Blood donor dogs save lives at K-State
Transfusions are crucial for many canines at the university’s Veterinary Health Center
February 23, 2021
Photo courtesy Piper Brandt/K-State Today
Ensuring the safe treatment of canine patients is the goal of a community-based, volunteer canine blood-donor program at the Kansas State University (K-State) Veterinary Health Center (VHC).
Launched in 2015, K-State’s Canine Blood Donor Program oversees the collection, process, and storage of blood needed for transfusions to treat a variety of conditions in dogs. Since its inception, the service has seen more than 70 canine donors, most of which belong to VHC staff and students, as well as area residents.
Volunteer spotlight: Give the gift of life this holiday with blood donation
Liz Sauchelli. Copyright (c) Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Modified: 12/12/2020 10:43:42 PM
Winter is typically a slower time of year for blood donations. People go away for the holidays or don’t want to go out in the poor weather.
“December just tends to be a month that gets neglected,” said Denee MacKenzie, blood donor relations specialist at DHMC.
Most of the time, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s Blood Donor Program can manage by relying on supplies from other sources, but the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the flow of donations, making the outlook for this winter worse than in past years.