Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University
Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University
Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University
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Caring for animals, people, & the environment<br />
Blood shortages are common in human hospitals around<br />
the country, and it is imperative that blood is readily available<br />
for those who are injured or undergo surgery. What<br />
many people don’t realize is that these same shortages also<br />
impact animal hospitals. The <strong>Texas</strong> A&M <strong>University</strong> <strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) is<br />
more than aware <strong>of</strong> this need. In fact, a blood bank like the<br />
ones in human hospitals can be found in the <strong>Veterinary</strong><br />
Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). The technicians that<br />
oversee the operations <strong>of</strong> the blood bank realize the critical<br />
need for donor pets to help keep a steady supply <strong>of</strong> blood<br />
6 • CVM Today • Summer 2010<br />
A Special Kind<br />
<strong>of</strong> Donation:<br />
Giving the Gift <strong>of</strong> Life<br />
Paula Plummer and Maddie<br />
by Elizabeth Janecka<br />
and blood components on hand for emergencies. For this<br />
reason, they maintain an on-call list <strong>of</strong> available blood donors<br />
for “fresh draw” components such as platelets and they<br />
also purchase and maintain a stock <strong>of</strong> other frozen/refrigerated<br />
components.<br />
The feature in this edition <strong>of</strong> CVM Today focuses on what<br />
happens when disaster strikes, and highlights the college’s<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Emergency Team. However, when emergencies<br />
happen and disasters occur, not all clinicians are deployed<br />
to the disaster zone. Many remain at the VMTH to care for<br />
pets arriving from hard hit areas—the ones that may need