Oscar, the blood-donating lab, to step down after 32 dog years of service

Oscar the Labrador with Lourda Quinlan, an animal care attendant at the UCD Veterinary Hospital where he has helped save countless pups over the years.

One of Ireland’s best boys is stepping down from duty after 32 dog years in service.

Oscar, an eight-year-old labrador, has helped save countless pups over the years, by donating his blood to the University College Dublin (UCD) Veterinary Hospital.

Oscar's blood has helped pooches recover from everything from rare diseases to car accidents.

To become a blood donor your pet must be:

✅ Dog over 25kg or cat over 4kg
✅ Aged between 1-8 years
✅ Fully vaccinated, wormed, healthy and not receiving any medication
✅ Not travelled outside Ireland or the UK
✅ Have never received a transfusion
✅ Have a good temperament pic.twitter.com/VKnvrlfMyB

— UCD School of Veterinary Medicine (@ucdvetmed) February 23, 2021

Now, however, Oscar is retiring from service, allowing him to enjoy his golden years, which will be full of long walks and lazy afternoons.

Lourda Quinlan is an animal care attendant who looks after the blood donors such as Oscar. She explains the important role that Oscar played, and why they need more brave pets like him.

“Oscar has saved numerous lives. There are many reasons our patients need blood transfusion. IMHA, which is an immune-mediated hemolytic amenia, is life-threatening without quick intervention. There are trauma road accidents where the patient has lost a lot of blood,” Ms Quinlan explained. 

Oscar can look forward to countless long walks and lazy afternoons after his 32 dog years of service.

"And there are certain surgeries that need a blood transfusion due to the loss of blood.

“Without blood donors, we can't save the lives and reunite our furry family members. But thanks to Oscar, and all our donors, we could do this. 

Blood donors can only donate every three to four months. So at times, we find it difficult to get donors.

However, despite Oscar’s eagerness to assist his canine companions, as a dog gets older the impact of the donations takes more of a toll on their bodies.

“The last thing we want to do is put our saviours in danger,” said Ms Quinlan, who goes through the procedures with dogs such as Oscar.

“We're just so thankful to Oscar and all our cat and dog donors. They’re all little lifesavers and deserve the best,” she added, stressing that the Veterinary Hospital is always on the lookout for more fluffy heroes in the form of cats as well as dogs.

UCD paid a special tribute to the canine hero, wishing him luck in all of his future endeavors.