Two major animal hospital chains have ended their partnership with one of the largest animal blood banks in the United States. It comes three months after a bombshell report accused the facility of harvesting some of its supplies from cats that are “debilitated, sick, injured, elderly, and/or medicated.” Dogs, the Post has learned.
As The Post exclusively reported in January, an Indiana veterinary blood bank was cleared for allegedly selling contaminated blood after a seven-month undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Facing animal cruelty investigation.
Blue Pearl Pet Hospital and VCA Veterinary Hospital, which operates 1,100 facilities nationwide, discontinued TVBB last month, the companies said.
In a statement released March 27, both hospitals said they use “blood products that meet the highest medical and ethical standards” and “can confirm that they will no longer purchase products from TVBB.” Ta.
PETA supporters were protesting outside the headquarters of both hospital chains, owned by Mars Veterinary Health, a subsidiary of candy conglomerate Mars Inc., and were demanding a severance of ties with TVBB. a spokesperson for the animal rights group told The Post.
The Post has reached out to Mars Veterinary Health for comment.
TVBB co-founder and veterinarian Darren Bryant did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
PETA officials infiltrated TVBB last year and claimed that blood from sick animals was being drawn every three weeks, which is higher than the industry standard of every month or every two months.
“Our investigators have seen staff collect blood from animals with cancer and other infectious diseases, sometimes up to a week before the animals die,” said PETA Vice President Dan Padden. I witnessed it,” PETA Vice President Dan Padden told the Post. “These were animals at risk.”
PETA also published heartbreaking photos of a dog that was allegedly injured in a fight with an incompatible dog. This can be caused by prolonged exposure to kennel mates or “hard grate flooring that can cause injuries to the animal’s legs and feet.”
This discovery prompted the Indiana State Animal Health Board to visit TVBB.
The agency found no violations, but recommended that TVBB improve the animals’ environment, including installing padding in the kennels to protect them from hard surfaces..
A separate investigation was conducted by the local sheriff’s office and the results were referred to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors are still investigating PETA’s allegations, officials told the Post.
In an interview with the Post in January, Bryant declined to comment on PETA’s video or directly address whether the facility draws blood from sick animals.
He acknowledged that the animals share kennels and can be injured during fights, but injuries are not “left unattended.”
Bryant is interview After the Post published his first article, he wrote an article for a local newspaper in February.
“Currently, all of the enclosures we have have hard surface flooring, which the dogs don’t tear up easily,” he told the Tribune.
He also said staff are replacing some of the casings that have rusted areas, and that work is about 90% complete.
The loss of TVBB’s business partner comes on the heels of another animal blood bank, Hemopet, in Garden Grove, Calif., closing its doors after 33 years on March 15.
“The significant increase in costs on all fronts has resulted in a monthly deficit that Hemopet can no longer sustain, especially given our not-for-profit status.” The company said in a statement: on its website.
Hemopet declined further comment.
