4 Boots Emergency Blood Bank for Dogs

A few months ago our beloved dog, Boots (a 7yo Kelpie), was (unknown to us at the time) bitten by a brown snake and started to bleed internally. He needed a blood transfusion to have any hope of being saved and we found out in that moment that we have inadequate supplies locally (in Northern Rivers NSW) to provide it to him. We had the option of immediate euthanasia or speeding him to the Gold Coast which is the closest blood bank.

We of course chose rushing to the Gold Coast Blood Bank but sadly, heartbreakingly, frustratingly, he passed away in the car enroute.

There was no guarantee that Boots would have made it if he had the blood transfusion immediately, but the vet knew as soon as Dean left with him that he had little chance. There was no time.

We were heartbroken of course. But also frustrated. We had pet insurance for Boots and would have done whatever we could to try to save him. But no blood meant no real option. We don’t want that to happen to anyone else.

This initiative, with some kind guidance and kind encouragement by the Gold Coast Blood Bank, is to establish a local emergency blood service for dogs in Northern Rivers of NSW in Boots’ honour. We are calling it 4Boots.

I’ve spoken to initial stakeholders like our vet and emergency vet, as well as the Gold Coast Blood Bank, who are all excited and encouraging. We have a vision to create an ethically sourced, high quality canine blood bank resource, integrated with our vet network, to serve our region’s dogs and their humans in emergency situations.

This initial funding will go to establishing 4Boots Emergency Blood Bank for Dogs as an official non-profit, including admin and set up fees, plus some initial marketing, but mostly for the screening of potential blood donor candidates which requires extensive blood tests (can cost around $500 per potential candidate).

We will also ultimately require a courier service to get the donated blood to the Gold Coast for processing (which extends the life span of the blood from 10 days to 6 weeks) and some kind of incentive for the donors (yet to be established).

There is still a lot to work out and establish but initial funding is the key to unlocking it all. That and our enthusiasm for the concept and our love of Boots.

Should this initial funding phase be successful, once the 4Boots Emergency Blood Bank for Dogs is established, we hope to one day be able to secure our own local processing equipment, and potentially fine tune our model such that it could be transferred to other regional areas - most of whom have similar issues.

We want to save dogs and heartbreak - for dog lovers and vets. We don’t want others to have to deal with what Boots, and we, did.

It won’t be easy - there's a lot to do - but it’s possible and we hope you’ll join us. You can become a vital part of this initiative by supporting us with your enthusiasm, your funding or even potentially in having your dog be a donor.

Please let us know if any or all of that is something you’d like to jump in with us on. We promise you it will bring good to us all, especially our dogs. Saving lives and heartache and empowering our local community of dog lovers.

Let’s go.

Our dogs deserve it.

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