Portland veterinary hospital’s blood bank is helping save lives, thanks to ‘superhero’ dog and cat donors

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 now 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.