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
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.