Fury the lifesaving labrador is just happy to help by donating his blood. Photo: April Hall.
When it came to career choice, this labrador had the smarts to become a sight dog or a sniffer hound, but he found his calling in saving lives with blood donations.
The three-year-old from Warilla has donated blood for two years at the Animal Referral Hospital at Fairy Meadow, where his owner, April Hall, works as a vet nurse.
“I take Fury to work with me most days, and although we have a number of blood donors on our books, it’s great to have Fury on hand and ready to jump into action when required,” she said.
“Just the other week, we had an emergency when a female labrador named Ella was rushed in by her owners after they discovered she had ingested rat poisoning.”
Rat poisoning and snake bites are common emergencies at most vet clinics, and they both play havoc with blood coagulation and require urgent transfusions to avoid animals bleeding out.
“We do have pet owners on the books with dogs who are willing to come in and give blood, but having Fury there during that emergency was a godsend because it sped up the process and saved Ella’s life,” said April.
But it’s not a job every pooch can do.
They need to be aged between one and eight, be of a certain weight, fully vaccinated and healthy.
“As it requires a needle into one of their major veins, we do give a mild sedation, but the overall process only takes about 30 minutes,” said April.
All donors are kept overnight for rehydration.
With seven years’ experience at the clinic, April is aware of the power blood transfusions have in saving lives, which is why two of her cats were the first in the family to become donors.
“My attitude is if my pets are healthy and able, then they should all do the same,” she said.
Fury with a juicy bone, given to him by grateful pet owners after his blood donation saved their dog. Photo: April Hall.
Fury joined the family during COVID, and he was named after a character in April’s favourite fantasy book series, Crescent City.
Ironically, the Fury character in the book is an assassin.
“My fury doesn’t go around killing people but he is quirky and does things like sitting up on the back of our sofa with my three cats,” said April.
“He is an indoors dog and likes to be around people, which is why when my partner is working I usually take Fury with me to work.
“His routine is to walk through the door, go mad by running around saying ‘hi’ to all our staff and then he’s happy to seek out his favourite cage where he naps or watches what’s going on.”
So far, Fury has given blood four times which is used not only for emergencies but also a range of conditions for which dogs need regular transfusions.
But saving Ella was by far the most memorable.
“Ella’s owners got to know Fury when they visited their pet after the ordeal,” Ella said.
“They were so grateful they came back a few weeks later with a huge bone to reward Fury for his part in saving their dog.
“Fury doesn’t really need any special thanks because he is constantly spoiled rotten by all of our staff.”
For any dog owner considering donating their dog or cat’s blood, they can contact the Animal Referral Hospital on 4283 8432.
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