The 87-kg Cane Corso Next from Ufa is known by many connoisseurs of this breed in Russia and even abroad. But he is famous not only for his size and ancient pedigree. His owner, Elena, told Mail.ru Pets that thanks to him, the city’s veterinarians are saving dogs that have suffered from tick bites and a serious disease they carry – piroplasmosis. Next is a donor dog, whose noble blood now flows in the veins of a variety of dogs: both thoroughbreds and mutts.
Instead of a preface
Veterinarians across the country are no longer sounding the alarm, but at the alarm: the season of ticks is in full swing, and neglect of timely and high-quality treatment of a dog from ticks can cost a pet health and life. If you notice any changes in your dog’s health, appearance, or even behavior after being bitten by a tick, contact your veterinarian immediately.No “we’ll see first”! In severe cases of certain tick-borne diseases, primarily piroplasmosis , the dog requires a blood transfusion.
Source: personal archive
I have been a volunteer for many years: I volunteer to help in our Ufa shelter “Kindness” for stray dogs. On my weekends, I go there, bring food to them, walk the dogs, clean the aviaries – in shelters they constantly need help with their hands. One day I received a call and was told that a Cane Corso was in trouble in one of the districts of the city: his owner was taken to the hospital, and he never left. The dog weighing 68 kg was locked in the apartment. Relatives were frightened by such a hulk and warned that they would not stand on ceremony for a long time: take it away – or … In general, there were no options, but the dog did not let anyone in.
I went there and spent two hours at his door. Kicked everyone out of the door. She talked and sang songs to him. I promised I wouldn’t offend. She cried and threatened a little, but gently. In the end, I managed to get him out and put him in the car. Half an hour later we were already hugging.
Relatives of the deceased owner found and gave me the documents for the dog. It turned out that Forrest is the champion of Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, went through many exhibitions – in general, the pride of the breed. I wrote messages in profile groups: so and so, a dog from a wonderful kennel is looking for a home. They came for him, got to know him, but no one could take him away: apart from me, he did not let anyone near him. I could not bring him home to my dogs: the dog is difficult. He lived first at home overexposure, I came to him twice a day.
What have we not been through with my Forrest! After some time, he developed a bone sarcoma, and I took him to Moscow for an operation that the chief physician of one of the Moscow clinics offered to do for free – he was interested in our case, and I am immensely grateful to him. 27 hours behind the wheel, February, snowfall, closed highway – and unique guys from the traffic police, who, having learned about our situation, saw us off and took us along the side of the road; friends who provided us with a dacha near Istra … Anyway, it required huge costs and efforts, we were helped by breed lovers not only from Russia, but literally from all over the world. After the operation, Forrest lived for a year and a half at my house, I fought for him to the end: he underwent 6 courses of chemotherapy. When he died, I plunged into a real depression: so much love and strength was given to this dog. And then friends again – no,Cane Corso , and found a puppy for me. But not simple, but … almost golden.
“Everyone knows and loves Next”
Source: personal archive
Five years ago, the prestigious Eurasia Corso breed show was held in Moscow, and my friends chose a puppy there from an old Spanish kennel that supports one of the ancient Corso lines – pure black, which is very rare, and the largest. This is my first dog since puppyhood – all the dogs before him were already adults: rescued from the street or those who were abandoned by the owners. Some I took already elderly – deliberately, so that they could live the rest of their lives in care. And Next is a completely different experience.
This is my medicine, my antidepressant. I gave myself the installation: it was Forrest who came back to me. Next grew up really very similar to Forrest – literally one to one, but all Cane Corso are very different.
Do you remember the song about Vasya? “Ask anyone on Tverskoy Boulevard…” It’s the same story with Next: ask any “crook” – that’s what we call Cane Corso among our owners and breeders – “of course, everyone will answer” who Next is. One day, the editor-in-chief of the Fashion Sentence program found me and asked for Next’s participation in a dog fashion show in a special section. It was inconvenient to take our supermodel from Ufa to Moscow, so we filmed all the materials at home, sent them to the editors of the project – and Next was fashionable on the “main podium of the country”.
“Abandoned Career, Saves Lives”
Source: personal archive
We did a lot with Next: training, handlers , exhibitions. It is important to properly feed and maintain such a dog – this is a lot of work and a whole science. Work now takes me a lot of time and energy, we no longer go to exhibitions, but Next became a blood donor for relatives. The first time he donated blood for my friend’s dog. I just came with Next to the clinic – and I had absolutely no idea how everything was going on.
Sometimes blood for donation is taken from dogs under sedation, but I decided to try to donate without it: Next is a very well-mannered, calm, socialized dog. We tried it – and everything worked out, the doctor was delighted and praised Nekst very much!
The amount of blood required for transfusion is calculated according to the indicators of red blood (hematocrit) in the patient: someone needs more blood, someone needs less. Usually they take 400–600 ml from Next, which is not so much for his weight. Once we helped to “pull out” a dog with a very low hematocrit: she needed to transfuse at least a liter of blood – otherwise the blood transfusion would be pointless.
And so the doctors began to consider: is it possible to extract a whole liter of blood from Next? And they calculated according to a special formula, which is possible.
Next big – 87 kg, healthy, calm and trained dog. He perfectly withstood the procedure for taking blood the first time – and since then he has donated it 6 times for dogs in need of a transfusion. Usually a dog can be a donor once every 3 months , but Next was allowed to donate blood once every one and a half months: it is safe for him. It all depends on the weight, health and nutrition of the donor dog (Next on natural nutrition, this is important for donation and correct for a representative of this breed). So, if Next donates 400–500 ml, according to doctors, he can again be a donor even after three weeks.
Blood transfusion is sometimes needed for dogs with complex injuries, and with severe chronic diseases – or now, in the season of ticks, with an acute course of piroplasmosis. How I worry when we can’t help!
Donors for dogs are usually looked for in social networks – in public, in profile “dog” groups. Throw a cry, ask for help. And every time we respond to such an announcement and rush to the aid of complete strangers and dogs, I literally pray: at least nothing happens to my friends with their pets in the near future!
Source: personal archive
“Join the Next!”
Many dog owners are afraid to donate dogs or do not know about this possibility.
Only the amount of blood allowed by weight is taken from dogs, it is safe and almost painless.
And sedation is used not for pain relief, but to prevent the animal from spinning: not every dog will calmly endure the procedure, which in our case lasts for two hours. But Next is a kind-hearted man and unconditionally obeys me, so he literally has his own office in the Ufa clinic “Care”: he walks himself, lies down on his own, gets up when I hug him and say that you can go home. He is used to the fact that everyone loves him, strokes him – to my work, where he is almost always with me, they often come just to look at this miracle, take pictures with him – even small children are put on horseback.
Even the shaved paws of Next do not have time to overgrow
Doctors say that donation is useful for “renewal” of blood. But, of course, first of all, it allows you to save someone’s life.
Donor days for people are celebrated in Russia and in the world, but there is no donor day for animals to draw attention to this problem. People come up to us and ask why Next’s paw is shaved – “oh, what happened ?!” I tell everyone that nothing happened: it’s just that Next saved someone again – and he feels great: he rushes through the forest, eats with appetite. Donor blood is expensive – we donate it for free and from the bottom of our hearts. Join NEXT!
Source credit: https://pets.mail.ru/stories
