Minister urges dog owners to support Canine Blood Bank
Press release
12 November 2007
Dog owners can help save the lives of 1,000 dogs each year by offering their pets as canine blood donors, Deputy Premier and Minister for Racing Rob Hull said today, Sunday 11 November.
Mr Hulls called on Victorian dog owners to support the University’s Canine Blood Bank by donating their time and their pets’ blood in a painless procedure that can help hundreds of inured or ill dogs.
"The doggy blood bank is the only registered supplier of canine blood cells in Australia and more than 1,000 dogs each year benefit from transfusions using donated blood," Mr Hulls said.
"Most people wouldn't realise that the blood bank plays an important role in the greyhound racing industry by helping ill racing dogs, and also helps treat many injured household pets."
The Canine Blood Bank, based in Werribee, supplies blood and plasma products to the University's Veterinary Clinic and Hospital and to veterinarians throughout Australia.
The facility has two groups of blood donors - 50 greyhounds that live at the clinic and about 150 privately owned pets.
The donated blood and plasma helps save the lives of dogs which have a wide variety of medical problems, including trauma, auto-immune destruction of red blood cells and inherited disorders of blood clotting. Some have suffered poisoning by rat baits. The products are also used in orthopaedic surgery.
Mr Hulls said Greyhound Racing Victoria was a strong supporter of the Canine Blood Bank because of the clinic's valuable work with the industry.
"The Canine Blood Bank couldn't operate so successfully without the support of the community," he said. "At a time when blood stocks are running so low, generous owners and their donor dogs are greatly appreciated."
Associate Professor Bruce Parry, head of the Faculty of Veterinary Science and supervisor of the Canine Blood Bank said donating blood was a simple process and not stressful for most dogs.
“The resident greyhounds donate blood once a month and every successful blood donation yields two products – packed red blood cells and frozen plasma,” he said.
“Any healthy dog over 26kg and aged between one and six can be a donor.”
Pet owners interested in supporting the blood bank can call (03) 9731 2328 for details of the veterinary clinics across Melbourne that collect canine blood donations.
For further information please contact the Marketing Manager, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Tel: 8344 7844 or email: vet-communications@unimelb.edu.au