Case Study: Canine Blood Banks Save Lives

CASE STUDY: CANINE BLOOD BANKS SAVE LIVES

Dr. Robert Esplin's client knew the value of the canine blood bank when he rushed his dog to Sylvania Veterinary Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio. The twist: the dog being rushed to the hospital was called in to donate blood to another dog in need.

This dedicated pet owner and others like him make the canine blood bank at the hospital possible. "All of our donor dogs are owned by clients and employees," says Dr. Esplin. "More than half of the dogs in the donor pool are lucky to be alive, which makes the program more satisfying to us. They're getting their turn to save."

The hospital performs a health screen on all the dogs in the donor pool, testing for a variety of diseases. "The hospital invests about $300 per dog getting them into the donor pool as well as some additional expenses for blood collection and typing and for trips to the blood centrifuge to make fresh, frozen plasma," Dr. Esplin says.

He feels that's a good investment, given the lives the service saves. And, he says, the program pays for itself. The hospital charges $165 per unit of blood, and has used 40 units of blood and plasma in two years. The donor pool has 15 dogs, which represents an investment of $4,500. The investment has produced $6,600 in revenue.

On rare occasions, the hospital sells the blood to other facilities that need it, but Dr. Esplin tries to limit this practice. "We don't want to overburden clients who participate in this program," he says. "It's a fantastic service for our clients. It helps us save lives that we otherwise couldn't. The blood bank isn't a major profit center; it's really a reflection of our commitment to our patients and to high-quality medicine. It's something we use to differentiate us from other practices."