Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear a collar and walk on all fours.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday night, 3.5-year-old wolfhound 'Hella' officially joined the ranks of heroes when her blood donation saved the life of another dog.
Owner Jemma Hillier answered a cry from help from the Wagga Veterinary Hospital on Urana Street, bringing her dog Hella to the rescue of the gravely ill pointer.
"I was sitting there, scrolling through Facebook and I came across the call for help, the vet needed emergency live blood," Ms Hillier said.
"It was about 9 o'clock at the time. The call-out said they needed a healthy, large dog and I have a large breed. So I called up, spoke to the vet, and we fit the criteria."
Within minutes, Hella was at the hospital delivering the lifeblood.
"She was not phased by it at all, she loves going there [to the vet]. There's always lots of pats and treats for her," Ms Hillier said.
Dr Anita Helman had put the call out for blood after a pup arrived at the vet hospital with rat bait toxicity.
"It's actually becoming quite common this year," Dr Helman said.
"This dog had been exposed to rat bait, probably weeks ago. It presented pale and collapsed."
The dog, which was around 35kg, had likely eaten bait or an animal that had previously ingested the bait.
Read Also:
As Dr Helman explained the rat bait had thinned the dog's blood and needed live blood to restore its clotting ability. It had a low red blood cell count and low circulation.
"The blood was pooling in its chest, which we drained but then we needed to immediately get blood straight into its veins," Dr Helman said.
"Dogs are special in that the first time [blood is transferred] it's pretty much a freebie, you don't need to match the blood because they don't have the antibodies humans have within the first 24 hours."
With a lot more mice being seen around the region, instances of rat bait toxicity are on the rise in pets.
Dr Helman said it was important to observe any changes in behaviour and seek medical advice immediately if an owner suspects rat bait has been consumed in any way.
The animal may seem flat, its heart-rate may be elevated and in extreme cases, it may begin to look paler than usual.
Because the bait will stop the blood clotting, if the animal sustains even a small wound, it will bleed excessively.
"A lot of the time, the symptoms are completely hidden," Dr Helman said.
"[On Wednesday] we were not looking at a dog who ate a bait yesterday, we were looking at one that could have had it months ago."