INTRO: Every week thousands of Australians donate their blood to help people who are sick or injured.
While it's pretty common to hear of humans giving the red stuff, they're not the only ones braving the needle.
Dogs and cats can also give blood and save the lives of their furry mates.
KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: Meet Mitzy and she's one lucky dog! This kelpie cross is in tip top shape but a while ago her future was looking pretty bleak.
SAM, MITZY'S OWNER: She had a bit of a holiday up at my parents farm and came across some rat poison that had fallen off a shelf in an old garden shed and as dogs are pretty inquisitive she thought she'd have a taste of this and she ate a bit of it.
KIRSTY: Those mouthfuls soon saw Mitzy being rushed to the vet. It turned out she needed a blood transfusion to flush out the poison. That's when the vet takes blood from one animal and gives it to another. Mitzy was so sick she needed three transfusions.
SAM: I was pretty, pretty, pretty scared you know cos because after two and a half years you get to know your pet you know really quite well. Well my partner at the time we were both very concerned so we were just waiting and hoping.
KIRSTY: The blood transfusions definitely saved her life but it's not just the vets who need thanking! The real lifesavers are dogs like Zac. He's one of a dozen pooches that donate blood at this vet clinic. Zac's on call for emergencies.
Dr MARK NEWMAN, ADELAIDE ANIMAL HOSPITAL: Animals who have been in car accidents and lost a lot of blood that way or eating rat poision is another big one where they lose a lot of blood.
KIRSTY: Just like humans there are different blood types for dogs and cats. So the vets generally need to match up the right types. In an emergency, dogs blood can be used to help a cat - but it can't work the other way around. Before blood can be taken, there are a few things that need to be checked. The first, is to weigh the animal and make sure they're the right weight to donate blood. So that's over 30 kilograms for dogs and at least four kilos for cats. Donors also need to be: in good health; aged between one and 7 years old; and have a calm temperament. Once all of those requirements are ticked off it's time to attach the drip. The fluid in the drip replaces nutrients lost in the transfusion. The vet also adds a sedative to make sure Zac stays calm.
ARIN: A little bit sleepy hey.
KIRSTY: So Mark what are you looking for?
MARK: At the moment we are just trying to find Zac's jugular vein which is a fluid filled vessel that is just under my finger there which we can feel quite easily.
KIRSTY: Is that where you extract the blood?
MARK: That's where we will put the needle into and take the blood from.
KIRSTY: OK, so let's see the result! It depends on the size of the dog but the aim is to get up to 450 millilitres of blood.
And this is where the blood ends up. The blood is kept here for a month and if it's not used in that time it has to be thrown out. Just like human blood, it can't be kept any longer because it starts to lose its nutrients.
The vets are always on the look-out for new donors because the donor dogs they have are getting older. So is there any chance that Mitzy could return the favour for some other pooches down the track?
SAM: That's a really interesting question I think I would if everything checks out and that she could I reckon that would be a good thing for her to repay a little debt to the world of dogs.
KIRSTY: And that could go on to save the life of a mate she's never met!
Extra Info reported on 18/05/2010 in episode 12