Categories

With more and more people owning dogs and just as many running the streets, we have a tremendous need for national dog blood banks in our country.  Unfortunately, this is an area very few people know little about and may find it difficult to understand why the canine medical field needs dog donors for dog blood transfusions.

Blood transfusions

The need for dog blood transfusions involves serious injuries, diseases, and anemia. With a growing number of dogs in the United States, we have a large need for blood transfusions which is becoming difficult to meet. With veterinary dog blood banks very new, the past ten years has shown an increase in this new medical field.

Blood transfusion for cats is a different thing, with cats needing blood requiring cat blood donors. If dog blood is given to a cat, it would be the same thing as giving dog blood to a human. The white blood cells would attack, as each species has an individual protein. What may happen is serious illness or death to the patient.

One dog blood donation can help four canine lives as the blood is separated with red blood cells and plasma. The banks can either keep their own dogs for a blood bank or they can keep a list of volunteer donors who have been tested. Young dogs can give blood every three weeks, with adult dogs retiring after eight years. Adult dogs usually can donate blood every two months.

Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank

The Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank (EVBB) Severna Park, Maryland, is largest dog blood bank in the United States even though there are many other volunteer ones. They are known to travel in a 100 mile radius between canine volunteer donors for pints and half-pints of canine blood, collected at local veterinarian hospitals to be transported to EVBB for processing, or gathered on-site.

EVBB only collects from vaccinated and dogs with excellent temperaments instead of jumpy or skittish dogs who are too little and extremely hyper. Their ideal choice is very calm and medium-sized dogs that weigh approximately 35 to 50 pounds with a universal blood type. The blood draw causes the dog some slight discomfort when the needle is inserted into the jugular vein. Some bruising may develop around the draw site but it will be marginal with short-term discomfort.