Rueben, an 8-year-old Labrador retriever, has retired after donating 37.6 pints of blood to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Care blood bank over the course of four and a half years. “When you take his size into account, about half that of your average person, that’s the human equivalent of about nine gallons,” said Julie Walker, DVM, clinical assistant professor of critical and emergency care. Reuben and his owners, Dawn and A.J. Brauner of Portage, Wis., have made the trip to UW Veterinary Care at least 40 times for donations, according to the UW’s School of Veterinary Medicine. That adds up to a lot of time since donor animals need to spend the day at the hospital. However, as the school noted, there are many benefits to being a donor, such as free food, preventative medications, routine vaccines, health examinations, heartworm testing and dental scaling and polishing. The blood bank is always looking for new donors. For details, visit the website here.
