Meeting a very special RSPCA dog
This week I popped in to the RSPCA Brisbane Adoption centre to have a few snuggles & chat about the upcoming Adopt A Bullcampaign. Each time I go in to the centre, I like to cuddle as many animals as I can & learn about their story, why they are at the RSPCA, how they got there, things like that. Any excuse to spend some time with them, playing & having cuddles!
One particular gorgeous boy I met was the handsome “Rubble“. Rubble is a beautiful Neapolitan Mastiff cross English Staffordshire Bull Terrier who came into care in March. He was a lost dog found by Council and sadly his owner didn’t come forward to claim him.
Rubble has a marvellous story! He was recently undergoing his desexing surgery and as fate would have it, he was the perfect blood-type match for a gorgeous Kelpie cross, “Xena”, who was in desperate need of a transfusion after she was found lifeless in her backyard. She was suffering from a massive infestation of thousands of fleas. Xena’s blood supply couldn’t keep up with the demands of her own body, let alone all the uninvited guests, and prompt flea treatment was to no avail. With a donation of just 450mm of blood, Rubble saved Xena’s life with his blood donation (with a little help from the RSPCA vet team too!). Within an hour Xena was wagging her tail again and it wasn’t long before she found her furever home! How gorgeous is that?!
I also learnt while I was meeting Rubble, that dogs’ blood can actually be transfused to cats in emergencies! Xenotransfusion (the transfusion of blood from another species) of canine blood to cats is practised in some countries, including Australia, and can be successful as a short-term solution until ideal matching feline blood is found, due to cats not having naturally-occurring antibodies against canine red blood cell antigens. Who would have thought it?! Amazing! Take a look at this video about “Cooper” the Staffy donating to “Cooper Two”, a very purry cat, at RSPCA Queensland last year: Cooper & Cooper
Read about the awesome Veterinary Services team at RSPCA Queensland, who helped save both Xena & Rubble, the Coopers and countless animals every day & find out how you can support their work & help make a difference through donations, volunteering & other support here
J x
