‘Cats’ and ‘Dogs’ to Hold Die-In at Local VCA Over Ties to Blood Bank Caught Warehousing, Bleeding Sick Animals
For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2024
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
A pack of PETA supporters wearing cat and dog masks will descend on VCA Desert Animal Hospital and simultaneously drop “dead” on its doorstep on Wednesday to urge the company—which obtained blood from The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank (TVBB)—to implement a policy against obtaining blood from animals held captive at blood banks. The action comes after a PETA undercover investigation exposed that TVBB is confining more than 900 dogs and cats to barren cages and severely crowded pens for life and routinely drawing their blood—including from animals who are elderly, emaciated, sick, and denied adequate veterinary care.
Where: VCA Desert Animal Hospital, 4299 E. Ramon Rd. (at the intersection with Calle Santa Cruz), Palm Springs
When: Wednesday, March 27, 12 noon
“Nearly 1,000 dogs and cats are being held captive by this miserable prison-like warehouse, where workers bleed them over and over again and deny them any semblance of comfort or quality of life,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is calling on VCA Animal Hospitals to commit to obtaining blood only from healthy dogs and cats who live in loving homes and are responsibly volunteered for periodic blood donations by their guardians.”
An Indiana State Board of Animal Health inspection of TVBB confirmed many of PETA’s findings, with state veterinarian Dr. Jodi Lovejoy noting that animals held there were being bled more frequently and at ages far older than industry standards dictate—including senior animals as old as 11. She found dogs kept in rusty, barren kennels without bedding or solid surfaces as well as ones with hair loss, skin tags, and apparent pressure sores, likely from being forced to lie on hard kennel floors without any bedding for years.
PetVet Care Centers—a nationwide network of veterinary hospitals—dropped TVBB as a supplier following PETA’s investigation. To date, over 50,000 PETA supporters have urged VCA’s parent company, Mars Inc., to implement a policy against obtaining blood from captive animals.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
