A leading Yorkshire vet centre is calling on dog owners to sign their pets up as blood donors after carrying out life-saving surgery on a Collie which had a tumour the size of grapefruit on its liver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, is issuing the call after saving the life of 10-year-old Jess, who had been referred to the \u00a35 million centre from her local vets after owner Mark Dixon spotted she had lost weight and been drinking more than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following an ultrasound, internal medic at Paragon, Adam Bell, discovered Jess had a tumour on her liver which measured around 14cm by 10cm \u2013 the size of a large grapefruit or small football \u2013 and, if not treated, would have had just three to six months to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After being given the green light by Mark to carry out the complicated procedure to remove the growth, Jess required a blood transfusion which was immediately given thanks to Paragon being able to call upon a stock of the correct type blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, Mickey Tivers, head of surgery at Paragon, which opened its doors on Paragon Business Park in February 2018, is urging dog owners to sign their pets up to donate life-saving blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mickey said: \u201cJess\u2019s surgery was complicated and there was a risk of haemorrhage due to the complexity of the operation. It all went very well but, as we anticipated, Jess suffered a bleed, so needed a transfusion straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis sort of situation really highlights the importance of people registering their dogs to give blood. We need to know we can immediately give a transfusion to a patient should one be needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJess is now making a great recovery and we\u2019re all delighted she\u2019s back to her normal self.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark, from east Yorkshire, said: \u201cWithout Paragon, and without that blood being available, we wouldn\u2019t still have Jess. We are unbelievably grateful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cParagon and our local vets Aldgate Veterinary Practice worked brilliantly together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThankfully, Jess is now on the mend and we\u2019re so grateful to still have her with us. I would urge all dog owners to register their pets to give blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe never imagined we would find ourselves in the situation where our dog\u2019s life depended on blood from another dog \u2013 now we know just how vital it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To donate, dogs must be fit and healthy, between one and eight years old, weigh more than 25kg, have a good temperament, have never been abroad, be fully vaccinated and not on any medication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A leading Yorkshire vet centre is calling on dog owners to sign their pets up as blood donors after carrying out life-saving surgery on a Collie which had a tumour the size of grapefruit on its liver. Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, is issuing the call after saving the life of 10-year-old Jess, who had…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n