In case of severe anemia or major blood loss it is a great advantage to have a constant blood supply available. We have both canine and feline blood in clinic or within easy reach at all times. Most of our donor animals belong to our doctors and employees who use their own pets, a few other donor animals belong to clients of the hospital who volunteer.

We would like to thank our many wonderful donors. Our clients, whose pets have been saved by receiving these transfusions, join us in sending our thanks out to our generous staff, clients and their donating pets!

Veterinary medicine is continually changing with new advances and discoveries made every day. One thing that has become particularly important is the use of blood and its components for transfusions.

After only 30-40 minutes and donating 450 milliliters, your dog can save multiple lives. Not only can the blood be given to an animal as whole blood, the blood can be separated into different fractions, creating multiple donations for multiple animals.

There are as many as 12 canine blood types. They are categorized by their "dog erythrocyte antigen" or DEA. The two most common blood types used in veterinary medicine are DEA positive and DEA negative. DEA positive means the blood contains one or both of antigens 1.1 or 1.2. DEA negative is considered the universal donor and can be given to any other dog regardless of their blood type.

Whole blood consists of red blood cells and plasma, which can be separated and used differently. Plasma is made up of clotting factors, platelets, and occasional white blood cells. It can be stored for a year as Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and for four years as Frozen Plasma (FP). FFP contains all clotting factors, whereas FP has lost some because of prolonged storage. They are used in dogs with bleeding disorders. Whole blood and Packed Red Cells (PRC) can be stored up to 30 days. They are administered in the event of severe blood loss or in anemic animals.

Collection is relatively simple and causes no visible signs of discomfort for the animal. The donor dog will have a small area on its neck clipped and cleaned. The dog is then positioned, most often lying on one side but sitting or standing quietly is fine as well. Once the collection bag is set up, the needle is advanced from the body towards the head into the jugular vein. The collection bag is then rocked back and forth to draw the blood out and is often weighed throughout the process. Once 480 grams (or 450 milliliters) are collected, the needle is withdrawn and pressure is held to the donor's neck for 2 minutes then wrapped for another 30 minutes. Animal donors, just like their human couterparts, are fed lots of yummy treats after their donation and receive plenty of praise!

Blood donors in our program must meet the following criteria:

• Must be between 1 and 8 years of age.
• In good health and weighing more than 50 pounds.
• Current on all vaccines.
• Up to date on yearly heartworm medication and test negative yearly.
• Has an even temperament and can sit or lie still for 15-20 minutes.
• Can accept moderate restraint.

If you decide that you would like your dog to be a donor, all testing is done at no cost to you. Blood work is performed to make sure your dog is fit to donate and complimentary blood typing is done for first-time donors.

We do need blood from cats from time to time, but we are not currently recruiting donors from our patients. Because of the somewhat unpredictable nature of cats, we use some of our own pets. Cats have multiple blood types just like dogs do. Blood types for cats are type-A and type-B. Type-A blood is more popular due to the majority of mixed breed cats. The majority of cats with type-B blood are purebred cats. Cats can have very severe reactions to foreign blood, so it is always a good idea to cross-match blood types before a transfusion.

1. Cotter, Susan & Morrisse, Paticia (2000). I Need Blood Stat! Canine Transufusion Medicine. Veterinary Technician. 21(5), 273-278
2. Giger, Urs & Oakley, Donna A. (1997). Just Their Type: Feline Transfusions and Blood Donors. Veterinary Technician. 18(11), 747-782