don’t always bring their cats in because it’s a little bit more of a process,” Bacek stated. “They do typically need sedation.”
Dog donors need to be healthy and more than 50 pounds. Cats need to be more than 10 pounds. Both need to be between one and eight years old.
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