Dog blood donations needed across Canada for emergency procedures
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology hosted a special blood clinic Saturday to refill the supply for canines.
For the past 20 years, students and faculty at NAIT have participated in the Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB), which collects donations for canines requiring transfusions for emergency procedures.
"The blood bank is not very well known, even in the veterinary community," explained Dustin Portelance, a registered veterinary technologist and CABB coordinator.
"Part of working with CABB at NAIT is that we, our students, are graduating with the knowledge that this program exists," Portelance added, "and we are trying to get ourselves into as many clinics as possible to get as many donors as possible so that way we have more blood in our banks."
NAIT acts as a satellite collection site for the program. CABB also offers mobile drives throughout the year in the Edmonton area and Grande Prairie.
"As much as we love our smaller friends, we need our bigger friends," Portelance said.
"Bring all your furry friends that fit our criteria. If you have furry friends at home that doesn't fit, but you know somebody that does, for sure, tell them about us."
To donate, dogs must be over 25 kilograms, have up-to-date vaccinations and have a good temperament.
There are nine known canine blood types, with Dog Erythrocyte Antigen (DEA) 1.1 – which comes in negative and positive – being the most common. The universal donor type is DEA 1.1 negative.
Paul Wilcox's purebred Boxer, Scotty, has been a long-time donor.
"This is his 11th donation," Wilcox said. "His mother just retired here after nine donations. I'm very proud of them."
"Without that [donation], there's going to be dogs that need it and can't get it. And you'd hate like hell to see them die on the table because they couldn't get the blood."
For more information, visit the CABB website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.