One Story of How Doggy Blood Donors Save the Lives of Fellow Pets

Benson lost so much blood his heart stopped beating. Twice, the Labrador died and was resuscitated. Suffering from a massive hemorrhage caused by a stomach ulcer, his life was saved by Cummings School’s Blood Bank, more specifically, the canine volunteers that donate blood for other pets, often in life-or-death situations. With the help of seven blood transfusions, the clinicians at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University were able to revive Benson, repair the ulcer, and put him on the path to recovery.

Tom Banks describes his 11-year-old Labrador, “Benny’s a playfully fresh kind of guy, always stealing socks, underwear, towels. He’s hysterical. He sleeps sideways in bed. There’s no safe space that’s not his.”

Benson’s partner in crime is Diesel, a seven-year-old Labrador. A few years ago, Banks brought Diesel to Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals (FHSA) at Cummings School, extremely sick from a previously misdiagnosed urinary tract infection that damaged his kidneys. The FHSA clinicians brought him back to health, also with the assistance of blood transfusions.

“They saved Diesel’s life,” says Banks. “He recovered 100 percent; this dog is brand spanking new. Benson was no different. Dr. Ossman dove right into it. He’s a miracle dog, lucky to be alive.”

Benson’s symptoms began with vomiting that lasted over a few days. After he threw up a pool of blood, Banks took him to a nearby veterinarian in upstate New York, who was unsure of the cause. The following day, Benson was extremely lethargic, and his stool was covered in blood.

“We loaded him up, we’re going to Tufts [Cummings School],” Banks recalls.

Dr. Junes Ossman, Emergency Medicine and Critical Care (ECC) resident at FHSA in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cummings School, took the lead on his case. She transfused a unit of blood into Benson as they sought to locate the source of the bleed. The radiology team found what appeared to be an ulcer on ultrasound but could not say definitively without an internal camera or eyes on the site. Ossman administered fluids, more blood, and medications to slow the bleed. Benson suddenly became unresponsive and vomited an enormous amount of blood.

“Benson was drained of all his blood volume multiple times before he was even in the operating room. It was too much for his stomach to handle,” says Ossman. “We ran to the blood bank and grabbed every unit of blood we could find. We were pouring these into him; we couldn’t keep ahead of all the blood he was losing.”

Twice, Benson died on the table and was revived. He was losing blood so quickly that too little was flowing through his heart, causing cardiac arrest. His heart initially stopped for several seconds.

“Benson’s heart rate was so low because he didn’t have anything to push through it. Everyone was squeezing the blood products into him as fast as we could, but we couldn’t get it in fast enough,” says Ossman.

The second time, his heart stopped briefly. The team started compressions, administered more fluids and blood, and were able to resuscitate him again. In total, he received seven blood transfusions, including one unit of whole blood, five units of red blood cells, and one unit of plasma, in an effort to stabilize him. Benson needed surgery immediately to stop the internal bleeding.

One of the clinicians treating Benson was Dr. Clare Timothy, on the ECC service at FHSA and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences. Timothy manages Cummings School’s Blood Bank, along with a veterinary technician and ECC resident. Blood donations are most commonly used in cases involving trauma, immune-mediated diseases, cancer, and surgical hemorrhage.

As a Level 1 Trauma Center, FHSA must maintain adequate blood stocks at all times to support its trauma patients. The need for blood transfusions is so high that in addition to volunteer donors, Cummings School also buys blood from national blood banks to keep supply up with demand. Timothy notes that this has become challenging due to a national shortage of dog and cat blood.

Blood transfusions are typically broken down by units of blood components: red blood cells (that carry oxygen throughout the body) and plasma (fluid that transports proteins and nutrients), both available through blood banks. The third component, platelets, may also be needed for clotting. Platelets don’t last long outside the body, so in these cases, whole blood (containing all three components) may be drawn directly from donors and, in urgent situations like Benson’s, from Cummings School’s on-call emergency doggy donors.

“It’s a small community of volunteer donors. They’re incredible in the way they all step up to bring their dogs in to help other dogs,” says Timothy.

While dogs are the main blood donors and recipients, cats, rabbits, ferrets, and sometimes birds also donate to animals of the same species.

In the operating room, Benson continued to bleed profusely. Finding the tiny hole in his stomach was proving especially difficult due to all the blood—two and a half liters were emptied from his stomach during surgery. Benson received whole blood from a dog that donated the week prior, and an on-call donor provided an additional unit as a backup. When the surgeon located the source, she clamped the vessel to stop the bleeding and cauterized and removed the ulcer.

“It was a big team effort on Benson. He is a great example of how having those blood products available did save his life in that moment,” says Timothy.

Benson stayed on for a few days at FHSA, recovering. When he began eating on his own, Banks spent the afternoon with him.

“I got Benny a rotisserie chicken, half a pound of ham, half a pound of cheese, two slices of pizza, and stopped at a diner to get him four scrambled eggs with cheese,” he says, adding that he invited all the dogs in the recovery room to “dig in.”

Home now for a month, Benson is slowly regaining his strength and acting more like his old, mischievous self.

“Benson died twice. He was bleeding out, shunting blood to the most important organs. His body went through such a traumatic experience. Despite all odds, he recovered rather quickly,” says Ossman. “The Blood Bank makes us unique in our ability to help patients. I used every negative red blood cell unit we had on Benson. I told Dad we need to thank the Blood Bank. Without it, he wouldn’t be alive.”

Over the next few days, Timothy called in doggy donors to help restock the Blood Bank. Most donors come from within the Cummings School community.

“A lot of students, doctors, and nurses sign their dogs up, but our need is proving to be even bigger,” says Timothy, whose cats donate and Golden Retriever will also soon be old enough to donate. “One of our goals at Tufts [Cummings School]  is to boost our doggy donors so that we can provide whole blood for these trauma dogs.”

Cummings School’s Blood Bank website details the criteria for donating. Donors receive a $50 hospital credit per donation, free annual blood work, and a bag of dog food per donation.

“It’s a special thing if your pet is able to donate,” says Timothy. “Benson wouldn’t have survived if he hadn’t had access to all those blood products as quickly as he did. To be able to give Benson’s dad back his dog is priceless. It means a lot to him and also to the care team. Benson touched all of us because he was so special and such a resilient dog coming back from it all.”

Banks is very grateful for the Blood Bank and all the FHSA staff that helped Benson. “There’s a higher element of compassion at Foster—the expertise and the willingness to explain things to a point where you leave knowing exactly what’s going on and feeling that you’re part of the team. You guys have saved two of my animals. It’s not just one happy ending; it’s two.”