I tried googling this but couldn’t find a good answer.
I assume that blood transfusions are sometimes needed for pet surgeries much as they are for human surgeries. If it’s a planned surgery I assume they can remove some blood from the pet in advance and store it until needed. I believe there are 12 dog blood types for example.
My question is what happens in an emergency? Let’s say a dog is hit by a car and it needs abdominal surgery. Where do they get the blood for that surgery. Is there a system in place to routinely collect blood from dogs and cats? If there is I’ve never heard of it. Can someone please fight my ignorance? Any vets out there?
Thanks, kayaker. Interesting cite. I had no idea these donor colonies existed. I donate whole blood every 2 months and have done so for over 30 years. You’d think I would have heard about donor dog colonies at some point. Ignorance fought.
We got an email once soliciting dog donors, but our only dog at the time was too old to donate. I don’t remember what the upper age was, but this particular dog lived to be exceptionally old for her size (70lbs, 15.5 yrs), so the upper age could have been pretty high.
A friend of mine is a vet tech who owns a dog (in South Dakota). Her dog donated regularly to their local dog blood bank, until he turned about 8 or so - can’t remember the exact age, but it was younger than you might expect; it might depend on breed. So yeah, there are blood banks with donors, and they can just be pets.
Our local emergency vet clinic has a dog blood donor program. The Blood Bank | DoveLewis. I’d have our dog do it, but she doesn’t quite make the weight requirement.
It says elsewhere on the site that donor cats have to be owned by a veterinarian. It does not say why.
I imagine it’s risky for a cat, because of their size. They probably need to be watched closely for ill effects, and if they show any, be given IV fluids, and possibly something like coagulants, immediately. A vet knows how to do all those things without the need of an intermediary who must be contacted.
Now that this is on my mind, I should ask if my dog can donate. My cat has an appointment for a check-up next week-- I doubt she can donate, because she is small, and over 12, but the dog is 4 & 1/2 yrs, healthy, and slightly over 50 lbs, which is just right for her frame.
Don’t tell my landlord she’s gotten above 50 (52, last check). The complex has an “under 50” rule for dog tenants, and she weighed 42 lbs. when I adopted her, albeit, she’d been in a shelter for months, and was noticeably skinny. DH called her “Karen,” as in Carpenter, which I thought was quite unkind, but sadly, not inaccurate.
I thought that had to be some kind of mistake when it said that dogs must weigh 55 pounds or more, and that they remove a pint of blood with each donation; I figured it should have been 55 kilograms, which is minimum weight for people, but I suppose this donation is about as traumatic to the dog as a double red cell donation is for us?
For people who weigh less than 30kg, a unit of blood is 15ml/kg.
Greyhounds have higher red blood cell and hemoglobin numbers than most dogs. My late brother fostered rescue greyhounds and had some of his own as pets. He lived in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the Purdue Veterinary School gave him free vet care in exchange for one of his dogs being a regular donor.