A few months back we posted a blog about our K9 Blood Donor program. (https://www.riverviewanimalhospital.ca/k9-blood-donors-join-the-pack/)
Now we’d like to showcase one of those very special donors!
Ratchet Elliot is a 16-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier. He belongs to one of our RVTs, Susanne Elliot.
Ratchet has been a blood donor since November 2014 and he has donated blood four times since. One of those blood donation recipients is Meliva, the Rottweiler who came to us with gunshot wounds and desperately needed blood. Another blood recipient is Jack Landry, a Terrier Cross who was being treated for Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) and needed new blood to help him recover. Meliva and Jack are both doing great today thanks to Ratchet!
What makes Ratchet a good blood donor? First, he is healthy, fit, and weighs over 50lbs (Ratchet weighs 77lbs). Second, he is between the ages of 1 and 8 years and is well-tempered. Third, he is up to date on all his vaccines. Ratchet is an extra special donor on account of his blood type. Ratchet is blood type Dog Erythrocyte Antigen (DEA) 1.1-negative. This makes him a universal blood donor; he can safely donate blood to any recipient. Of our eleven K9 donors, only two, including Ratchet, are universal donors.
Ratchet has a special place in all our hearts here at RAH. We couldn’t get enough of him when he was a little, bouncy, energetic, puppy; nor can we deny him kisses now that he’s a big, beautiful adult (even if he does forget that he weighs nearly 80lbs and still tries to curl up in your lap!). At home, he is a big cuddle-bug who loves to laze about on the couch during the day and hog the bed at night.
Ratchet loves life and helps save the lives of his K9 buddies whenever he can. We feel he deserves a big shout out for that! Way to Go Ratchet, you’re a superstar!
