Canine and Feline Blood Donations

Imagine your beloved dog or cat in need of emergency medical care. Will your emergency vet have the necessary blood products? Chances are the answer is yes. But, where does it come from? Blood banks, of course, which are specific to non-human blood products. Never heard of such a thing? Don't feel bad. Neither had I until I ran across a donor at a local dog park. I had to investigate and learn more about this. I regularly donate blood; it only makes sense that emergency veterinarians would also require a source of blood products.

Most blood banks receive their blood from in-house donors, which seems to be a misnomer as one would think donating blood to be a voluntary action. Granted dogs and cats hardly raise a paw to have a needle stuck in them, but an in-house donor's sole purpose in life is to donate blood. HemoSolutions of Colorado Springs is a new breed of blood bank, receiving all their blood from community volunteers, dog and cat alike. I spoke to Becky Nusbaum, CVT, VTS (ECC), Director of HemoSolutions, about blood donations.

Just about any dog or cat can donate. Are there risks involved? No more than with humans. Ms. Nusbaum says that after four years and 300 dogs, she has never seen anything more severe than bruising from the needle (I have that issue all the time) and razor-burn from the clippers.

A qualified donor is:

1. Healthy. Initial blood tests are conducted free of charge with a courtesy copy of the results sent to the donor's regular veterinary.

2. Between one and eight years old.

3. At least 50 pounds (10 pounds for felines).

4. Not pregnant nor has she ever been pregnant (felines may have been pregnant before).

5. Current on all vaccinations.

6. Receiving heartworm preventive medication April through October (canine only).

7. Willing to donate a minimum of six times per 12-month period.

On the day your pet donates HemoSolutions requires that you do not feed your pet. I questioned this as in my research many blood banks touted "no fasting", and when I donate, the blood bank always wants to hear I ate a hearty breakfast. A diet high in fat can cause the plasma to have a milky appearance. As we all know, people often feed strange foods to their pets. My Josie loves people food, especial fruits and vegetables. By asking the donor to refrain from eating prior to donation, the blood bank has more control over the quality of the product.

For the most part, the donation process for dogs and cats is the same. The only difference is that cats are anesthetized, dogs are not. Apparently, our feline friends are not very veterinary-friendly when donating and tend to use their very sharp claws and teeth. Cats are anesthetized for only about 8 to 10 minutes. A needle is inserted into the jugular vein. Cats donate approximately 52 milliliters (ml), dogs 400 to 500 ml. After the procedure, cats receive Ringer's lactate, which is a solution containing some of the same electrolytes as blood, to replace some of the blood loss as they are a smaller animal and to flush their system of the drugs used to anesthetize them. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes.

After your pet donates, allow them no vigorous activity for one to two days. This is so the clot formed at the needle insertion point does not break, though, again, complications after four to five hours is virtually non-existent.

The bag the blood is collected in is connected to three to four other bags (known as a closed system). Once the blood is collected the bag is put into a centrifuge which separates the plasma from the red blood cells. The plasma and red blood cells are then put into the other bags. At no time does the blood donation come in contact with air or other contaminants, which can cause the red blood cells to deteriorate.

One donation can help as many as four animals, depending on the size and need of the animal.

What will you and your pet get out of donating? When your pet donates, you know that you are helping an animal in need. When your pet donates six times within a 12-month period at HemoSolutions, you will receive up to $150 worth of routine medical care. The amount is dependent upon blood type. You will also receive priority status for HemoSolutions' blood products if needed.

HemoSolutions is a member of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), which sets the standards and guidelines for blood collection. They are also a part of the American Association of Veterinary Blood Banks (AAVBB) and the Association of Veterinary Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (AVHTM).

After learning about canine blood donations, I quickly signed Josie up to be a donor, my thought being the same as when I donate: If I need blood, I want it available. The only way that is going to happen is for me (and Josie) to donate and spread the word to others. I must admit that on February 18, 2008, Josie was not the happiest dog in Colorado Springs. But, I do know that should the need arise there will be blood products available for her and her fellow dogs.