Dispensary Corner 27 Aug 13
August 27, 2013
Inter-species blood transfusion
has proven successful in a
landmark operation where a dog
has saved the life of a cat.
The miracle was performed by
New Zealand vet Kate Heller, who
was called in to rescue Rory the
ginger tom who had become very
ill after eating rat poison.
Heller said the “feeble feline
was fading fast” as she frantically
searched for a donor cat to
provide an immediate transfusion.
However when no suitable
moggy was available she decided
to take a gamble and use dog’s
blood again, taking about 120ml
from Macy, an 18 month-old
Labrador.
When she transferred the lifesaving
fluid to the cat it started to
recover within an hour.
Apparently cats do not have
antibodies which reject dog
blood, meaning transfusions can
buy enough time for the cat to
generate its own red blood cells.
There’s been a mass breakout
of cockroaches from an
“insect farm” in China which was
breeding the creepy-crawlies for
use in traditional remedies.
According to the Modern
Express newspaper, at least one
million roaches fled from the farm
in Dafeng in the eastern province
of Jiangsu after an “unknown
perpetrator” damaged the special
plastic greenhouse where they
were being raised.
The cockroaches have flooded
the surrounding cornfields, with
pest control authorities sending
a crack team to the area to come
up with a plan to deal with the
escapees.
The report said that traditional
Chinese medicine includes a
number of cockroach-based
extracts which can treat a
range of conditions including
inflammation and cancer.
The farm had hatched more
than 1.5 million roaches at the
time of the escape, with hopes of
making about 1,000 yuan (A$200)
for each kg sold.
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