In California, canine blood banks run secretly

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - When Robyn Black rushed her beloved corgi Winston to a veterinary hospital in Sacramento, she told the staff to do whatever it took to heal her pup as an autoimmune disease threatened his life.

Winston needed several blood transfusions, but after two days of treatment, the veterinary hospital ran out of the canine lifeline. Pet hospitals often are short on dog blood amid a national shortage that lawmakers say is further exacerbated in California by the state's restrictive laws that require veterinarians to buy dog blood solely from two blood banks, which operate in virtual secrecy.

"He died right there," said Black, a well-known Capitol lobbyist. "Back then, I didn't know how the animal blood supply worked."

In fact, very little is known about the operations of animal blood banks in California, and that's on purpose. California cloaks the state's two licensed animal blood banks - both privately owned and commercially operated - with sweeping exemptions from public records