This blood bank will help in improving survival chances among dogs with easy availability of blood, RBCs, platelets and plasma.A special blood bank for dogs at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana — the first such initiative in north India — is drawing praise from all quarters with even Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore hailing its establishment.
“I congratulate & commend the faculty of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana for setting up the first ever Dog Blood Bank in Northern India where blood, platelets, plasma are offered to ailing or injured dogs,” Badnore, also the ex-officio chancellor of the GADVASU, said in a tweet.
Badnore also tagged animal activist and BJP MP Maneka Gandhi in his tweet.
The university also took to the Twitter to says that the “entire faculty is grateful to the Governor for acknowledging the work of the institute. We promise to continue to strive for providing world class facilities to livestock owners and pet lovers”.
Vice Chancellor Dr Inderjeet Singh said that the Governor of Punjab is also the Chancellor of the university. “So our responsibility increases manifold to meet the needs and expectations of the public. We will continue to strive for the betterment of our services,” he said.
Talking about the blood bank, V-C said, “It will be of great benefit to the sick and injured dogs who need blood and will help in saving their lives. People love pets as their family members. Therefore, the pet owners are also happy about this facility. The university is making strenuous efforts in the treatment of animals through state-of-the-art machines, advanced techniques and expert doctors. Our Veterinary Hospital treats more than 30,000 animals every year, including more than 20,000 small pets.”
The university experts further said that the blood bank for the dogs has been established after taking permission from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
Dr Shukriti Sharma, assistant professor, department of veterinary sciences, GADVASU, said that it is the first such blood bank for dogs in northern India where donated blood of dogs is being segregated into Red Blood Cells (RBCs), platelets and plasma.
“At least 25,000 dogs are treated at GADVASU each year suffering from different ailments, injuries etc. At least 500-600 suffer from low haemoglobin problems too. This blood bank will help in improving survival chances among dogs with easy availability of blood, RBCs, platelets and plasma,” Dr Sharma said.
He added that the blood bank has been set-up under a special project for which at least 25 states had applied but approval was granted only for two — one at Chennai and other at GADVASU.
Earlier it was only possible to transfuse the blood from one dog to the other, said the doctor.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Ludhiana News, download Indian Express App.