DogExpress
HUBBALLI: A story of a dog donating blood to another dog to save a life is no ordinary happening. This incident was reported in the Hubballi-Dharwad twin cities, where a German Shepherd named Charlie donated blood to save the life of ailing Maya, a Belgian Shepherd who is a security dog at the Hubballi airport. Maya is convalescing and will be back on Airport duty within a week.
It all started when Maya, a 15-month-old sniffer dog at the Hubballi Airport, contracted Ehrlichia, a bacterial infection that induces bleeding, fever, poor appetite, and lethargy. The infection is induced when an infected tick bites dogs. Therefore, it is essential to take treatment timely.
A few days ago, for treatment, the airport staff took Maya to the veterinary hospital at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) campus in Dharwad.
There was no progress initially, and she began to bleed too. So the doctors decided to transfuse blood on Sunday. Finding a dog with Maya’s blood group to donate was a challenge. Dogs have eight types of blood groups, and finding a donor is very difficult.
Luckily, on Sunday, the University of Agricultural Sciences campus organized a dog show as of Krishi Mela 2022, where hundreds of dogs participated. Charlie was among them. After confirming the match, the doctors approached Charlie’s owner, Somshekhar Channashetty, and he agreed to the donation.
Last year, Charlie, an eight-year-old dog from Dharwad, had earlier saved the life of a rottweiler by donating blood. During the accident, the rottweiler lost a lot of blood.
The professor, and head of the Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. AS Patil, stated, “Maya’s hemoglobin count had fallen to 7.3 and was nearing the danger mark of six. So, we decided to transfuse blood on Sunday. After the transfusion of blood, Maya was discharged on Sunday itself. Now, she is recovering and healthy. During Monday’s check-up, we found her to be more active.”
Maya, a Belgian Shepherd, is a sniffer dog at the Hubballi Airport and assists cops check baggage for the presence of drugs and explosives.
in Chandigarh, India. 
