Is there a vet in the house?

Question

I need some information on the regulation of canine blood donors/transfusion in the UK.

Answer 1

Hi. I can't help you too much with regulation in the UK, but I can give you a bit of an idea of what goes on here in Australia.

I'm not sure what sort of regulation you're referring to, but here any healthy dog over 25kg is allowed to donate blood. At a first visit blood is taken and tested to ensure that the dog is healthy (normal blood values, liver/kidneys, etc., normal clotting factors, etc.). The University of Melbourne Vet School also has its own canine bloodbank made up of ex-racing greyhounds, many of which are rehomed through the Greyhound Adoption Program once they have been donors for a certain period of time.

The blood products themselves (packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma) have had to be registered (as far as I know, Melb Uni has the only registration for this in Australia) and have to adhere to strict standards relating to the level of red blood cells, platelets and certain factors involved in the clotting process.

I'd guess that things would be fairly similar in the UK- perhaps you could contact the Pet Blood Bank if you need specific information.

Answer 2

Can you call your local emergency vet? They're the ones who arrange for dogs and cats to donate blood in emergencies. At least they do here in the USA.