And you thought cats and dogs weren’t compatible!
When 18-month-old Buttercup, a cute little kitty from the Florida Keys, was facing the last of his nine lives, he was snatched from the claws of death by a life-saving transfusion – from a dog!
When the feline collapsed recently, he was rushed to Marathon Veterinary Hospital, where doctors determined his red blood cell count – or packed cell volume – was nearing life-ending low levels.
The hospital’s Dr. Sean Perry decided the cat needed a transfusion … stat!
Unfortunately, there was no compatible cat blood in the cooler, and it would take 24 to 48 hours to get more, so the vet sniffed out a daringly different solution.
The hospital had a full stock of blood available, ironically, from a pack of greyhounds.
In veterinary medicine, cross-species transfusions or “xeno-transfusions”, are not recommended, but not out of the question.
Some dogs have a universal blood donor type, which is compatible with any other blood type, according to Dr. Perry, making the greyhound route the best option for Buttercup.
“Cat’s blood is harder to come by and not as available as dog’s blood,” Dr. Perry explained. “We had greyhound blood packs from a blood bank that has red blood cells separated from plasma. We try to stick to species-specific (transfusions), but because Buttercup’s blood volume was so low, we had to act.”
His frantic owner, Ernie Saunders, agreed and Buttercup successfully endured the procedure.
“Buttercup showed no signs of rejection during the transfusion,” according to Dr. Perry.
Three weeks later, Ernie says he’s the proud owner of one fit kitty, and Dr. Perry has been keeping regular tabs on the tabby.
“Buttercup is doing quite well,” said the doctor.
