Whistleblower: 150 Greyhounds Kept in Squalor, Bled for Profit

PETA to Veterinary Products Giant: Pull Plug on Sale of Blood From Captive Dogs, Fund Rescue of Dogs From Shocking Conditions

For Immediate Release:
September 21, 2017

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

PETA has obtained photographs and video footage of approximately 150 greyhounds—most if not all of whom were bred for racing—suffering in squalid conditions ripe for diseases, including blood-borne ones, at The Pet Blood Bank, Inc., which sells dogs’ blood to veterinary clinics across the U.S. through Patterson Veterinary Supply, Inc., of St. Paul, Minnesota. Video footage sent to PETA shows dogs pacing and spinning in circles—severe stress-induced types of behavior—and cringing, cowering, and even urinating on themselves in fear when approached. PETA has asked the San Saba County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the kennel—a former turkey farm—for failing to provide dogs who had severe dental infections, painful open and infected wounds, apparent broken legs, and other health issues with veterinary care, in violation of the law.

Most dogs at the facility are confined alone to barren, dirt-floored kennels. According to one eyewitness, they’re bled up to twice a month—with about 20 percent of their blood taken each time—and for up to three hours before and after the procedure, they’re locked inside travel carriers outside, without shade or water. Some are even kept muzzled this entire time. They’re constantly exposed to ticks, fleas, and flies, putting both them and recipients of their blood via transfusions at risk.

“These dogs were used and then discarded by the racing industry, and now, we find them kept in squalor, denied even basic veterinary care, and bled over and over again until the day they die,” PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch says. “PETA wants these animals to be rescued and given a chance to experience joy, love, and respect; to run and play; and to get to be dogs for the first time in their lives.”

PETA is urging The Pet Blood Bank, Inc.’s, operators to turn over the dogs to competent rescue agencies for urgent veterinary assessment. PETA has also called on Patterson Veterinary Supply—part of Patterson Companies, Inc., a Fortune 500 company—to fund the dogs’ rescue and commit to sourcing blood exclusively from animals whose guardians volunteer them for safe and humane blood drives.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—notes that snakes and mice enter the kennels, and depressions in the dirt collect water, further promoting the spread of disease.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.