Chums reunited: Bruno the cocker spaniel spends Christmas with the labrador who saved his life with a blood transfusion

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Reunited: Bruno, left, and Max play together a year after a blood transfusion from Max helped save the life of seven year old Bruno

A dog has been reunited at Christmas with the canine hero that saved his life a year ago by donating blood.
Last December, Bruno the cocker spaniel had just hours to live when he was rushed into pet hospital.
The seven-year-old was fighting a life-threatening condition in which his healthy red blood cells were being destroyed by his white blood cells.
His only chance of survival was to quickly find a suitable blood donor at the veterinary charity PDSA's hospital in Blackpool, Lancashire.

Jen Jackson, senior veterinary surgeon at Blackpool PDSA Pet Aid Hospital with Bruno, left, and Max

'The odds of finding and getting the donor dog into the hospital for the transfusion within the short space of time we had were very much against us,' said PDSA (the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) senior vet Jennifer Jackson.
Luckily a suitable donor came forward in Max the labrador, that had an operation at the same hospital when he was younger to remove a blockage in his gut.
His owner, Luke McGarry, from Blackpool, wanted to repay the charity for their assistance then and allowed the four-year-old to give 250ml - just under half a pint - of blood to help Bruno fight back against the disease.

Christmas present: Bruno, left, and Max get ready to eat a treat

'Bruno was kept in intensive care for a couple of days afterwards to closely monitor his condition.
'Happily, he responded well and was allowed to return home.
'It's always wonderful when cases have a happy ending and our sincere thanks go to Luke and Max for coming to the rescue.'
Bruno's owner Stephen Metcalf, 50, from Blackpool, said: 'I've had Bruno since he was eight weeks old and he is such a big softie.
'He had been lethargic and not himself, and when I noticed the blood in his urine I knew something was wrong so I took him to be checked out at PDSA. I was stunned when they told me what was wrong - it really came out of the blue.

Together again: (Left to right) Bruno's owners Stephen Metcalfe and Laura Thain, Bruno (grounded), black Labrador Max, and Jen Jackson

'I can't thank Jennifer and PDSA enough. They are fantastic people and I can't express how grateful I am. I'm also indebted to Max and his owner Luke - if it wasn't for them, Bruno wouldn't be here today.
'His condition can come back at any time but I'm just glad for the extra time I've been given with him.'
Both dogs were in fine fettle when they met up at the hospital a year on following the blood transfusion.
Fit-again Bruno celebrated Christmas with a new bed, while his life-saving friend earned a new ball and his favourite dog chews.
Blackpool PDSA PetAid hospital provides free veterinary treatment for the sick and injured pets of eligible owners in need.
The charity relies on donations from the public to fund its vital services, which costs more than £700,000 a year to run.

source: dailymail

Santa's little yelpers: Eight pups pining for new home for Christmas

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER



The litter are looking for a new home after being dumped on the staff at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London by their owner a few days ago.

Each pup has been given a seasonal name after Santa's reindeer – from left to right Dasher, Cupid, Prancer, Donner, Dancer, Comet, Blitzen and Vixen.



The black, white and tan pups are mongrels. Although their breed is unknown, they are likely to grow quite big.

The mischievous pups will spend Christmas alongside 500 other dogs and 175 cats at the home, where carols will be played in the kennels and the scent of frankincense and nutmeg will be wafted in the air to keep the dogs' environment interesting.

Lindsey Quinlan, Battersea's operations manager, said: 'Ultimately we want them to find a new home, but until then we have to make our kennels and cattery as enjoyable as possible.'



To offer a pup a new home, contact the charity on 020 7627 9234 or rehoming@battersea.org.uk.



source: dailymail

Two kittens stuffed inside cat food bag and dumped in road are rescued... by a dog

By WIL LONGBOTTOM



Left for dead: Tipper and Skipper were thrown into a bag with several other kittens and dumped in the middle of a road



Two kittens stuffed inside a bag and cruelly dumped in the middle of a road were heroically rescued... by a dog.

Tipper and Skipper had been sealed inside a Meow Mix bag along with the rest of their litter and left in the street in Des Moines, Iowa.

The bag had been hit by a car, killing some of the kittens inside, when a passing dog came to their rescue, picking up the bag and carrying it home.



Saved: The vulnerable pair would not have survived if it were not for heroic dog Regan, who came to their rescue



Regan refused to stop whining to her owner until they had opened the bag, revealing the grisly contents and two seriously injured but still alive kittens.

Linda Blakely, from Iowa's Raccoon Valley Animal Sanctuary, told CBS: 'The instinct of the dog was to nurture and not kill the kittens.



Hero: Regan, pictured, passed by the dumped bag, picked it up and carried it home



'With all the blood some dogs would have responded to the scent. Reagan the dog is a hero.'

She added: 'When she reached in, the horror of these kittens covered in blood and guts quickly revealed that there were more that didn't make it.'

The two kittens were treated at the sanctuary and nursed back to health over three months. They are both now up for adoption



Safe: The two kittens have been nursed back to health and are now up for adoption



source: dailymail