Do animals have blood groups like humans? If yes, how these groups are classified? Pl give detailed reply.?

Answer 1

Currently, eight to twelve or more canine blood groups are recognized, depending on which studies one consults. In all cases, these various blood groups are organized and categorized under the DEA system. The acronym DEA stands for Dog Erythrocyte Antigen. Blood groupings, or blood types, among dogs are specified by the letters DEA, followed by some number(s) denoting which DEA system antigens are present on the red blood cells of the dog in question.

Table 1. Eight of the most common canine blood types and their approximate incidence
in the United States.

Canine Blood Type Old Nomenclature Approx. Incidence
DEA 1.1 A1 40%

DEA 1.2 A2 20

DEA 3 B 5

DEA 4 C 98

DEA 5 D 25

DEA 6 F 98

DEA 7 Tr 45

DEA 8 He 40

For all canine blood group systems other than DEA 1, the red blood cells from a dog can be either positive or negative for that blood type. For example, a dog could be DEA 3 positive or DEA 3 negative. The DEA 1 system is different. It appears to have three separate subgroups: DEA 1.1 (also known as A1) , DEA 1.2 (also known as A2) and DEA 1.3 (also known as A3). A dog's red blood cells can be DEA 1.1 positive or negative. Further, DEA 1.1 negative cells can be DEA 1.2 positive or negative.

Cross matching and Transfusions in Dogs

In contrast to human beings and domestic cats, dogs do not seem to have any naturally occurring antibodies to other blood types. This has several important clinical implications:

Blood cross matching, which is performed to detect antibodies in the recipients blood to antigens in the donor's blood, is less important in the dog, and may not have to be done at all if the recipient dog has never received a transfusion before (which frequently is the case).

An initial blood transfusion into a dog that has never before received a transfusion is unlikely to cause a transfusion reaction.

Antibodies to foreign blood groups may develop in a dog within days of receiving a transfusion. So, if a dog has received a transfusion before, it should be cross matched to insure blood compatibility before receiving a second or subsequent blood transfusion.

In the veterinary literature, most of the emphasis on canine blood typing is placed on the blood groups DEA 1.1 and DEA 1.2. Evidently, these are the two most antigenic blood groups among dogs. Since DEA 1.1 is the single most antigenic blood group, most veterinarians recommend that DEA 1.1 positive dogs be avoided as general use blood donors. Note, however, that DEA 1.1 positive dogs can donate to other DEA 1.1 positive dogs with no problem. DEA1.1 negative and DEA 1.2 negative dogs are often referred to as “universal donors.”

Blood Groups in Cats

Domestic cats have a two antigen blood group system which yields three possible blood types for a cat: A, B, or less commonly, AB. The majority of domestic cats in the United States have type A blood - almost 99% of domestic short hair cats in the USA have type A blood. These percentages vary from country to country however, and probably from region to region within a country as well.

Cat breeds other than the domestic short hair have a much higher occurrence of Type B blood. As the popularity of purebred cats increases, it seems likely that the ratio of cats with Type B blood will also increase.

Cross matching and Transfusions in Cats

There is no universal donor blood type in felines. However, a cat receiving even a very small amount of the wrong blood type can be seriously harmed if that cat if it is already sensitized to that foreign blood type. This can be of particular importance to British Short hair, Cornish Rex, and Devon Rex cats, where the percentage of Type B cats is much higher (about 50%). The Abyssinian, Himalayan, Japanese Bobtail, Persian, Somali, and Sphinx breeds also have a significant percentage of type B blood individuals.

If a type B queen (mother cat) gives birth to type A kittens, severe reactions can occur in the kittens. Type B cats have strong antibodies against Type A blood. These antibodies are passed in the milk which is very bad for any kittens that are type A. Since type A is the dominant blood type, this means that most of the kittens born will be type A when a type A father breeds with a type B mother. Neonatal isoerythrolysis -destruction of the kitten’s red blood cells by the antibodies in the mother’s milk- is very likely to occur. In the breeds in which significant percentages of type B blood occur, it is wise to know in advance what the blood types of prospective parents are.

Blood Groups in Other Animal Species

The blood group systems of companion birds, reptiles, small mammals such as rabbits and ferrets have not been extensively studied and their clinical significance remains unknown.

Answer 2

Cats have 2 blood groups A & B
Most cats are A however burmese are always B
Dogs have heaps and heaps of blood types but as they do not have such a fatal reaction as cats do if you give a different blood type a lot of big emergency centres have greyhounds that they bleed and use as donors and they have one of each other the cat types. In dogs it isn't breed specific
BLOOD TYPES

Blood types refer to genetic markers on the surface of a red blood cell (erythrocyte) that are both species-specific and antigenic. Antigenicity refers to the likelihood the immune system will react and make antibodies, known as alloantibodies or isoantibodies, against the foreign substance; these antibodies can be detected in the plasma. A set of allelic blood types (two to several markers at the same gene locus) make up a blood group system. Species-specific antisera or chemical reagents, directed against either canine or feline red blood cell antigens, are used in in-vitro blood-typing methods. A positive result may be in the form of agglutinating or lysing red cells referred to as hemagglutination and/or hemolysis, respectively. Individuals lacking a particular red cell antigen may develop antibodies against that blood type. These alloantibodies are responsible for incompatibility reactions.

CANINE BLOOD TYPES

Dog blood types are commonly referred to as Dog Erythrocyte Antigens (DEA), followed by a number. There are at least a dozen DEA types known. A dog can be positive for a specific DEA, meaning the antigen of that blood type is present on the red cell surface, or can be negative, indicating the antigen is missing. The DEA 1 system appears to have more than one type, but DEA 1.1 in this blood group system has garnered the most clinical attention, as it is the most antigenic and is responsible for serious transfusion reactions. Approximately 50% of all dogs are positive for the DEA 1.1 antigen.

No clinically significant alloantibodies, or preformed antibodies against the blood type the dog is lacking, have been recognized in the dog prior to sensitization with cells bearing the foreign antigen. Sensitization would occur if blood positive for DEA 1.1 was transfused into a DEA 1.1 negative dog; the result would be the formation of strong alloantibodies against the DEA 1.1 antigen. A delayed transfusion reaction can be seen in as little as a week following the original mismatched transfusion. Subsequent transfusions with DEA 1.1 positive blood to a DEA 1.1 negative dog would be much more deleterious and result in life-threatening hemolytic reactions because of the preformed alloantibodies against the DEA 1.1 antigen. The role of DEA 1.1 blood typing is, therefore, crucial, especially for potential canine donors. If the blood type of the recipient is unknown, a DEA 1.1 negative dog is mandated. In-house blood-typing cards are available (DMS Laboratories, Flemington, NJ) and other laboratory methods are also being standardized.

Following a transfusion alloantibodies also may develop against other known or unknown blood types; these alloantibodies may be responsible for incompatibility reactions with subsequent transfusions. Blood compatibility testing, known as crossmatching, is directed at identifying possible incompatibilities against any blood type. More specifically, a crossmatch indicates the serologic compatibility or lack thereof between the intended donor and recipient.

FELINE BLOOD TYPES

Only one blood group system has been identified in the cat. Three blood types make up the AB blood group system: type A, type B, and type AB. The inheritance pattern, natural occurrence of alloantibodies, and varied breed distribution are all of considerable importance to breeders as well as veterinarians. The A allele is dominant over the B allele. AB is a rare blood type and appears to be recessive to A, but codominant to B. Type A cats are by far the most prevalent world wide, but among certain purebred cats, the frequency of type B tends to be much higher. Some feline breeds with higher type B frequencies include the Devon Rex, British Shorthair, Exotic Shorthair, Turkish Van and Turkish Angora, although the percentages vary between zero to 60% depending on the breed. Among domestic shorthair cats, higher percentages of type B cats can be seen in certain geographic regions relative to others.

In contrast to dogs, cats do possess naturally occurring alloantibodies against the blood type antigen they are lacking. Type B cats have strong anti-A antibodies, while type A cats have generally weak anti-B alloantibodies. Given the potentially fatal hemolytic transfusion reaction that can result from a mismatched transfusion, all feline blood donors as well as recipients should be typed or, if typing is not available, crossmatched.

In addition, neonatal isoerythrolysis is caused by the naturally occurring anti-A alloantibodies present in a type B queen's colostrum. If type A or even type AB kittens are born to a type B queen that was mated to a type A or AB tom, these kittens would likely succumb due to the passive acquisition of strong anti-A antibodies present in the colostrum. These anti-A alloantibodies are only absorbed during the first 16 hours and cause lysis of the kittens' red blood cells. Anemia, jaundice, darkly-pigmented urine, anorexia, or sudden death are typical features of neonatal isoerythrolysis. Therefore, blood typing of all cats used for breeding and selection of compatible mates is necessary to avoid the loss of kittens within the first week of life. Blood typing cards are available for use in practice (DMS Laboratories, New Jersey) and others are being developed. Confirmatory typing and crossmatching procedures are currently being developed. The Transfusion Laboratory at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania accepts samples for the assessment of feline and canine blood types and resolving difficult compatibility issues (www.vet.upenn.edu/penngen).

Answer 3

They do. You can find some details here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_%28non-human%29

Very detailed....
http://www.dadamo.com/wiki/wiki.pl/Related_blood_group_factors_in_animals