Baldivis Emergency Vet Online Referral Form

Blood Bank

Why are Canine blood donors needed?

There are a wide variety of diseases or conditions that may cause a dog to require a blood transfusion. These include but are not limited to the following:

Severe blood loss following trauma or a motor vehicle accident
Internal haemorrhage from a tumour
Rat bait toxicity
Anaemia
Clotting disorders
Septic shock
Kidney or liver failure
Low blood protein levels

As a large veterinary hospital with a 24 hour emergency service we often see cases like these, so we require a store of blood to enable treatment of critically ill patients immediately.

Donor Criteria

To qualify as a blood donor our pets need to meet a certain criteria to ensure the health of both the donor and the recipient. Donors need to be happy and calm dogs who love coming to the vets (aggressive or anxious animals cannot be accepted, this ensures the safety of both the donor and our staff). Dogs need to be over 25kg in body weight (without being overweight) and ideally between the ages of 2 and 8 years old (older healthier animals may be considered). Having never received a blood transfusion in the past, dogs need to be healthy and up-to-date with their vaccinations and heartworm prevention.

Dogs with long term illnesses or those on any medications other than routine parasite control cannot be accepted as a donor. Greyhounds must be retired from racing. In addition all dogs must be neutered and in the case of females not have had a previous litter. If you have a female dog who is a ‘rescue’ and was sterilised later in life or who’s history is not 100% known unfortunately she cannot be used as the risk to our recipient is too high.

How often can dogs donate?

Just like people dogs can donate blood once every three months, a maximum of 4 times per year. The blood cells are regenerated within 4 weeks after donation.