Meet Stella. A usually bouncy and full of life New Zealand Huntaway.

Within just a few days, Stella went from enjoying a lovely swim on the beach in her hometown of Orkney to being rushed over 300 miles away to Edinburgh for emergency vet treatment.

It started when Stella’s owners, Andy and Lou, noticed she had cut herself on a rock while walking and swimming at the beach. As a precaution, they decided to take her to their vet to make sure the wound was not infected.

When they were there, Andy and Lou mentioned that one of Stella’s eyes was bloodshot. The vet did a blood test that revealed Stella had low platelets in her blood. A second test a few days later showed that her platelet count had reduced further to a critical level. Stella had to be transferred to a larger emergency vet hospital straight away. However, living in Orkney, this involved a huge journey covering 300 miles down to the Hospital for Small Animals at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh. 

‘You wouldn't have known there was anything wrong with her.’ Andy said.

Upon arrival, the emergency and critical care team at the Hospital conducted urgent tests on Stella and found that her own immune system was destroying her platelets, resulting in bleeding. With the diagnosis made, she was started on medication straight away and kept in the intensive care unit for close monitoring. Unfortunately, these medications take some time to have an effect and during this period Stella developed a bleed in her stomach. An urgent blood transfusion was needed.

Luckily, Stella’s platelet count had increased as a result of the drug treatment and she was discharged two days later. Now, Stella is back to being her normal self and enjoying lovely walks on the beach again.

Andy said, ‘The experience we had with the vet school was amazing. They were professional, attentive, and so caring for her welfare. We arrived in the early hours of the morning after driving from Orkney and they were there waiting for her having been fully briefed by our vets. The treatment we got there wasn’t available in Orkney and we know that it, together with the blood transfusion, saved her life. However, it was only because our own vet, Northvet, spotted the signs early that we even knew something was wrong.’

Craig Breheny, Senior Lecturer in Emergency and Critical Care at the Dick Vet Hospital for Small Animals, said, ‘We are delighted to hear that Stella is doing well and hope that she is back to enjoying her swims a little less eventfully! We’re extremely lucky and appreciative at Edinburgh to have the support of the Pet Blood Bank team, as well as the pets who donate blood to help dogs like Stella.’

Dogs like Stella rely on blood being available in these life threatening situations and we aim to ensure this is always the case. However, more dogs are needed 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 and help to save lives.

Find out more and register your dog as a lifesaver.