Dog Monsters

Of the many inherited defects, bleeding disorders are extremely common. There is a reason and it is the all too frequent practice of inbreeding without eliminating the defective offspring. In breeding, as previously mentioned, is effective in intensifying desirable traits but it also perpetuates such undesirable disorders as hemophilia.

The most common blood disease is one found in humans also, hemophilia A or Factor VIII deficiency. Reported in almost all tire breeds of purebred dogs, it has also been found in many mongrels. As is true of the human disease, it is usually carried by a normal mother and spread to her male offspring.

Hemophilia B is also known as Christmas disease or Factor IX deficiency. It is inherited from normal mothers by their male puppies, the same as is hemophilia A. It has been identified in only six breeds. Von Willebrand's disease is a rare form of hemophilia and found also in the bloodlines of only six breeds, none of which have had hemophilia, but dogs of other breeds have been diagnosed as having this. Platelets are microscopic objects in the blood that are necessary in clotting, and platelet defects are responsible for several other bleeding disorders.

Their symptoms often are joint hemorrhages with swelling or un-usual swellings from blood clots anywhere in the body. Or there may be unexplained prolonged bleeding from the nose, mouth, or any normal opening as well as from surgery. The proper diagnosis may not be able to be made without special laboratory procedures and verification may require inquiry into the breeding program to determine the mode of inheritance.

Blood transfusions are necessary to save dogs that have lost excessive blood usually from surgery or injury. Do dogs have different types of blood? Yes, there are eight major blood groups. But fortunately about 4 percent of dogs have A-negative blood and are universal donors. These dogs, however, must receive A-negative blood when they are recipients of whole blood. The other 6o percent as recipients can be given any canine blood. Many veterinarians keep A-negative donors on hand to supply blood for any dog without matching.

Not all dogs are capable of donating blood. There are certain requirements that the donor dog should have for the well being of the dogs, the patient dog and the donor dog. Just like human beings dogs also require blood transmission when they are sick. In case you want to take your dog for a blood transmission you should take him to a good veterinary clinic from where it would be getting fresh blood from a healthy dog. The donor dog should be medically declared fit and healthy. The ideal age group of the dog should be 1 year to 6 years. It should be well updated with all the necessary vaccinations, the average weight should be around 55 pounds. Other things that should be noted that the donor dog should not itself have received blood transfusion ever in its life time and must not ever become pregnant. So, be careful while choosing the right donor for your pet dog.