(AP) — Everyone knows about bloodmobiles for humans. But a bloodmobile for dogs?
The University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school operates a mobile lab to make it easier for canines to make life-saving donations.
Dogs might need blood transfusions for the same reasons as people. They could get cancer or suffer trauma, like being hit by a car.
Penn Vet’s bloodmobile travels around the Philadelphia area. School officials say they don’t know of any other such vehicle operating in the U.S.
Dogs must have a certain blood type, weigh more than 55 pounds and be under 8 years old. The short procedure doesn’t require sedation and is similar what people do when they give blood.
And, just like human donors, the animals are rewarded with a snack and a sticker.