SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ When Robyn Black rushed her beloved corgi Winston to a veterinary hospital in Sacramento, she told the staff to do whatever it took to heal her pup as an autoimmune disease threatened his life.
Winston needed several blood transfusions, but after two days of treatment, the veterinary hospital ran out of the canine lifeline. Pet hospitals often are short on dog blood amid a national shortage that lawmakers say is further exacerbated in California by the state's restrictive laws that require veterinarians to buy dog blood solely from two blood banks, which operate in virtual secrecy.
"He died right there," said Black, a well-known Capitol lobbyist. "Back then, I didn't know how the animal blood supply worked."
In fact, very little is known about the operations of animal blood banks in California, and that's on purpose. California cloaks the state's two licensed animal blood banks _ both privately owned and commercially operated _ with sweeping exemptions from public records laws, with the state allowing the facilities to craft their own standards on how animals are cared for and then keeping all records under seal.
What is known is this: California's two canine blood banks each use hundreds of dogs, which are kept caged in donor colonies, for the sole purpose of drawing their blood every 10 to 14 days. Animal rights groups have accused these facilities of mistreating the donor dogs, but those claims are difficult to verify given the secrecy in which the blood banks operate.
California is the only state in the country that limits veterinarian hospitals to purchasing lifesaving blood supplies from companies that house dogs and cats this way.
Other states allow donor colonies, but they also permit community donor programs in which pet owners voluntarily bring dogs or cats to a veterinarian to donate blood, which is then sold to veterinarians.
The operators of the two animal blood banks in California _ Hemopet and Animal Blood Bank Resources International _ say housing colonies of donor dogs, as required by the state, ensures a regular supply of safe blood for veterinarians. The owner of the facility in Garden Grove _ Hemopet _ said she has more than 200 greyhounds, former racing dogs shipped in from states including Florida, being housed for their blood. Greyhounds make up the bulk of blood donors at these facilities because of their generally docile temperament and their "universal" blood type, which can be used to treat any breed.
Animal Blood Bank Resources International, based in Dixon, has not disclosed where its donor dogs are kept or how many animals it has, which is allowed because of the state's public records exemption. Calls requesting interviews with representatives at both facilities were not returned.
Critics argue it's inhumane to cage an animal in order to habitually draw its blood, with animal welfare groups saying California is an outlier in requiring veterinarians to purchase animal blood solely from warehoused dogs.
In Winston's case, the nearby University of California, Davis veterinary blood bank had its own supply. But because it does not own and house the donor dogs on site, the renowned pet hospital is barred by state law from providing blood to other hospitals. Instead, the blood collected there can only be used on its own patients. Several times a month, the lifesaving platelets and red blood cells processed there expire on their shelves, even as the state experiences a dog blood shortage and nearby pet hospitals scramble for supplies.
Black said by the time she realized she would have to drive Winston to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital, it was too late.
"I was on the phone with them when he went into cardiac arrest," said Black, who broke into tears recalling the moment.
"For anyone who argues the current system is working, I'd be happy to take you to Winston's grave," Black said. "Tell me how the current system works well."
