Pet blood can be donated to aid ill or injured animals. According to Dr. Rachael Carpenter, a veterinary anesthesiologist director of the Transfusion Medicine Program at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, blood donations can be used either as whole blood, packed red blood cells, plasma, or platelets. The most common use for donated blood is as packed red blood cells, which contain the red blood cells necessary for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Many specialty animal surgery hospitals maintain a list of potential donors that can be called on if needed.

Dr. Carpenter explains that the donation process is relatively simple. When a volunteer pet is brought to a clinic to donate blood, the animal is given a general physical exam and survey blood work to ensure its good health. Donor animals generally should be young adults. Donors must be negative for any diseases, current on vaccines, and have normal blood work. In addition, a donor cat should weigh more than 10 lbs.

Cats and dogs that are eligible to donate blood will be tested to determine blood type. "For cats, blood typing is a critical step in the transfusion process in order to prevent dangerous and possibly fatal reactions to the donor blood," says Dr. Carpenter. The process for blood drawing is similar to that followed for humans except that animals are usually sedated while the blood is drawn since they are not willing to sit still during the process.

If you are interested in having your pet considered to be a donor animal, you should check with your veterinarian or local animal surgery clinic to begin the process.

Posted by Barbara.