Did you know that dogs and cats can give blood?
You're probably well aware of human blood donors, but what about dogs and cats?
Every year, thousands of pets across the country require a blood transfusion. This could be because of a health condition which has caused anaemia (lack of red blood cells), or because the pet has been in an accident, or has lost blood during surgery.
Without a blood donation from a healthy dog or cat, many of these pets would not survive or make it through their illness or operation.
The Royal Veterinary College’s Blood Donor team performs hundreds of blood donations a year, as owners voluntarily offer their dog or cat up for blood donations.
How does it work?
First of all, pets are assessed first by a vet and the nurses, and are given a full health check, to ensure they are suitable.
To become a blood donor, dogs and cats must meet the following conditions:
✅ be over a certain weight
✅ be in good healthy
✅ be within the age bracket of 1-9yrs for cats, or 1-8 years for dogs
✅ they must have a friendly disposition and not be nervous or scared at the vets
❌ they must never have received a blood transfusion themselves
❌ they must never have traveled overseas
Your Pet's First Visit
When your pet first visits the donor unit, the team will start to build a relationship with them so that they can feel as comfortable as possible when coming in.
Lots of treats and fuss is given, to make the visit a positive experience.
For the donation, a numbing cream is used on the donor’s skin, so they don’t feel the needle going into their vein, which works wonders.
Throughout the donation itself, the donor is given lots of fuss and praise, and dogs can often see it as a ‘job’ to do and become very excited knowing they will be rewarded after with a bowl of food!
Cats often need a little more time to settle in and relax for a donation, and so the appointments are longer to accommodate this.
How long does it take?
The donation itself for both dogs and cats, can take anywhere between 4 to 10 minutes.
Good handling and a quiet setting are vital, so that the donor feels supported but relaxed and has minimal distractions to allow the team to collect the blood.
Once the donation has been taken, the blood is then processed. One bag of whole blood can produce two products, called packed red blood cells and plasma.
Each has a different purpose and life span. The red cells are stored refrigerated for up to 5 weeks and the plasma is stored and frozen until needed, for up to 5 years.
Pet Donor Awards
Each year at the Royal Veterinary College’s donor unit, both a feline and canine blood donor are chosen as ‘Blood Donors of the Year’.
A gift is organised through Chow Bella, to the owners, as a thank you for their help and for their pets’ incredible donations which help save the lives of other pets.
Here is Jet, Canine Blood Donor of The Year 2024, with his biscuit jar. Jet has been on the programme since 2018 and has donated a total of 18 times!
Lilah is Feline Blood Donor of The Year 2024 and has donated 13 times. Both donors are fabulous and take their donation visits in their stride.
Find out more
Are you interested in your pet becoming a blood donor? To find out more about the Royal Veterinary College’s Blood Donor programme, visit https://www.rvc.ac.uk/act/blooddonors
By Ruby Bell, Transfusion Medicine & Blood Donor RVN
