Blood Donors – Dogs

Good dog, good donor?

CANINE BLOOD DONOR REQUIREMENETS

In order to be considered for the program, your dog needs to meet the following requirements:

• Have never received a blood or plasma transfusion.
• Receive regular heart worm prevention.
• Be up to date with vaccinations.

It is also of great importance that your dog has an agreeable temperament (excitable is fine but no fear biters) as we want the experience to be a positive one which means that they will look forward to their next visit. This includes lots of praise and treats! Our nurses will explain the entire blood collection process to you, in detail, to ensure your dog is suitable and that you are happy with the process before we begin. As part of the screening process, a veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination of your dog to ensure that they are fit and healthy. If there are no concerns about health issues, we can proceed with checking their concentration of red blood cells (PCV) to ensure they are not anaemic. This blood sample is taken through an intravenous catheter which is placed into one of their front legs. If their PCV result is normal, we can then proceed with the blood donation process.

What to expect

For most first-time donors we prefer to collect the blood donation from the leg as they can move around a little more during the collection process. This is completed through the intravenous catheter as mentioned above. To encourage blood flow, the leg may be lifted up and down repeatedly (this mimics hand squeezing used by human donors). Up to 450mls of blood is collected into a blood bag. Occasionally we can complete the donation via collection from the jugular vein. This is quicker but requires the dog to lie very still on their side for at least 15 minutes. After the donation, your dog will receive intravenous fluids to replace the volume collected. However, sometimes this fluid is not required if your dog is keen to drink water right away.

What are the risks?

There are minimal risks to the donor and most dogs suffer no ill effects. Occasionally, donors may be a little tired, and nauseous within a couple of hours after donating (just like people can when they donate). For their safety, donors should not be heavily exercised on the day of donation and have only short, non-intensive exercise sessions over the following 2 days. After this, they can return to their normal activity. At all times, we take extreme care to avoid any risks to the donor, however like any other medical procedure we cannot guarantee that they will not suffer adverse effects. On the rare occasion where a dog may suffer adverse effects, full treatment will be provided at no charge to the owner.

Past Orthopaedic Surgery Donors

Some of our large patients who have had orthopaedic surgery can donate blood when they come back for post operative radiographs a couple of months after their surgery. In this situation the blood collection is done at the end of their anaesthetic. This is only ever done with the owners knowledge and consent.

A blood donation takes approximately 1 hour and comes at no cost to you. In return, your pet will receive a free examination, a free comprehensive blood test annually, a small thank you gift from us, and the deepest gratitude from our patients, their families, and our staff. The entire procedure from the donation to the transfusion is completed by highly trained staff at the WAVES veterinary hospital. If you would like to register your dog into the blood donor program at WAVES, or you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at bloodbank@wavets.com.au.