The canine blood donor program has been in place at WSU since 1988 and has saved or prolonged hundreds of dogs’ lives.
Photos by Ben Herndon
Jacob, a Pullman-area greyhound, waits in the lobby of the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital with his owner Bonnie Campbell for his appointment to donate blood. The canine blood donor program has been in place at WSU since 1988.
Third-year veterinary student Mashawn Orth shaves the hair from Jacob’s neck. In order to give blood, a dog must weigh at least 60 pounds and be between one and six years old.
Tapping into Jacob’s jugular vein, the vet students are able to quickly and efficiently draw the blood
The pump only takes a few minutes to draw the blood. Jillian Haines (center), who has worked with Jacob before, warns the other students that the dog will try to jump up when he hears the pump beep because he knows that means the draw is complete.
Haines comforts Jacob at the end of the procedure.
After receiving a fresh bandage and a few treats, Jacob is taken back to his owner.
While Jacob’s job is done, the students still need to weigh, assess, and process the blood before it can be given to a patient. Because of Jacob’s size, they were able to draw about 450 milliliters.
The blood is placed into a centrifuge where the plasma and platelets are separated out.
Jane Wardrop, a professor in the veterinary school and head of the blood donor program, examines the students’ work.
While Jacob’s blood is being processed, Murray, a six-year-old yellow lab suffering from lymphoma, comes in for a transfusion.
Margaret Carmody, a veterinary specialist, prepares the blood for transfer.
The blood hangs above Murray’s cage.
Murray’s owner Kelly Hightower sits with him in the cage during the half-hour procedure. Dogs can need transfusions for many reasons: anemia, blood loss after an accident, surgery, liver disease, or bleeding due to the ingestion of poison. Transfusions like this one have prolonged or saved hundreds of animal lives.
