Thanks for saving my sight, chum
Great Dane helps little kitten friend by giving blood for treatment
IN the normal run of things, a huge slobbering dog and a small fluffy kitten would not have much in common.
But Harlie the Great Dane and little Zephyr are different. They share a bond that is truly special.
Zephyr, discovered shivering under a shed in a pitiful state, was facing a life of blindness – until Harlie came forward and helped to save his sight.
After locating Harlie via an appeal for donors, vets treated the eight-week-old kitten with serum drops using parts of the dog’s blood.
This helps the surface of the eye to heal and stops tissue breaking down. Steph Taylor, from charity Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary, said Zephyr was found seriously ill with two siblings in Liverpool.
She explained: ‘They were all full of flu which had led to secondary pneumonia, horrific conjunctivitis with ulcerated eyes, ticks and severe flea infestation leading to anaemia and dehydration. The serum from Harlie was fairly unusual for us to use and we have never done it before.
‘There are several types of conven- tional medicated drops – and we used these first – but as Zephyr was not responding to these, our vet suggested it [the serum approach]. We have four dogs at our HQ but sadly none were suitable blood donors due to their size, age or health problems so we had to turn to the public for help and along came Harlie.’ Harlie’s owner Jess Parr, 30, from Liverpool, said she wanted to help but at first feared it might not be a good idea for her nine-stone pet to meet Zephyr – as she was not used to cats.
She said: ‘Harlie is a big clumsy dog but when she was with Zephyr she was so gentle, it was almost like her maternal instinct kicked in.
‘After donating blood most people get a cup of tea and a biscuit, so we gave Harlie a big bone. To be honest, she would have wolfed down a tea and biscuit as well – she eats anything.’
She added: ‘I love cats and would love to have one, if I didn’t have four dogs. I see how much Rescue Me does to help cats and kittens in need, so that was a way I felt I could give something back to help.’ Miss Taylor said that now Zephyr has healed, he will be rehomed with his two brothers Zouse and Zee next weekend.
‘After giving blood we gave her a bone’