Canine Blood Transfusion Procedures

Like humans, dogs may sometimes require blood transfusions as part of a medical emergency. Unfortunately, there are very few canine blood banks in existence. Canine blood transfusion is further complicated by the fact that canines have far more blood types than humans and are therefore harder to match. When performing a canine blood transfusion, veterinarians always follow a set of procedures designed to safeguard the health of both the donor and the recipient.

  1. Donor Requirements

    • Donors are typically required to weigh at least 50 pounds, be between 1 and 6 years of age, be relatively happy and easy to manage and be able to stay still for about 10 minutes. The donor must have no blood-borne diseases and his blood must be tested for type and antibodies to ensure the recipient doesn't suffer any complications from the transfusion.

    Donor Collection

    • Collection is done with equipment identical to that used with humans. A needle is inserted into an artery (typically the carotid artery) and about 2 cups of blood is removed. The donor will replace the lost volume very quickly and should suffer no ill effects.

    Typing and Cross-Matching

    • All blood is typed and cross-matched to determine compatibility. Dogs have 11 different blood types, which means it is important to ensure that the blood received is either the same type of blood or is from a universal donor. Blood from the universal donor blood type can be used for any canine blood type. Cross-matching ensures that the dog hasn't developed a previous sensitization to the antigens in the donor blood, which could cause further complications.

    Recipients

    • Canine blood transfusion recipients are often dogs that have experienced hemorrhage and are in need of replacement blood volume. Other reasons to transfuse a dog include acute or chronic anemia or other blood disorders. Depending on the size of the recipient and the amount of blood needed, the procedure can take a few minutes or hours.

    Process

    • Donor blood and blood products can be stored for differing amounts of time. When required, it is thawed or warmed, connected to an IV and slowly transfused into a vein on the recipient. The blood is given slowly and must go through a filter to help decrease the chance of a poor reaction. Dogs that require repeat transfusions are at higher risk of developing a sensitization to blood types and so must be cross-matched with the donor blood every time they receive a transfusion.