Blood Transfusion in Dogs and Cats
- Before the selection of donors, dogs and cats must meet certain eligibility requirements.
- Crossmatching & Blood tying is essential to prevent a transfusion reaction in Dogs and Cats.
- Feline transfusion recipients are commonly given the whole blood, whereas canine recipients are usually given the blood components.
Today, specialty veterinary practices are performing more Dog blood transfusions than ever before. The blood products now available to save lives during emergencies (e.g., hit by car, surgery or anemia). Dog Blood Transfusion is a critical procedure and needs proper attention. Technicians and doctors are playing an important role in blood transfusion by preparing the product for transfusion recipients and setting up blood donor programs.
Some big hospitals have in-house blood donor colonies. Likewise, many private practices have a blood donor. In Dog Clinic and Pet Shop Bhopal, we have the availability of whole blood and blood products.
In private practice, blood donations often come from animals living at the hospital or from the pets of clients or staff. Cats and Dogs both can donate blood to save the lives of critically ill animals.
Eligibility criteria for Blood Donation OR Selection of Dog Blood Transfusion Donor
- Dogs and Cats must have good general health and temperament.
- Age must be between 1 to 8 years.
- The minimum weight of dogs should be at least 25-28 kg and cats should be at least 4.55-5.0 kg.
- From the normal weight of Dogs and Cats, we can collect 450 ml of blood from dogs and 60 ml from a cat without any harm to the donor.
- The donor’s packed cell volume (PCV) also must be within certain limits. In dogs, the PCV should be at least 40% (normal range: 37% to 55%) & in cats, it should be at least 35% (normal range: 30% to 45%).
- The PCV has to be checked before every donation to make sure the requirements are met.
- All blood donors should have up-to-date vaccinations.
- Blood should not be donated until 11 days after the dog or cat is vaccinated.
- Donors should not have an infectious disease that might be transmitted through a blood transfusion.
- Dogs must be free of bacterial infections.
- Donors should not be receiving any medication.
- Female dogs and cats should not be pregnant at the time of blood donation.
- Only indoor cats should be used as blood donors.
- Also, all donors should have an accessible venipuncture site to allow for easy blood collection.
Dog Blood Transfusion Side Effects
The symptoms of a blood transfusion reaction may vary depending on the type of reaction that occurs. The most common symptoms associated with a transfusion reaction is a fever, shivering, hives, itching, skin inflammation/redness, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Dog or cat may also develop tachycardia and rapid breathing. On physical examination, your veterinarian may note pale gums, fall of blood pressure, and other signs of poor blood circulation.
A Dog or Cat can donate blood after every 4-5 weeks. It is good to prepare a pool of blood donor animals so that in case of an emergency we can manage blood easily. Regular blood donation is good also because it allows investigating dog thoroughly at least 3-4 times in a year.
Dog and Cat Blood Transfusion Cost / Rate – At Dog Clinic and Pet Shop Bhopal, we are providing a transfusion facility for 10 years. We are providing services at a very low-cost. For proper checkup and transfusion, it’s better to book an appointment with us along with your dog so that we can perform important blood investigations which are essentially required for blood transfusion. We closely monitor Dog blood Transfusion recovery.