This is Artus.
Artus lives in Munich.

This is Joey.
Joey lives in Hameln.

These are Joey and Aischa on a vacation.
Somewhere in Europe.

This is a tick.
Ticks transfer diseases.

Ticks transfer a number of infectious diseases, some of which attack and destroy blood cells, like babesiosia, ehrlichiosis or borreliosis.

Joey had been infected with babesosia from a tick bite during his vacation.

The only drug known to be effective for babesiosa has no approval for the German market; with a bunch of good luck very few of our little number of vetereriny clinics might have one infusion on stock. Therefore, Joey had to be brought to the University Vet Clinic of Munich. In spite of the drug, his status aggrevated, his blood parameters reached dramatically low peaks - his life was literally hanging by a thread only.

Thanks to just a purely lucky accident a blood donor for Joey could be found at the very last minute. With just under half a liter of his blood Artus saved the life of Joey.

So little can sometimes be so impossibly much...

Thank you Artus.

The whole dramatic story of Joey's disease you can read here (sorry, German only).

This is Gunner.
Somewhere in Kentucky...

These are Gunner and Sam.
In the vet office of Sam's owner.

This is Kentucky.
The home of Gunner and Sam

This is a rifle.
With a rifle you can shoot.

Gunner had cruelly been shot in his breast. Then, he was abandoned to his fate, dying. Animal rescuers saved him from being put to sleep in a shelter and placed him in their care.

Chances were not really good for Gunner: 3 long days, he struggled for his life. During the operation, in which also his leg had to be amputated, Gunner fell into a heavy state of shock due to his blood loss.

Without Sam's blood, Gunner wouldn't have had any chances left. Only 2 days later Gunner was out of the woods. Today, Gunner lives with his buddy, three-legged as well, in a loving home. He works as a certified therapy dog in a children's hospital in Kentucky.
...more on the work of Gunner and his buddy Forrest...

Love gets multiplied, if you devide it...

Thank you Sam.

The original story of Gunner's rescue you can read here (in English).

In the USA blood donations from and to dogs respectively, are well organised in many parts of the country; blood banks and donation programs are broadly known. The determination of the blood group of one's own dog is, more or less, a medical standard. The first blood bank has been founded in 1988 by an agricultural biologist, after her own dog lost his life, bleeding to death on an operating table.

In fact, in Germany only very few veterinary clinics or offices do have banked blood or lists with potential donors at their disposal. In case of need, not rarely it is on lucky accidents or on the creativity of the vets to decide on life or death of a dog. In a nation like Germany, actually an incredibly situation...

Artus' life-saving blood donation, not only came symbolically, but also in reality - at the eleventh hour, at five to twelve p.m. !!!

A symbol, that made us all very thoughtfully...

Rosely Holz and Angela Hellmann were a lot more than being thoughtfully only:

Just a few days after Joey got back home, they already had the first potential phone numbers in their donor's index, gotten off the ground in no time.
With help from Joey and his family, his mummy Bettina Abramowski in front of them, less than 4 weeks later the blood donor index already knew more than 200 donor-dogs.

Thank you Joey.
And of course, thank you Rosely, Angela, and Bettina.

Also your dog can get into a life-threatening situation that requires a blood donation. Accidents, operations, a variety of diseases that do not even have to take such dramatic courses like the ones described above - it can happen so very quickly.

In such a case, would you know, which dog would safe your dog's life - and which one could?
In the middle of the night?
At any place?

What can I do?

The best of all indexes is worth nothing, if too little dog owners have knowledge of its existence.
To be able to organise a blood donation also for your dog in case of emergency, there can hardly be to many of registrated donor-dogs. All the more, as the need for blood donations is constantly rising, not only due to the rising number of operative methods.

It is only since the publication and spreading of Joey's story in the internet that you find increasing information on the topic of "blood donation for dogs" on German websites.

And this is, what YOU can do:

• Get your dog be registered in the blood donor index. Only your zip-code and your phone number are needed.
  
  How it works and anything else, what you might want or need to know on blood donations for dogs and the blood donor index, you can find on the website for blood donor index for dogs.
  
  
  
• Talk it over with your vet when you next see him.
  Ask him, if his practice already has an index - and if you could be be the first entry.
  Ask him, if a determination of your dog's blood group could be useful.
  
  
  
• Inform your acquaintances, your relatives, your friends,...
  Please feel free to also use the banner of the blood donor index.
  
  
  
  On the website of the blood donor index you will find many more useful documents to be downloaded and printed, that you also can forward to whomever.
  
  
  

Thank YOU - and your dog.