Dogs from across Edmonton donated blood Saturday as part of an initiative from NAIT and the Canadian Animal Blood Bank.
Students in NAIT’s animal health technology and veterinary medical assistant programs collected blood from dogs today for the animal blood bank, with the hope of giving any animals that come into emergency rooms a fighting chance.
“We can do some really amazing things with the animals, however, there’s really no life support for them,” said registered vet technologist Dustin Portelance. “This is a crucial product that is given to animals to help extend that window of opportunity that we have to figure out their illness, to treat their illness and save their life.”
He said they take a full unit of blood from the animals — the equivalent of what a human would donate — which can save up to three canine lives.
The blood bank also supports the students who come out to gain experience outside of a school setting.
Second year student Boyana Kircheva said the blood bank is a great way for students to get hands-on experience with patients, interact with clients and get a feel for a real-life clinic setting.
“This gets you to work more with other students … and you get to teach each other, which is a great opportunity,” she said. “I find that if I can teach someone else, I can deepen my own understanding.”
Dogs need to be in decent health, between the ages of one and eight and at least 25 kilograms to be eligible to donate.
- Posters promoting ‘Steal From Loblaws Day’ are circulating. How did we get here?
- Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’
- Video shows Ontario police sharing Trudeau’s location with protester, investigation launched
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
Comments