Whiskey hopped off the front of the scooter and bounded playfully towards the stone building. Akshay Jambhale trotted behind and scooped her up in an embrace as they waited to register inside the campus of the Bombay Veterinary College on Friday morning. Whiskey, a plump, well-behaved golden Labrador, was one of a bunch of dogs here to donate blood in a special canine blood donation drive.
“A month ago I had donated blood, so when I heard about this drive, I thought, why not bring my dog to donate as well,” said Jambhale, who had brought her here by scooter from Santacruz. “Some people are scared about their pets donating blood, but I am not worried. There aren’t any adverse effects.”
Whiskey splayed her legs on the porch, eagerly sniffing out her vicinity. After Jambhale signed a consent form, they waited to go in for her physical examination — to check vital parameters such as weight, heart rate and temperature — to ensure she was eligible to donate. Two hours later, Shadow arrived, a hulking black Rottweiler, also on his maiden donation trip.
Friday’s drive was part of the college’s annual festival, Spandan, and an effort to bring to wider notice the need for canine blood reserves. “There isn’t much of a reserve,” said Pooja Marwaha, a member of the animal welfare committee, “We are trying to build one.”
It is only when a dog has an accident and is brought to the hospital that people starting making frantic calls seeking canine blood. “So if we have it now it’ll be easier for later,” she said.
Blood can be transfused across breeds within the species. However, before drawing blood from the upper body of the dog — on average about 300ml — the team first draws a test sample to make sure the dog doesn’t have health complications.
Whiskey was found fit to donate, as were three others but five were not. Tasha, an eight-year-old golden retriever, who had done a one-hour commute from Marol by Uber, could not. After a half-hour wait for her blood test results, her owner, Lorna Pereira, was told Tasha had a low platelet count. Tasha appeared blissfully unaware.
Juicy rewards
Special hampers were distributed to their owners; each containing a packet of chicken flavoured chew sticks, a chew toy and bone shaped dog biscuits. The owners were handed certificates. Though she couldn’t donate, Tasha got one too.
