30 September 2010
ON WORLD ANIMAL DAY
Zeus Communications is pleased to announce, on the occasion of World Animal Day 2010, the launch of Singapore’s first canine blood donor database, maintained by Zeus Communications in collaboration with Mount Pleasant Animal Medical Centre. It is also organizing the first drive for canine blood donation towards this new databank.
Dogs, like humans, may need blood for a wide variety of reasons, whether as a result of traumatic injuries from accidents, bone marrow problems, surgical blood loss or tick fever. While blood transfusions are most commonly used to staunch blood loss, it is also used for the treatment of canine illnesses.
Lynda Goh of Zeus Communications explains that “too often, owners are faced with the situation of not being able to locate a suitable donor candidate when their dog requires a blood transfusion urgently. Currently, appeals for canine blood are circulated by email or posted on social networking platforms, and it may take days to locate a suitable donor.” Volunteers with Zeus Communications believe a database of potential canine blood donors can help to alleviate this problem and enable critically ill dogs to be treated sooner. The blood bank is targeted to be accessible by late next month (October 2010).
Pet owners need not be afraid that donating blood will either weaken their pets or be a painful exercise, Zeus Communications says that canine blood donation is similar to that of humans both in terms of process and preparation. Blood donation is relatively painless, and judging from past experience, most dogs do not mind giving blood at all.
The process is fairly straight forward. It starts with a physical check-up for the dog before any actual collection of blood begins. The potential donor has to satisfy a few conditions, such as:
- Weighing at least 25 kilograms
- Be between the ages of 1 year and 7 years old
- Be up-to-date on vaccinations
- Be on heart-worm prevention
- Should not have previously received a blood transfusion or be on long-term
medication.
After the donation, the dog donor may wish to take it easy, but many will get on with their normal routine.
Zeus Communications welcomes all dog owners to take part in its canine blood donation drive. They can register their canine dog donor via an email to dogstalk@starhub.net.sg, stating their particulars and those of their pet’s. Alternatively, they can visit Zeus Communications’ blog at http://zeusdoggybloodbank.blogspot.com.
Source: My Paper, 11 October 2010
Source: TODAY, 1 October 2010
