There are several reasons why a dog may need a blood transfusion: accidents, hemorrhages, anemia, hemophilia… This is why animal blood banks and donations are so important. We tell you what are the requirements that a dog must meet to be a donor and what the procedure consists of.
When is a transfusion necessary?
blood transfusions are elementary to save the lives of dogs suffering from problems such as:
- Severe bleeding (caused by accident, illness, etc.).
- Anemias of severity.
- Very low hemoglobin levels.
- Deep wounds and injuries Poisoning diseases
- the animal's own blood.
It is the veterinarian who must determine when and how to perform the transfusions, always as a complement to one or more other treatments. In this sense, we must always go to a trusted expert who knows perfectly how to carry out this procedure.
Requirements to be a donor
Although the ideal would be that all dogs could donate blood, it is not always possible, since need to meet the following conditions imposed by the Animal Blood Bank:
- Weigh more than 20 kilograms.
- Be between 1 and 8 years of age.
- Not having received transfusions before.
- Be vaccinated and dewormed.
- Not suffering from any disease transmitted through the blood, such as leishmaniasis, babesiosis or filariasis.
- Present a normal coagulation process.
- Register with the Animal Blood Bank.
Procedure
The procedure is similar to that of humans. The animal is laid on its side, on the table in the veterinary clinic, and a small area of its neck is shaved. That's where the needle is injected to draw about 320 ml of bloodAlthough the blood bags have a capacity of 450 ml, the anticoagulant must also be incorporated.
The extracted blood can only be transfused to another dog of the same blood group. We must know that dogs have 8 blood groups, being DA1.1. the most common. The greyhound has a universal blood type, which makes it the perfect donor. However, akita inu is generally avoided due to its high concentration of intraerythrocyte potassium.
Although the dog may feel a bit weak afterward, he recovers quickly, much more so than people. Unlike us, the dogs they do not usually suffer from dizziness or fainting, since the volume of blood drawn is minimal. Therefore, the dog can take your pet home immediately. Veterinarians recommend making these donations every three months, not before.
Where are donations made?
Unfortunately, there are few blood banks for pets in Spain. If we want to make a donation we can go to any of them, although some veterinary clinics also perform this procedure. Nothing better than asking our trusted veterinarian where we can go to donate. The animal will not suffer any damage and the procedure is free.
Generally, donations are made at veterinary universities or specialized centers. In Spain we have some centers where we can make donations, the following being some of the best known.
- Hospital of the Veterinary Faculty of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
- Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Madrid of the Complutense University of Madrid.
- Canine Blood Bank of Valencia.
- Madrid Veterinary Transfusion Center.
Services
In addition to saving lives, making our dog a donor brings us important benefits:
- Free consultation and analysis.
- Free microchip insertion.
- Free general check-up before each donation.
- Free vaccinations.
- Priority in case you need a transfusion.
- Completion of complete blood counts for free.
- Various awards from the veterinary clinic: feeders, feed, accessories ...
Although the most important thing is that with this simple gesture we can save lives. Now it is other animals that need help but in the future it may be our own pet. It is important to take this into account and do our bit to this noble cause.