FEATURE: Japan turns to stem cells as vets struggle with blood shortage for dogs

Veterinary hospitals in Japan are struggling to secure enough blood for life-saving transfusions for dogs, prompting researchers to explore whether stem cells could eventually provide an alternative to animal donors.Unlike human blood, canine blood has no nationwide supply system in Japan, leaving veterinary hospitals to secure their own stocks for dogs suffering severe blood loss in accidents or during surgery.Takashi Mori, director of Daktari Animal Hospital in Kyoto, said veterinarians once commonly kept dogs as blood donors, but animal welfare concerns have made the practice increasingl…READ FULL ARTICLE