Blood Donor Dogs (anybody had their dog give blood?)

For New Jersey's Finest Dogs, Good Deeds and Lots of Praise
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/nyregion/19ink.html

The bloodmobile was in town. The donors lined up, their tails wagging a bit
anxiously.

The emergency blood drive yesterday, in West Trenton, N.J., was the first
canine blood drive held at the New Jersey State Police headquarters. Nine
bomb-sniffing, narcotics-detecting dogs from around the state gave blood,
their trainers holding their heads for the few minutes it took to extract a
pint.

Dog donors have to be free of ticks and fleas, can't be in heat, must weigh at
least 50 pounds and be 1 to 7 years old.

Like humans, dogs need blood in cases of hemophilia and chronic kidney
failure, and, rarely, open-heart surgery. Unlike humans, dogs don't have a
universal donor blood type, and there are more than a dozen dog blood types,
said Donna Oakley, director of the University of Pennsylvania's canine blood
bank, which held the drive.

And canine blood drives are big in the sweet-talk department. Every dog is
praised, said Sgt. Stephen Jones of the State Police. "Big boy, this will be
over before you know it. Good boy!"

Now isn't that wonderful? This is sure something none of us ever thought about!!

A vet I use to have years ago had a "office cat" that was used for a donor whenever another needed blood and the cat didn't seem to mind a bit. He would just come when called, sit on the table to be stuck and sit there and wait while the blood was drawn. Best cat I ever saw!