Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (MS)

Udupi, Jun 10: Cats, cows, sheep and dogs can register themselves for donating blood and save the lives of other animals who are in need of blood transfusion.

Apart from pets, if someone is rearing street dogs, cats or cows, such animals can be named and they can be registered in the donors’ pet list of veterinary doctors or pet clinics.

Most of the time the vets face a difficult situation to search for blood donors for animals that are critically ill. So this system is very useful for saving the life of dumb creatures.

Many people are unaware that the blood of domestic animals can be donated to other animals. Shree Pet clinic run by Dr Deepak at Vijayanagara in Mysuru is getting animals registered at various parts of the state. If animals are registered, then it is possible for vets to contact the owners of domestic animals for the same blood group in order to save the life of the animal that needs blood urgently.

Weight of the dog should be more than 25 kg and also it needs to be vaccinated periodically in order to donate blood. In the case of cats, the weight should be more than 4.55 kg. One to ten percent blood can be donated by animals depending on their weight.

There are 13 blood groups for dogs, while cows have 11, cats three, horses eight, goats five and sheep seven. The only issue is that the blood of animals cannot be stored like human beings and even matching is difficult. By giving them names and registering them at the blood bank, it will be helpful, according to Dr Deepak of Shree Pet Clinic, Mysuru.