Re-homed greyhounds will have the opportunity to save the life of other canines on death row with the introduction of a new blood donor program for Canberra pets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Animal Referral Hospital veterinarian Shannon West said the ABC's Four Corners investigation into live baiting in the racing industry had scared people into thinking greyhounds were dangerous dogs.
Dr West condemned the "abhorrent" treatment of live animals for baiting but said the welfare of the greyhounds involved was a concern to people too.
"Despite what was seen in the program, these guys make great pets and there is a large need for people willing to re-home them out there."
An ardent group of re-homed greyhound owners visited Garema Place on Saturday for a meet-and-greet with the public to dispel any myth about the breed.
Dr West said greyhounds made great blood donor dogs because of their calm temperament, unwillingness to bite when scared and naturally high red blood cell count.
As an emergency hospital for pets, the Fyshwick practice has a higher demand for blood than most practices.
"In other practices, if they have a patient needing a transfusion, they will have a nurse shoot home and grab their pet dog to bring in and get a fresh sample," he said.
"Because of our high requirement here that is not really feasible."
The practice averages about 25 blood transfusions each year for dogs to survive trauma such as internal bleeding or snake bites.
"In a lot of the cases where dogs require a blood transfusion, they are very unwell and without a transfusion will die, but for a large proportion of them it [a transfusion] can actually contribute to them getting completely better."
Dr West said he hoped the program could expand to provide peace of mind that blood used for canine transfusions would come from a safe source where animal welfare was paramount.
"By doing this program we know that the welfare of our donors couldn't be better," he said.
"They're all family pets, they're all immensely loved and we know that they're leading a good life. They're not racing greyhounds being brought out of a cage once a month for us to bleed them."
About 25 owners of re-homed greyhounds in the ACT have volunteered for the program.
Dogs will be assessed for eligibility prior to becoming involved.
