A blood bank for animals in need of transfusions has been launched at a university in southern Taiwan.
The facility, established by National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s department of veterinary medicine is the first of its kind in the nation.
It is patterned on animal blood banks at the University of California, Davis and Bangkok’s Kasetsart University, the facility said.
At its launch, the facility demonstrated how to take blood from a dog.
A three-year-old, 21kg mixed-breed dog was making its first blood donation, with its owner at its side to provide comfort.
Tsai Yi-lun (蔡宜倫), an assistant professor who heads the blood bank, said that the facility usually chooses dogs with stable temperaments to take blood from.
The facility said it is to first concentrate on collecting dog blood, but is to expand the bank to include other animals such as cats and livestock.
The blood can be used to help animals that have lost large amounts of blood, to treat anaemia to help treat joint diseases, the facility said.
University president Tai Chang-hsien (戴昌賢) said that the animal blood bank will need support from pet owners.
He called on owners to go to the facility contribute their pets’ blood if the animals are aged between one and eight, weigh more than 20kg and have received regular vaccinations and deworming treatments.
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