June 6, 2006

Members
FOR Greyhounds

For approximately 10 years, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University supplied blood products to our critically ill patients via a foster program using student-owned greyhounds. We phased out this program out in 2000 when the majority of our foster parents graduated from veterinary school.

Dogs like humans have several blood types. Fortunately, many of our patients have the A positive blood type and so can receive blood from other A positive dogs. Our A positive blood supply is donated by dogs owned by our faculty and staff. The A negative blood type occurs in approximately 20% of the general dog population and in approximately 60% of the greyhound population. Greyhounds in general have a greater percentage of red blood cells per unit of blood and have a great personality. For these reasons, greyhounds are the optimal breed to supply A negative blood.

While A negative blood can be purchased from commercial blood banks, the cost is prohibitive for many of our clients. Thus, we now have a small, community based, non-profit, A negative blood donor program using client-owned greyhounds so that costs can be kept to a minimum. Blood collected is only used for client-owned animals at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and is not sold or used for research.

If your dog is brought to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for blood typing, you will receive 30-40 lbs. of dog food depending on the brand of food. If your dog’s blood type is A negative and enters our program, you will receive 30-40 lbs. of dog food each time it donates (maximum of every 8 weeks) and annual blood work and testing for infectious disease. Attached is a description of the program. If you think that your dog would like to participate in this program please contact Kris Obssuth at (970) 221-4535.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Lappin, DVM, PhD
Professor

Maura Green, Kris Obssuth, JoAnn Harper and Amber Caress
Nurses for Small Animal Medicine and The Blood Donor Program

Friends of Retired Greyhounds-Colorado State University
A Negative Blood Donor Program

I. Entry Criteria

A. Age range. 1-10 years Weight minimum. 57 pounds
B. The dog should have no significant previous medical problems including blood parasites, kidney disease, heart disease, and liver disease.
C. The dog must be in good flesh.
D. The dog must be an A-negative universal donor (to be determined on initial visit).
E. The dog must be well socialized.

II. Benefits for the Donor Family

A. Complete blood typing
B. Annual health screening

1. Physical examination
2. Heartworm antigen serology
3. Ehrlichia canis serology
4. Babesia canis serology
5. Complete blood cell count
6. Serum biochemical panel

C. Heartworm preventative
D. Vaccinations if requested
E. 1 large bag of dog food (30-40 lbs.) at each donation

III. Owner commitments

A. A verbal commitment to remain in the program for at least 2 years unless significant medical or behavioral problems develop.
B. A verbal commitment to return to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH). approximately every 2 months to donate.
C. Donation options

1. Drop off the dog at the VTH on a workday morning and return in the evening.
2. Remain with the dog during collection at a scheduled time.

IV. Blood Donor Program Facts

A. The VTH has maintained a greyhound blood donor program for over 10 years.
B. The Humane Society News rated our program as exemplary.
C. Blood products are administered only to CSU client-owned animals.
D. Blood products are not used for research projects.
E. Since only socialized dogs are admitted to the program, sedatives are usually not required.
F. Owners may be present during the donation or can leave the dog temporarily.
G. Total blood collection time is approximately 20 minutes.
H. Dogs are clinically normal after donating.