Have you heard about this? Does your pup donate? Has your dog needed a blood transfusion? When I recently read a post on Facebook that mentioned Canine Blood donations, I was so thrilled to hear that is available in case it is ever needed. So, I’ve done some research about the topic and am so glad I did!!
Blood transfusions can be life saving procedure for your companion canine. Loss of blood in a dog can happen in different ways – a traumatic injury, surgery, or due to illness
Dr. Kym Marryott of PenVet informed me that dogs can donate 10ml of blood per pound safely every 6 weeks. She also said that they can tolerate donating very well, and the veterinarians don’t see many side effects in the dogs. When the procedure is complete, the donor is given a “big bowl of food”. She also pointed out that after donating, the dog should take it easy for 24 hours, be given plenty of water and their normal food. Dr. Marryott also pointed out that the donor’s human is with them the entire donation process. Before donating, an appointment is made to have the dog screened. The dog must be within a certain age and weight, on no medications and have a good temperament If you are interested in having your dog become a donor, you may email her and an appointment will be made to have the dog properly screened.
Dr. Marryott also stated that blood is collected and transfused for all animals. Properly screened cats can donate for cats in need of transfusions, and horses to horses. Blood can be stored for a month, and Plasma can be stored for a year. More on their Blood Donor Program can be found at www.vet.upenn.edu/veterinary-hospitals/ryan-veterinary-hospital/services/internal-medicine/penn-animal-blood-bank.
Jessie is a staff member at Wyatt Goldthwaite Veterinary Block Bank, a division of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, New Jersey is a veterinary hospital that preforms canine blood donations and also has a canine blood bank. Their Tinton Falls NJ location is where they preform donations, though transfusions can be done at any of their locations. Once the donation has been made, the blood is divided into two parts. The first component is Packed Red Blood Cells which is then stored for up to 5 weeks. The second component is called Plasma which then can properly stored for one to five years.
The donation process usually takes about 30 minutes for dogs. Blood is taken from the jugular vein in your pet’s neck. The blood collection process takes between 5-8 minutes. After the collection, we wrap the neck with a bandage. Dogs are fed some yummy food, given lots of hugs and kisses, and monitored for a few minutes before going home.
More information of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital blood donations and blood bank can be found on their website at www.redbankvet.com
Beth of DogMinded Training & Boarding offered great insight as a pet parent who’s dog donated blood for about 6 years. Before the donations started, she took her pup in to his vet’s office and he was evaluated to make sure he was a good candidate. As part of each donation visit, the veterinarian would do a brief physical exam and would also do routine blood checks to make sure he was continuously healthy.
Beth also stated that the process was super easy and her dog seemed to enjoy it. So much so that the veterinary staff learned to hide the tray of treats from him because he would try to find it. Beth also mentioned the vet is big on consent – meaning if a dog does not seem ok or is distressed at all, the dog will no longer qualify as a donor.
Beth mentioned that she grew close with the team who handled her dogs’ donations, and that they were very supportive of her pup. She also mentioned that doing the blood donations also made regular vet visits much easier!!
“With the right dog, canine blood donation is easy and so important!”
I couldn’t agree more with that statement Beth.
Has your dog donated? Has your dog received a blood transfusion?
Please share your experiences with your dog donating and/or receiving a blood transfusion in the comments below
What a great post / blog !!
Thank you Donna!!