We need help finding dog heroes! Have you ever wondered what would happen if your dog needed a blood transfusion?

Canine Blood Heroes is a blood service that finds eligible dogs to act as volunteer blood donors. The service ensures that Salt Lake City veterinarians and pet owners have a reliable source of canine blood for transfusions. There are so many reasons a dog may need blood: rat bait ingestion, surgery, cancer, trauma, the list goes on. It can be a real challenge to find blood in an emergency situation - this program is designed to help with that challenge.

All the dogs in the program are universal donors. Just like humans who are O negative these universal donor dogs can donate blood to any other dog. This saves time and money for the dog on the receiving end of the transfusion. Only a small segment of the general population of dogs are universal donors. Greyhounds, other sighthounds, boxers, pit bulls, and dobermans are more likely to have the right blood type. The potential donors will be typed, and if eligible will be screened for bloodborne diseases to make sure they can donate to other dogs.

To qualify for the program, dogs must be between 1 and 7 years old, weigh at least 50 pounds, and have a nice personality (since donations are done while awake). The donation does not harm your dog, and as a thank you for each donation, you will receive a $50 credit good at the local veterinary clinic of your choice.

If you have questions about the program, please do not hesitate to contact one of our veterinarians