If you’ve ever had a dog then I can guarantee you that when he or she is sick, you’re in hardcore panic mode! While we do have good veterinary hospitals here in India, during more serious incidents that require blood transfusions and such, it may get incredibly difficult because only specialised hospitals store canine blood. There have also been incidents when injured dogs have succumbed to their injuries due to the unavailability of blood.
But not anymore, if you’re in the country of Taiwan.
There’s good news for dog owners of Taiwan where its first veterinary blood bank has finally been opened up.
An initiative of the Pingtung University of Technology and Science’s animal hospital, Taiwan’s first veterinary blood bank aims to save the lives of dogs, who usually have to rely on ad-hoc blood donations during serious injury. Below is the picture of Han-han, a five year old Labrador, who regularly donates blood to save the lives of his fellow dogs.
To be an eligible donor, a dog has to be between 1-8 years old and weigh at least 20 Kgs. They’re allowed to donate 250 ml of blood every three months as reported by Reuters.
Another important reason that played a part in starting up the canine blood bank is the research into chronic diseases that affect dogs. Doctors and scientists will use the collected blood to study and try to treat these chronic conditions. All dogs who donate blood are required to undergo a thorough health-check before each donation.
The hospital also aims to extend its services to cats and other pets in the future.
