3 min read
When PETA’s undercover investigator found Fox and Vivi at The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank—a crude operation in Indiana that keeps nearly 900 dogs and cats confined to barren kennels and crowded pens for life—they were weak, sickly, and in desperate need of care. Compounding matters, the county prosecutor refused to seek justice for the animals—which is why PETA has run a bold full-page ad in the local newspaper, The Tribune, calling out Prosecutor Jeffrey Chalfant for failing to file charges against those responsible.
The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank Uses Cats and Dogs as Blood Bags
PETA’s investigation found that workers bled animals who were emaciated, medicated, and sick, including with upper respiratory infections and bone cancer. The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank defied best practices in its own industry by drawing animals’ blood about every three weeks so that it could be sold to be given to animals who were critically ill or injured themselves—putting both the unwilling “donors” and the recipients at risk.
Fox’s and Vivi’s Stories
We don’t know exactly where cats Fox and Vivi came from, but we do know that a manager said that she had acquired cats by answering online ads seeking homes for the animals. Another worker brought in kittens she said she had found on Facebook. People looking for a good home for their beloved animals could have been tricked into giving them away to The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank and condemning them to an almost unimaginably harsh existence. Animals who might have wandered away from their families could have been kidnapped off the street and taken there. A manager even offered workers $200 for each cat they brought to the facility, saying, “Where you get [them] from is not my business.”
When a PETA investigator arrived at The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank in 2023, 13-year-old Fox was being held in a pen that workers euphemistically referred to as the “stairway to heaven.” Fox, who suffered from bloody diarrhea while confined, didn’t receive a professional veterinary exam or treatment until PETA’s investigator rescued him. Following several weeks of intensive care in a loving home with plenty of cozy bedding, Fox was euthanized after a veterinarian found that he had gastrointestinal cancer.
Vivi cried out in vain because of a painful oral infection. A manager said that she thought Vivi would become malnourished “and die” if her teeth weren’t pulled—but for many months, she was denied the veterinary care that she so desperately needed. When our investigator was finally allowed to rescue her, Vivi had to be rushed to a veterinarian, who found that all her teeth required emergency removal. Today, she’s been adopted into a loving home—the kind where all cats and dogs belong.
Speak Up for Animals Like Fox and Vivi—Take Action Against The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank!
Fox and Vivi are no longer being neglected and languishing in pain at The Veterinarians’ Blood Bank, thanks to PETA’s compassionate investigator—but the hundreds of animals still locked inside there need your help. Click the button below to take action now:
