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How my Dog became a Blood Donor
(Or, How My Lab Scored a Great Cookie Connection)
by
Luca's mom
I didn’t think, when I first got
my eight-week-old yellow Lab puppy, Luca, that she would become
a blood donor. Almost two and a half years later, it’s
only one of the changes this terrific dog has brought into
my life.
When I first got her, various people advised
me to socialize my puppy by making sure she met 100 people
by the time she was six months old. As she was creamy yellow
with brown ears, this was fairly easy. One time a woman abandoned
her child in a loaded grocery cart, and ran across a parking
lot to greet my dog. I began to think about Luca becoming
a service dog once she was old enough. While I may still try
her out as a visiting dog, fate brought us another valuable
service opportunity.
One November night when Luca was about
eight months old she ate a mouldy bean in our vegetable garden
and ingested a toxic fungus in the process. She started to
tremble and her pupils were fully dilated. Our vet at the
time, Dr John Cruickshank of the Parkgate Animal and Bird
Hospital, referred his after-hours emergencies to the Animal
ER Clinic. I packed her in a blanket and drove very carefully
and well over the speed limit to the Animal ER. Later, while
my dog vomited and …well, you get the picture…I
paced the waiting room and looked at notes. “Thanks
for your care of Muffy in her final hours”, I read.
Oh great. Then I saw the Blood Donor Program info and read
it thoroughly about ten or twenty times. I oathed that if
my dog would be all right, I would bring her back to be a
blood donor once she was old enough. Of course, Luca was fine,
came home the next day and had no negative after effects from
the experience.
 Shortly
after Luca’s first birthday I called Sarah Lowe, who
is now one of my dog’s best friends. During our initial
appointment with Sarah, Luca ate a great deal of treats and
got fussed over by most of the staff. During that important
process, they also checked her out, including drawing some
blood for testing. She checked out fine and we waited for
The Call.
A couple of months later The Call came
and Luca and I headed out. While they had drawn her test blood
samples with no drugs, this time Luca was given a happy drug.
During most of the time they were drawing blood, she was calm
enough to eat treats, a sure sign of a well-adjusted Lab.
After we got home she had a quiet afternoon and after a sound
night’s sleep, we went back to normal routines. For
several weeks after I explained to countless people what had
“happened to my dog” after they saw her shaved
patches. Most had never thought that pets need blood donors
too, so I was happy to tell them about the program. More than
a few people tend to look at her with a puzzled expression—and
I can see they are wondering how the heck dogs are allowed
to give blood to people—so I’ll say “a blood
donor, for other dogs”.
 We
live in North Van and so we drop by the ER every time we are
in Vancouver so Luca can eat treats and get fussed over. Luca
now loves going to a vet office almost as much as going to
the pet food store. Usually I have a paper cup of water and
read old dog magazines while they fuss over my dog. While
I’m glad she can make a contribution to the canine community,
Luca’s main role is as my hiking partner and companion.
Hopefully she will serve us both for many years.
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