By Jena Carr
A Geelong dog has been given a second chance at life thanks to a Werribee vet and anonymous dog blood donor.
Cass knew something wasn’t right with her four-year-old toy cavoodle Ollie after he spent a day at a groomer.
“I was sitting with him, and I could smell blood,” she said.
“I saw he had a wound on his paw, and that’s when I saw his stomach had lots of little dots that were quite red.
“The spots went down his legs, and one of them was a really deep purple bruise on him.”
Cass took Ollie to the Werribee Greencross Vet Hospital vet, which led her to cancel her trip to Europe to care for her furry friend.
Ollie was diagnosed with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, where the dog’s immune system destroys the body’s platelets (something in the blood that helps prevent bleeding).
“The vet rang me early the day after I admitted Ollie and said he had no red blood cells and no platelets, which means he was anaemic and needed a blood transfusion,” Cass said.
“They had to call an owner to bring their dog to the hospital to give blood as Ollie needed fresh blood, which I am incredibly thankful for.
“After Ollie had the transfusion, vet Liam called me and sent me a little video where he looked much better. That’s quite a personal touch; they were just so compassionate.
“Compared to what he was then to now, there is a huge difference in his condition and he’s very lucky.”
Anyone looking to help Ollie and his family out with his ongoing treatment and medical bills can do so at gofund.me/5c327ec4
