Kashi is a 6-year-old Black Labrador and participant in the blood bank program at DoveLewis animal hospital in Portland. The hospital makes trading cards of cats and dogs such as Kashi who regularly donate blood, along with other perks and incentives to get pet owners to participate in the program.
Courtesy of Debi Hays
For nearly 40 years, the DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Portland has operated a blood bank for cats and dogs in need of blood transfusions for life-threatening injuries and illnesses.
According to blood bank coordinator Kelsey Reinauer, it’s the largest such facility in Oregon and possibly the entire West Coast. Last year, DoveLewis performed nearly 500 transfusions in-house and shipped more than 200 units of blood products to hospitals as far away as Tennessee and Florida.
As with human blood donations, the need is often greater than the supply, and recruiting new donors can be challenging. The New York Times recently reported on DoveLewis’ efforts to grow a community of “superhero” donors. Their owners bring their cats and dogs to the hospital for regular blood donations which are incentivized with perks such as free treats and toys and personalized trading cards featuring their pets’ photos and interests.
Reinauer joins us to talk about the blood donation program, along with Debi Hays, a volunteer at DoveLewis whose dog Kasha donates blood four times a year. Her other dog, Kiev, retired from the program earlier this year.
The following transcript was created by a computer and edited by a volunteer: Dave Miller: This is Think Out Loud on OPB. I’m Dave Miller. For almost 40 years now, the DoveLewis Veterinary Hospital in Portland has operated a blood bank for cats and dogs. It is the largest such facility in Oregon and possibly now, on the entire west coast. The blood is used for hundreds of in-house transfusions every year. It’s also shipped to animal hospitals around the country. But as with human blood donations, the need is often greater than the supply. The New York Times recently reported on DoveLewis’ efforts to grow its community of so-called “superhero” donors. These are dogs whose human companions bring them in for regular blood donations in return for things like free treats and toys.
Kelsey Reinauer is a blood bank coordinator at DoveLewis. Debi Hays’ two dogs, Kashi and Kiev, have both been donors. Kelsey and Debi, welcome to Think Out Loud.
Kelsey Reinauer: Thank you.
Debi Hays: Thank you.
Miller: Kelsey, first. What kinds of medical situations at a veterinary hospital would require a blood transfusion?
Reinauer: There’s lots of reasons that pets come in for blood transfusions. They can be traumatic like an injury, or they can be related to disease processes like cancers or other types of things that could make you bleed internally. We also treat heat stroke patients with plasma. So in the summer, we see a lot of that as well.
Miller: Like dogs being left in a car?
Reinauer: In the car or even just outside or over exercised. And being a type of breed that doesn’t do well in the heat, it can come to heat stroke pretty quickly.
Miller: What is the blood supply like compared to the blood demand, whether locally just at your hospital or around the country?
Reinauer: Thankfully, at DoveLewis, since we do have an in house blood bank, we are very fortunate in our blood supply. Throughout the country, it is pretty hard to get blood. At a lot of clinics who don’t have blood banks nearby or in their facility, it can be a wait of up to 26 weeks, for some places, to get blood products.
Miller: That doesn’t help you if it’s an emergency though, right?
Reinauer: Exactly. So there’s lots of clinics who just don’t have blood on hand for patients who come in for those types of emergencies.
Miller: What would that mean?
Reinauer: It could mean death in some patients. There’s not really a replacement for blood products in the veterinary field. In human medicine as well, you can’t really manufacture blood products. So, if you don’t have it on hand, then unfortunately, a lot of pets die.
Miller: How frequently do you do transfusions at DoveLewis?
Reinauer: We’re doing multiple transfusions a week generally. We do anywhere from 350 to 500 a year. We do a lot of transfusions at DoveLewis.
Miller: Is there a recent one that comes to mind or just like every day?
Reinauer: We recently did a total plasma exchange on a patient that ate a bunch of medication he shouldn’t have eaten, a toxic level. So to help the liver and kidneys clear that, we have to completely exchange all of its plasma, requiring six units of frozen plasma to do that. So that was the middle of the night emergency weekend situation and thankfully, because DoveLewis has those products on hand, we were able to treat that pet.
Miller: Can you describe the now old model – maybe still in use in some places, but on the way out model – of providing blood for dog and cat blood banks?
Reinauer: Yeah so there’s the community model, which is what we practice, where all of our donors live at home and they just come in on their normal schedule. And then there’s a colony model which is being phased out in veterinary medicine, where all of the donors live under one roof, in one facility, and then they are bled on a very strict schedule.
And then maybe those dogs are adopted out or maybe they live their entire lives at that facility. It just kind of depends on where they’re at. But that is being seen more and more as a less ethical option. And the veterinary field in general is moving more toward the community model, which is what we do at DoveLewis.
Miller: At that colony model, would those be just for-profit businesses or this would be, I don’t know, a kind of kennel attached to a hospital?
Reinauer: The ones that I am aware of are independent blood banks. I don’t know whether or not they’re for-profit or nonprofit. And I’ve seen them go both ways, whether or not the animals end up living there for their entire lives versus they’re just there for a year or two and then adopted out, which is a bit more ethical of an option.
There used to be blood banks that would only adopt greyhounds, because greyhounds are known for having universal blood types and being the right size for being a blood donor. And they would just adopt a bunch of greyhounds and keep them, bleed them, sell their blood, and then sometimes adopt them out or sometimes not.
Miller: After they had raced or this is separate from the racing?
Reinauer: After racing.
Miller: So they were bred, they were raced, and then when they were done with their track lives, they’d be taken to a place where every … how often would they be bled, as you said?
Reinauer: About every four weeks there, which is not what we practice at DoveLewis. We typically stick to an every eight to 12 week schedule.
Miller: Debi, as a dog lover, a human companion of dogs, what goes through your mind when you hear about that old model?
Hays: Well, I find it heartbreaking. And I’m just very happy to hear that DoveLewis doesn’t operate that way. I mean, I’m only going to be involved in ethical and humane treatment of dogs and cats. And so I’m quite honored to be a part of this fabulous program that DoveLewis offers.
Miller: When you came into the studio during the break to join us here, you gave me two trading cards of your dogs, Kiev and Kashi. Can you tell us about your dogs?
Hays: Sure. So Kiev is 8 years old. He’s a yellow lab.
Miller: He’s the one wearing the sunglasses in the picture you gave me?
Hays: Yes, he’s on the chaise lounge in the backyard, enjoying life, and he’s from Guide Dogs for the Blind. I adopted him when he didn’t make the program.
Miller: Meaning, he didn’t quite make the cut in terms of what was required?
Hays: Right, its stringent protocols. He didn’t make it, so we adopted him. And Kashi, same thing – she didn’t make the cut for Guide Dogs either. And so we adopted her and they both have that temperament of easy going, whatever.
They love to see Kelsey when we come to the blood bank for their donation. And I hate to say it, but they love the baby food probably more than they do Kelsey. It’s a meat-flavored baby food. And then Kelsey has a huge toy box and they get to choose a toy. So they look forward to the donations.
Miller: How did you decide to volunteer them to be blood donors?
Hays: Well, the dog world is large, but yet it’s very close knit. And so Guide Dogs for the Blind and DoveLewis, we’re all kind of like this extended family. When I adopted Kiev and Kashi through Guide Dogs for the Blind, I was aware of the blood donation program at DoveLewis. And in turn, we also became therapy dog teams for DoveLewis. Between the two, we just feel like it’s a great way to give back to the community.
I got into the blood donation program because I thought, oh, this is a great way to help other dogs. But at the same time, you’re helping the families. I mean, just think of your dog or cat. They’re in an emergency situation and they need blood. I have met some really cool people through helping their dogs with a blood donation. So it’s kind of a win-win for everybody.
Miller: Kelsey, how do you think about the issue of consent? Obviously, you can’t use human language and say “these are the risks, you’re now informed, do you consent to give your blood?”the way you would at a Red Cross human blood drive. Parents can’t just sign their kids up to give blood. And in a sense, that’s what is happening here. Humans are saying “Here is my pet. You can take their blood.” How do you think about consent?
Reinauer: Yeah, this is a conversation I have often. And I tell people, usually at their first visit when they come see me, this is a relationship that we’re going to build. I have my own training in veterinary medicine and reading dog’s body language and cat’s body language. I can tell when they’re stressed. I can tell if we need to do something differently. And I can make those types of calls.
But I’m also going to rely on this pet’s owner who knows their pet best. And I’m going to require them to trust me, and I trust them to communicate when they feel like their pet isn’t having a good time. I do want them to volunteer to come in. I want them to be pulling their owners down that hallway to come see me, not have any problem with the blood donation process itself, and then not have any issues going to their regular vet afterwards either. I don’t want it to be a negative experience at any event that they go to.
Miller: That’s one of the concerns is they give blood or blood is taken from them, and then there’s something about that experience that makes them less interested in going for their regular checkups?
Reinauer: It has happened. And I’ve told the owners if you see that happen … we’re talking about that because it’s more important that they’re able to have a good time at their regular vet and continue their wellness needs than to do this donation of blood that is completely voluntary.
Miller: Debi mentioned the meat-flavored baby food. Human baby food?
Reinauer: Human baby food, yes.
Miller: OK, so that’s one of the draws here for her labs. What else do the animals get out of this?
Reinauer: They get to come in, like Debi said. They get their baby food, they get to pick a toy. I witnessed a lot of joy out of these animals. The owners also get a lot of perks in the care of their animals. So they get free emergency and urgent care exams at DoveLewis. So if they have to come in for any reason, they can be seen for free as a blood donor. They also get free blood work on their dogs every year to make sure that they’re still healthy. It’s my way of making sure that they can still donate, that they haven’t picked up any infectious diseases, but then they get hundreds of dollars of blood work for no charge.
We also have lots of other perks. They get flea and tick and heartworm prevention at a discount, so that they can make sure that their pet’s not picking up anything infectious. And then we also have just perks like being able to make these trading cards. We have an annual appreciation party for our donors to tell them how much we appreciate the commitment that the families have made on their behalf and their pets’ behalf.
I make yearbooks so that all of the donors can see everybody that’s donated all year. And we celebrate milestones like when they’ve reached their 10th donation or 20th donation. We retire them at 9-years-old so we honor retirees at our parties. It’s kind of a benefit for both the pets and the people.
Miller: Debi, have you ever talked to a family that’s actually gotten blood from one of your dogs?
Hays: I have. It really kind of brought everything to a full circle. I guess it was probably a year and a half ago now. A dog came in that needed blood and Kashi’s blood was the blood this dog received. Well, what I didn’t know at the time was that the woman worked at my vet clinic where I take my dogs for their annual checkups and everything. And so she knew me. I didn’t know her, but when her dog received Kashi’s blood, she got one of these little trading cards. So she looked me up. I didn’t know anything about this, but I get home and there is a darling little doggy bag full of treats, and toys, and a thank you card, thanking Kashi for being a superhero.
At first, I was kind of like, how did she get my information? But then I thought, wait a minute, I know her. She’s at the vet clinic that we go to. So just a couple of weeks ago, I was over there and I walked in and she goes, “Debi, where’s Kashi? I want to give you guys a hug. You guys are my superheroes.” And I’m happy to say her dog is doing really well now. But he was in critical condition. So it was really cool to be able to meet her and have a relationship with her. Now we’re friends.
Miller: Kelsey, we’ve been talking about dogs because it seems like the easier version of this. What happens with cats?
Reinauer: All of our cats that donate are owned by veterinary professionals and this is mostly because we do sedate the cats for their donations. So about four to five times a year, we’re sedating these kitties for just about 15 minutes or so to get some blood. And then they wake up really quick. They also get baby food, a toy and all of the other perks that our dogs get. But right now, our pool is limited to veterinary, professionally-owned cats. They don’t have to work at DoveLewis necessarily. They can work at any other clinic in the area, hear about our program and be willing to bring their cat in.
Miller: It’s an interesting ethical splitting there. Why is it that if that you’ve decided, I guess, as an industry or just at DoveLewis – at just this one hospital – that that’s how you’re going to let people make this decision. Is it that they’re the most informed animal medical professionals, so you trust that version of informed human consent?
Reinauer: That was the initial idea when we did open it up. Because originally when we didn’t have any options for buying cat blood – this was before my time at DoveLewis – we had a small colony at DoveLewis of stray cats that we would have for a few months and then end up adopting out. But we used them as blood donors.
So as a transition away from the colony that we didn’t want to use anymore, and moving towards a safe method of doing volunteer cats, we decided to keep it underneath the veterinary umbrella for that reason. Just to make sure that these owners really understand the potential risks of sedating their cat frequently.
Miller: Has the increase in popularity in recent decades of pet insurance, changed the provisions of health care for pets?
Reinauer: Yeah, absolutely. I think so. I think a lot of pet owners, especially ones who have pet insurance, are a lot more willing to go the distance with their pet medically, when they know that the finances are taken care of. So people who previously couldn’t even afford a blood transfusion, but since they have pet insurance, can afford most of the medical care, are more likely to say yes to everything that the doctors are recommending, because it’s the best quality care and they can afford it thanks to pet insurance.
Miller: Which also then increases the demand for blood bankers like you?
Reinauer: Yes, absolutely.
Miller: Kelsey Reinauer and Debi Hays, thank you very much for coming in.
Reinauer: Thank you for having us.
Hays: Thank you.
Miller: And thanks for these cards of Kiev and Kashi. Kelsey Reinauer is the blood bank coordinator for DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital. Debi Hays is a volunteer at DoveLewis. Her two dogs are the labs, Kiev, who is an 8-year-old, retired this year from blood donations, and Kashi, a 6-year-old black lab.
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