His pic at the veterinary hospital
My dog Ethan donated blood back in February and it's about time for him to do it again since I keep on seeing dogs needing some blood donors. Since I think he's healthy and I've observed that it's really hard to find for a dog donor because of their qualifications, I decided to go back to the hospital again. :D
Transportation is quite hard for me since I don't have my own car and Ethan is already big and he also sheds a lot of fur. Public cars aren't ideal since some passengers could have allergies and it could be dangerous for them. I tried to connect to some pet taxis I found but I got no replies from them. In the end, I looked for a big cab that has a big space in the back (like an Avanza) and talked to the driver if it's okay with him to take me and my dog. Thankfully he was okay with it. :D
Once we arrived at the hospital, there were some other patients waiting for a checkup too. One guy (who also had his dog checked) greeted Ethan and also took a picture of him lol. We casually had conversation about how he also have dogs at home and how they would jump at him and be playful and stuff.
The assistant asked me who am I donating for. I have no one particular in mind, I was thinking I could just donate to whoever needs it but I said the name of the latest dog in the post I saw.
Ethan back in March
After a few minutes of waiting, they took a small amount of blood from Ethan just to screen it out and for them to know if he's qualified to donate. I informed them that it's his second time to donate blood and that it has been a few months ago already. The blood test result came back a few minutes later (was actually really fast) and the doctor said he's very qualified to donate since his blood looks really healthy.
They then took him upstairs, sedated him, and started the process while I waited patiently downstairs. Since I've done this before, I already have expectations on how long I'm gonna be waiting so I ordered coffee nearby. :P.
Ethan back in March
Half an hour has passed and a lady arrived at the hospital looking worried and sad. She hoped that the dog they brought now is qualified for donating blood for their dog who was confined at the hospital. Apparently, she's one of the owners of the dog who my dog is donating blood to.
Since I didn't tell anyone that I'm coming to donate (We just randomly came since I also wasn't sure at that time if I'm able to get transportation), she didn't know that there was a blood donor already. When the staff and doctor told her that there was already a donor and they've successfully taken the blood, she was so surprised and relieved. I was just there sitting and she then thanked me and we talked about how I found out about this and how I transported him etc.
I think she said that there were 2 dogs that were willing to donate as well but upon screening, they found out they couldn't qualify. The platelet count I think needs to be 200 and above so it's not really easy finding a donor despite all the blood donor groups online.
We talked while we waited for my dog to wake up from being sedated and they offered to bring us home. That is so kind of them and I accepted it even though I told the cab driver from earlier to come back after we're done. Fortunately I'm able to get his number so I just texted him that I won't be needing the cab anymore.
Ethan woke up after what seemed like an hour and 30 minutes. When he was brought down, he was still very groggy and can't stand yet. The owners thanked him for donating and the doctor reassured us that him being groggy is just an effect of the sedation.
Even though he was still weak and couldn't stand yet, his tail was wagging lol and was acknowledging all the praises he got from the owners of the dog and from other people around too. They said he is a handsome dog, a nice compliment. :P
We waited a few minutes cos maybe he'll be stronger by then but thought he might need more time. Thankfully the husband of the owner was there to carry him to the car.
We arrived home safely and we were happy to have helped another dog. :D
Look at his size. There's no way I could carry him with my hands XD