Blood donations can save dogs’ lives in an emergency, too. At Celtic Mountain, this is a subject we have been involved with for quite some time – some of our Mastiffs have already donated blood themselves.
This week, we registered our pack with Weisse Pfoten e.V. in their nationwide blood donor database. By doing so, we would like to support the organisation’s work while also helping to raise awareness of blood donation for dogs.
When a suitable donor is needed in an emergency
Weisse Pfoten e.V. maintains a nationwide database of registered canine blood donors. If a dog urgently needs blood, the database can be used to look for potential donors in the surrounding area and establish contact.
In a situation like this, time can be crucial. The more suitable dogs are registered, the better the chances of finding a compatible donor within a reasonable distance.
For us, it was therefore an easy decision to register our pack.
And, if necessary, a little further
When registering, owners can specify the distance they are prepared to travel for a possible blood donation. The usual 50 kilometres seemed like a good starting point to us – we simply left ourselves a little extra room beyond that, just in case.
When it really matters, we are also happy to travel a little further to help another dog.
Of course, whether one of our dogs is actually suitable as a blood donor in a particular case will always be assessed by a veterinarian.
A cause we are happy to support
By registering our dogs, we would also like to draw attention to the work of Weisse Pfoten e.V.
Many dog owners are probably unaware that a blood donor database for dogs like this even exists. Yet in an emergency, a registered donor can make a crucial difference for another dog.
The subject itself is not new to us. Holly has already donated blood in Elversberg, Miss Marple and Magnus later donated in Giessen, and Greta has also been a blood donor.
If you would like to learn more, you can find further information and read about our experiences with canine blood donation in our article Dog Blood Donation – When Your Own Dog Becomes a Lifesaver.
Ready when we are needed
We have not yet experienced what an emergency request through the blood donor database is actually like. We are curious to see what experiences we will have with it and will be glad if one of our dogs is able to help when the need arises.
At the same time, of course, we hope that no dog ever has to face such an emergency and that, whenever blood is urgently needed, a suitable donor can be found in time. But if our pack is ever needed, we will be happy to help.
Anyone who would like to learn more about the blood donor database or register their own dog can find further information directly at Weisse Pfoten e.V..