Chico & Penny
One Saturday late in March two small dogs sat near each other in the ICU at ACCES. Both had serious health issues, and urgently needed a blood transfusion. Penny is an 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier who had been transferred to ACES for post-operative care the previous Thursday. She had a spay surgery and dental at her regular veterinarian, and the majority of her teeth had been extracted, and was now anemic from the blood loss. Chico is a 3-year-old Chihushua mix. That same Thursday, his mfamily noticed that he was really tired, and did not want to eat. On Friday Chico went to see his veterinarian who found that he had pale gums. Chico was transferred to ACCES for further diagnostics and the treatment of his emerging anemia. By Saturday afternoon both dogs had become so anemic that they needed a transfusion of packed red blood cells to get better. The doctor on duty had them both blood-typed and cross-matched to units of blood from the ACCES Blood Bank. Chico and Penny were the same blood type, and crossmatched to the same donor. Because each donation of dog blood results in two units of packed red blood cells, both dogs received b lood from donor Chilly that afternoon, and then made remarkable recoveries. Penny perked up immediately, and her gums stopped bleeding overnight. She was able to go home the next day. When asked about Penny's experience at ACCES and her transfusion, her owner Jo said, "thank you so much. It is much appreciated for a member of our family." Chico had a slower recovery. Further tests showed that he was anemic from and auto-immune disorder called Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). Chico was put on steroids and immune suppressants and was able to go home the following Wednesday. he is still seem by the internal medicine department for follow-ups, but is already being ewaned off hism edicaitons. His mom Marsha wanted to thank the volunteer dog donors as well. "I think that's great. I think everyone should know that animals donate like humans do."
Diamond
Diamond is an 8 year old Maltese. She had been experiencing seizures for a while, and her regular veterinarian had put her on the anti-seizure medication phenobarbitol to help prevent them in March. In June, Diamond became weak and lost her appetite. Diagnostics done at her veterinarian showed that she was “pancytopenic” – that she had low white blood cells, low red blood cells, and low platelets. She was transferred to ACCES for supportive care and further tests.
After an initial exam, doctors at ACCES ran a number of tests to try to find out what was wrong. They looked for tick-borne diseases and evidence of bone marrow disease. Because Diamond was so ill from her lack of all types of blood cells, she received a transfusion of packed red blood cells from donor Clifford. After her transfusion, Diamond perked up and began eating immediately. All of her diagnostics came back negative for underlying diseases.
The doctors concluded that Diamond was experiencing a rare side-effect of the anti-seizure medication she was on. There have been a few reports of phenobarbitol causing pancytopenia in dogs. Diamond’s seizure medications have been switched, and she went home the next day. She is still recovering, but doing much better today.
Zeus
Zeus is an 8-year-old yellow lab who was found by his owners upon returning home from work to be in serious distress, foaming at the mouth, and in a great deal of pain. Upon examination by his regular veterinarian at the Banfield in Seattle, it was recommended that Zeus be taken immediately to ACCES. At ACCES Zeus was quickly diagnosed with Gastric Dilatation Volvulus, also known as bloat. Immediately, Zeus was taken to surgery. The surgeon discovered that there was more damage to his stomach than originally thought, and a large portion needed to be removed. Because of theamount of blood lost during surgery, Zeus received transfusions of packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma from donor Tucker. While the prognosis was guarded due to Zeus' pre-existing health concerns and the amount of damage to the stomach, Zeus made it through surgery and was walking within a few hours. Jill, Zeus' mom, had this to say about the Blood Bank: "I didn't even know there was such a thing as an animal blood bank. The next day, while waiting to visit with Zeus at ACCES, I overheard a pet owner confirming an appointment for her dog to donate blood. I went up and introduced myself to her and her gorgeous dog. I told her about what happened to Zeus and how he needed to receive a blood transfusion. I told her that the transfusion helped to save his life. I couldn't help but cry because I felt so thankful for the dogs who donate blood to help save so many lives. Truly, a gift of life. Zeus is fully recovered now, and we are most thankful for the added time we have been given to spend with our very special dog. If it wasn't for the animal blood bank, and of course all the dog donors, Zeus wouldn't be here today. The dog donors and their people are so generous and loving to give the gift of life to an animal in need. I wish to express my greatest thanks and admiration for dog blood donors and their people. Zeus and I thank you for saving his life."