Gujarat: Veterinarians create history with canine blood transfusion in Aravalli

PALANPUR: An ailing Labrador dog suffering from kidney and liver problems received a new lease of life after three doctors gave him a rare blood transfusion in Modasa town of Aravalli district late on Wednesday evening.
But it wasn’t easy at all. Even though significant steps have been taken by veterinary and animal sciences researchers in Universities for canine blood transfusions, lack of adequate donors continues to remain a challenge.
Thanks to the three pathfinders — doctors Jitendra Bhutadia, Nehal Rathod and Priyanshi Patel — of 1962 Helpline Veterinary, the unique initiative to save the canine’s life was successful and a record of sorts was also created in the district. “We were looking for a healthy dog to save the life of a Labrador dog owned by Digvijaybhai Parmar of Dadaliya village and after long search reached the mahant, who was kind enough to help,” said Dr Nehal Rathod.
The trio approached the mahant of Gebinath mandir in Gebinath in Sayra village in Modasa taluka who has adopted around 15 stray dogs. They sought blood of a healthy dog for their operation and the mahant readily agreed for the noble cause. His permission saved not only Parmar’s pet’s life, but restored the owner’s joys too.
According to the doctors, the dog’s owner and some of his family members have suffered from Covid-19 infection, which made them incapable of looking after the dog in time. The pet had developed liver problems, which took a turn for the worse on Monday. While the owners were consulting the vets and fighting for its life, they were also bracing themselves for the worst and were getting prepared to bid the dog farewell. The docs told the family about the risks involved in canine blood transfusion and also that this was a novel treatment for the entire district.
After the medical procedure was done, both the dogs are healthy and fine, said doctors at Shymalaji Veterinary hospital.
“The Labrador is recovering after the transfusion and on Friday it regained consciousness and also stood up on its legs. It has also started moving and eating. We, however, feel it may need more transfusion and are observing it,” said Dr Jitendra Bhutadia.