Our Story
Where it all began...
This project all started due to my love of animals and interest in pursuing an education and career in veterinary medicine. I knew I wanted to follow that passion when I was brainstorming ideas for my Girl Scout Gold Award. After hours of research, I stumbled across an article about canine blood donations and the lack of knowledge surrounding the topic. I was immediately called to this issue and worked to provide resources for dog owners, veterinary hospitals and clinics, pet stores, canine blood banks, and organizations. My target audience will have a better understanding of the importance of canine blood donations and gain the knowledge and empathy to volunteer their dogs to donate. My hope is that they will also be moved to encourage others to donate.
While I was looking at how I could take my passion for animal medicine to help my community, I initially contacted Dr. Monica from Oakland Animal Hospital to ask about the canine blood donation process. He referred me to Jim Thompson at Oakland Veterinary Referral Service (OVRS). After interviewing Mr. Thompson, Hospital Administrator and canine blood bank originator at OVRS, I gained a realistic perspective of the project that allowed me to map out fitting solutions. He expressed the need for canine blood and the lack of awareness in our community. I learned more about the root cause of the need for canine blood donations in Southeastern Michigan and nationally. I have addressed the lack of advocacy and education to reach volunteers. I have worked closely with OVRS, the only clinic in Southeastern Michigan that takes blood donors, to create a website and educational cards that educate dog owners and help clinics connect easily for resources. A private sourcing database will make it easier for them to connect with each other and share information.
I have learned that there are just a few canine donation centers in Michigan. There are also two types of canine blood donor programs nationally, closed-colony and volunteer-based programs. In closed-colony donation centers, the dogs are boarded in-house. Animal Blood Resources International (ABRI), the first commercial blood bank for multi-species domestic animals in the United States, partners with rescue and shelter communities. The canine donors live there, donate, and are adopted out. ABRI is also the largest veterinary transfusion supplier in the world, right here in Michigan (ABRI, 2016). Alternatively, volunteer-based programs, such as those at OVRS and Michigan State University, rely on dog owners to volunteer their pets. This project will target the volunteer-based community donor model.
The OVRS blood bank has been established for 25 years, yet many dog owners are not aware that it exists. OVRS created Buddies for Life, titled for the collaboration with the American Red Cross. As someone donated blood, they were asked if they had a companion dog to donate at the same time, one on each side of a curtain! Since then, they rely on the generosity of dog owner volunteers. I learned first-hand of the canine blood donation process while shadowing my Project Advisor, Jordin Tillison, as she performed a blood donation with a Yellow Labrador Retriever at the OVRS blood bank. OVRS currently uses 75 canine donors that donate quarterly in their in-house blood bank. They also successfully provide over 400 blood transfusions per year that save many canine lives (OVRS, 2023). However, they only collect about 300 pints per year, so there is a shortage.
As a leader of a team, my goal is to develop a sustainable, measureable Gold Award Project to advocate for the future of canine health. My goal is to increase awareness and provide education for more accessibility of canines to donate blood in Southeastern Michigan and nationally. The local Southeastern Michigan area will be targeted specifically to obtain a goal of an increase in donors registered with OVRS. Additionally, my goal is to develop a private sourcing database connecting participating canine blood banks nationwide in order to share availability of blood product component inventory. The effectiveness of the knowledge gained from published materials and information for the donation process including the blood bank sourcing database will be measured. In order to continue sustainability, it is my goal to establish a connection with organizations for a lasting relationship in order to continue gaining and sustaining canine blood donors.
I can use my voice to spread awareness and hopefully, increase the amount of quarterly donors. I want to take action to make a difference within my community and nationwide through advocacy and education, and be a part of saving the lives of dogs. I hope everyone is able to get more informed about the health care of their pet!
With gratitude,
Emma Beach
GSSEM Gold Award Project