Meet Milo.
At just 10 months old, Milo developed a severe bout of pancreatitis. He was taken to Liverpool Small Animal Hospital where his owners Gwyneth and Peter were told he had very little chance of survival.
Blood tests showed that Milo had an infection, and his blood was not able to clot as it should. He also had dangerously low levels of protein in his plasma. To have any chance, Milo had to have a central line and a feeding tube placed and an urgent plasma transfusion.
Milo wasn't expected to make it through the weekend but by Tuesday, although he had not improved much, he was still fighting. Due to Milo’s ongoing condition, his intestinal walls had started to deteriorate allowing harmful bacteria to move around his body and he had started to pass bloody diarrhoea. Antibiotics were unfortunately not working and Milo needed a second blood transfusion that afternoon. On Thursday, he was continuing to lose blood, his blood pressure had dropped, and he was trying to battle the toxic changes in his blood and severe inflammation. He needed urgent help and was given albumin, a blood protein, which finally helped his blood pressure to improve.
‘Milo was still critical, but the chance of survival had increased from less than one in ten to 50:50’, Gwyneth said.
Milo spent the next week in intensive care where he remained in an unstable condition, but he eventually started to eat on his own, a really positive sign, which meant his feeding tube could be removed. He gradually improved and was allowed home. Now, after eight months, he is up to his pre-illness bodyweight and is loving life again.
‘There is no doubt the blood transfusions saved his life and we will be eternally grateful to the donors. Please thank them for us’, Gwyneth said.
It is only because of the wonderful people who support Pet Blood Bank that we can ensure blood is available for dogs like Milo. Thank you so much to everyone who supports us to make this possible.
Dogs like Milo rely on blood being available in these life-threatening situations and we aim to ensure this is always the case. However, we need more dogs to come forward and give blood to meet this aim. If your dog is fit and healthy, between 1 and 8 years old, weighs over 25kg, and is confident, they could become a blood donor. To help dogs like Milo, find out more about your dog becoming a donor or the other ways you can get involved.
*Photograph: Joel Goodman/The Guardian
