05/24/2026
Give a pint, help a paw! During the month of May, when you donate blood, platelets, or plasma and share a photo of your pet or mention “Pints for Paws”, a bag of dog or cat food will be donated to the Upper Valley Humane Society, via West Lebanon Feed & Supply.
The DHMC Blood Donor Program shares something in common with our furry friends in animal shelters.
* We constantly need blood donors to replenish our blood supply.
* In animal shelters, there is a constant need to replenish the food supply.
The High Cost of Feeding Shelter Dogs:
* Enormous Volume: Managing a shelter requires a staggering amount of food. For context, a medium-sized shelter with around 150 dogs can easily burn through seventy-two 40-pound bags of kibble every single month.
* The "Diet Consistency" Rule: Shelters try to avoid feeding dogs a random mix of different donated brands. Rapidly switching a dog’s diet can cause severe gastrointestinal distress (diarrhea and vomiting), spreading sickness and increasing the cleaning burden on staff.
* Life-Stage Needs: Shelters cannot use a "one size fits all" feeding plan. Puppies, pregnant or lactating mothers, and senior dogs all require specialized, high-calorie, or easy-to-digest formulas to stay healthy under stress.
Food is More Than Nutrition—It’s Behavioral Therapy:
* Stress Reduction: Shelters are incredibly loud, chaotic, and stressful environments for dogs. Feeding them on a strict, predictable schedule is one of the easiest ways to lower their cortisol (stress) levels.
So please give our Dartmouth Health team a call at 603-653-3775 or schedule an appointment online at the link below. 🐾
Kooper, DHMC volunteer therapy dog, thanks you for the support.
