Calling all bloodhounds: These P.E.I. blood donors have four legs and a tail

Mahone, a two-year-old, black, fluffy Newfoundland dog from Prince Edward Island, doesn't know that he and other canine blood donors have saved the lives of fellow pooches that have needed surgery, or have been poisoned. Mahone just does it for the treats.

During separate appointments every three months, Mahone and 20 other dogs visit the clinic at the University of Prince Edward Island's Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. They are lifted onto a table and laid on their side, before a veterinarian inserts a needle into their jugular vein, collecting about 450 millilitres of blood. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.

"A lot of our donors remember that there's a handful of cookies in the end, if they just lay still on the table for a few minutes. And I think that's what gets a lot of them through their donation," Andrea Jack, co-ordinator of the dog blood donor program at the college, said in a recent interview.

Mahone is very calm while donating blood, Jack said.

Christy Fraser, Mahone's owner, said she's surprised to hear how well he does at the clinic "because he's such a goof at home."

During an interview last week on the Zoom platform, Mahone was at home in Prince Edward Island, dressed in his elf outfit, busy eating a mixture of peanut butter and Timbits out of his Kong -- a hollow chew toy -- that Fraser held in her hand.

"He is a playful, goofy, goofy boy who loves his peanut butter," Fraser said.

As if on cue, Mahone, who turns three in January, pawed Fraser's arm, pulling it closer so he could eat the peanut butter mix out of the blue-coloured Kong.

Fraser, who has three other dogs, said she is happy Mahone is able to help animals in need. The other three animals don't qualify for donations because of their weight and age.

The first canine blood transfusion took place in Britain in 1665 when Richard Lower performed the procedure between two dogs, says a 2015 essay in the magazine "JSTOR Daily." And the first animal blood bank opened in the United States in 1988.

Jack said each unit of donated blood is well used. The blood is separated into red blood cells and plasma, which can be given to separate animals. In cases where whole blood is needed, she said, the two can be combined again. The blood is used during dog surgeries, poisonings, accidents, immune-related incidents or other health complications.

Most of the dogs that donate blood retire around seven or eight years old when they enter their geriatric years, Jack said.

But not all dogs are eligible, she noted. The donors should be healthy, even-tempered, weigh over 22 kilograms, range between one and five years old, and be up-to-date on preventive care.

"Female dog donors are allowed only if they've never had a litter of puppies because during the birthing process they could be exposed to foreign blood type, which makes them being a donor a little more complicated," she said.

For their donation, she said, the dogs get a comprehensive health-care package, including annual wellness exams, vaccinations, parasite prevention and blood work, at no cost.

Fraser said Mahone has no idea how much he's helping others. "He thinks he's winning because he gets treats and goodies out of it," she said with a laugh.

The clinic also has four cats that are blood donors. Unlike dogs, who are calm and allow blood to be taken without a fuss, cats have to be sedated before a donation, Jack said.

"Taking blood from cats is an entirely different animal than taking blood from dogs," she said. "We sedate the cats to take their opinions out of it. But they're usually not even very happy to be sedated."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024.

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