Dog called Cannock saves pup's life with blood donation

Cannock, a working hound from the Croome & West Warwickshire Hunt, had spent the day trail hunting when the call came from a vets in Worcester that Rosco, a four-month-old cocker spaniel puppy, was suffering from severe internal bleeding.

Pippa Wilkinson, joint master of the Croome & West Warwickshire Hunt, said: “The vets look after our hounds so well all-year round. We will always do what we can to help if another hound or a family pet is in need. Cannock did brilliantly and I’m so proud of him for helping to save the life of another animal."

Registered veterinary nurse Kirsty Thompson said: “This was an absolute emergency so we were delighted that the Croome & West Warwickshire Hunt was able to help. Rosco was desperately ill due to a rare condition which caused internal bleeding. His life was hanging in the balance but I’m pleased to say he is now well on the road to recovery.

“Working hounds are exceptionally healthy and are willing to stand still, which makes them excellent blood donors. They are also athletic, so they have a higher red blood cell count than most other breeds. It’s a huge benefit to have the Hunt’s support in emergencies when time is critical.”

The donation process takes around ten minutes and begins with a full health check to ensure the donor animal is fit and well. Any unused serum can later be stored and used to treat eye ulcers and other conditions in animals.

Cannock was named as a member of staff at the Hunt has family connections with the town. A spokesman said: "The naming protocol for all the BHSA Hunts is that the first two letters of the hounds’ name, in any given litter, comes from their parents – so Cannock will have had one parent named beginning with a ‘C’ and one parent with a name beginning with an ‘A’. That helps with the record keeping and formal studbook registration."