WALPOLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Tufts Veterinary Services in Walpole is looking for healthy animals to donate blood.
A national shortage has left them heavily reliant on donations from local cats and dogs.
"We contact the blood banks that we can order blood from, it'll eventually take up to four-to-six weeks to get a product," said Dr. April Paul. "We can't wait that long in times of need, and we usually need it right away, so we're very reliant on our blood donors."
Pets need to meet the following requirements for to give blood:
- Between 1 and 8 years old
- Spayed and neutered
- Cannot be on any medications and are up-to-date on their vaccines
- Cats should weigh more than 10 pounds
- Dogs should not weigh more than 50 pounds
It usually takes around 10-15 minutes to draw the blood.
WBZ's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports
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