HYDERABAD: While the fact that there are less than five pet blood banks across the nation is certainly disheartening, pet parents in Hyderabad can heave a sigh of relief, as one of them is right here in the city now. Animal Blood Line, an NGO established by city-based animal welfare activist Shiva Kumar Varma last month, has launched a website that provides a database of blood for pets, in case of an emergency.
Shiva came up with the idea after an encounter he had with a dog that he rescued after it was hit by a car. But it ended up dying in the hospital due to lack of blood. Shiva Kumar then decided to build a website that helps pet owners by displaying the list of registered animal donors within their neighbourhood.
“Most pet parents do not even know their pet’s blood group to donate blood. Through this NGO, we will make sure that the parents get to know their pet’s blood group,” said the 33-year-old. It should be noted that he only supports and finds blood donors for animals, and is not directly involved in the treatment process.
To be a donor, your pet should meet the eligibility criteria provided by the NGO. Also, the blood groups of both cats and dogs are not breed-specific. Any breed can donate blood to any other breed. The blood test of a single animal may cost anywhere between Rs 1,700 and Rs 2,000.
The process
A pet owner needs to provide both the breed and health of their pet on the website. If a pet is below one year or above 8 years of age, the website will automatically delete their data. Restless pets are sedated for the process. The blood type of cats could be A, B or AB; while dogs’ blood type would be DEA 1.1