Two major veterinary hospital chains cut ties with one of the largest animal blood banks in the US — three months after a bombshell report accused the facility of drawing some of its supply from “emaciated, sick, injured, elderly and/or medicated” cats and dogs, The Post has learned.
The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank in Indiana faced an animal abuse investigation after being accused of selling the tainted blood following a seven-month undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, as The Post exclusively reported in January.
Blue Pearl Pet Hospital and VCA Animal Hospitals – which operate 1,100 facilities across the country — dropped TVBB last month, the companies said.
In a statement issued March 27, the hospitals said they use “blood products that meet the best medical and ethical standards” and that they “can confirm that we are no longer purchasing products from TVBB.”
PETA supporters had been protesting outside of the headquarters of both hospital chains — owned by Mars Veterinary Health, a subsidiary of the candy conglomerate Mars Inc. — demanding they sever ties with TVBB, a spokesperson for the animal rights group told The Post.
The Post 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.
The PETA worker infiltrated TVBB last year and claimed that blood from ailing animals was drawn every three weeks – more frequently than the industry standard of monthly or every two months.
“Our investigator saw staff take blood from animals that were sick with cancer and other infections, sometimes pulling blood a week before the animal dies,” PETA vice president Dan Paden had told The Post. “These were compromised animals.”
PETA also released grim photos that showed dogs suffering from wounds allegedly caused by fights with incompatible kennel mates or from prolonged exposure to “hard, grated floors that caused injuries to the animals’ feet and legs.”
The findings spurred the Indiana Board of Animal Health to visit TVBB.
The agency did not find any violations but recommended TVBB improve the animals’ environment, including providing pads in their kennels to give them relief from hard surfaces.
A separate investigation was conducted by the local Sheriff’s office, which referred its finding to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor is still investigating PETA’s allegations, an employee told The Post.
Bryant had declined to comment on PETA’s video or to directly address whether the facility draws blood from sick animals during an interview with The Post in January.
He acknowledged that the animals share kennels and can get wounded during fights, but that the injuries are not “unattended.”
Bryant gave an interview to a local paper in February after The Post published its first story.
“We now have solid surface flooring for every pen that we have, and it’s something the dogs won’t tear up easily,” he told the Tribune.
He also told said his staff has been replacing some of the enclosures that had areas of rust and is about 90% complete with that process.
TVBB’s loss of business partners comes on the heels of another animal blood bank, Hemopet in Garden Grove, Calif., closing its doors after 33 years on March 15.
“Significantly escalating costs on all fronts have created an unsustainable monthly deficit that can no longer be supported by Hemopet, especially when considering our non-profit status,” the company said in statement on its website.
Hemopet declined to further comment.