If your companion animal meets requirements, you may fill out the blood donor registration form or contact us. We will reach out to your companion animal’s primary veterinarian for medical records and vaccine records. Once your companion animal’s records have been reviewed, we will call or email to set up an initial blood donor screening appointment.

During this first appointment, your companion animal will receive an exam by a board certified criticalist. Preliminary screening labwork will be pulled. The lab work includes a check for overall health, blood typing and infectious disease screening.

We will also work with your companion animal and introduce them to the blood bank donation room with plenty of positive reinforcements. Plenty of treats will be provided during your companion animal’s visit, but if your companion animal has food sensitivities, you are encouraged to bring your companion animal’s favorite treats or toys.

Blood donations are scheduled appointments. Our goal is to have this experience be as pleasant as possible, so we endeavor to reduce your time commitment to the hospital to no longer than two hours for the donation process. If we anticipate the donation process from check-in to discharge being more than two hours, we encourage you to drop off your pet with us and we will call you once he or she is done with her blood donation.

The day of the blood donation, your companion animal will receive an exam by a senior resident or criticalist. A small amount of blood will initially be taken to check PCV (packed cell volume) to ensure your companion animal is not anemic.

Depending on your companion animal’s temperament, the veterinarian, along with the blood bank coordinators will evaluate your companion animal’s health, safety and need for mild sedation for the blood donation.

Once your pet has been assessed, the blood donation will commence in a quiet room with comfortable blankets and pillows. The blood bank coordinator will shave a small area on the neck and clean the area for venipuncture, while another experienced assistant or technician assists by gently guiding your companion animal into position and giving them plenty of praise. The blood donation only takes a few minutes, after which the blood bank coordinator and assistant will trim your companion animal's nails, apply a calming mousse to the shave site and apply a light neck bandage.

The blood bank team will monitor your companion animal and offer them treats and a light meal.

We acknowledge sedation is a controversial hot topic in veterinary transfusion medicine. We believe in complete transparency in how we perform our blood donations. Our goal is to use the minimal amount of sedation as possible.

Generally, for dogs, sedation is mild enough for them to still be aware of their surroundings, sit up and walk away if they choose, but enough to alleviate any initial anxiety or subdue excess energy from highly energetic dogs.

It has been our experience that the most objectionable part of blood donation is the complimentary nail trim after blood donation, not the donation itself!

If your dog tolerates the sedation well, our goal will be to acclimate them to the blood donation process and wean them off sedation all together.

It may take 2-3 tries to find the right sedation for your donor hero. Our blood bank coordinators will be in close contact with you to follow up with your companion animal’s blood donation progress after the first few blood donations.

Cats will likely need more sedation as they are generally less concerned about pleasing their human companions, but just like dogs, every effort is made to use the minimal dose and to provide an environment as stress free as possible. Extra precautions are taken to monitor your cat's recovery from sedation and from blood donation.

Once your cat has recovered from the sedation, they too are offered treats and a light meal, along with plenty of chin scratches and rump scratches.

Our current donor pool is not large enough to meet the demands of our in-hospital patients, which means we must widen the eligibility requirements by way of mild sedation and client support.

Your companion animal could potentially save several lives with one donation. That impact is compounded when we also consider the family members of that blood donor recipient whose life was saved from a blood donor.

In addition to saving other household companions, your furry blood donor hero will receive complimentary exams and blood work that would equate over $1,000. Your companion animal will also be eligible for one complimentary specialty exam through any department for each year they are enrolled as a blood donor.

For every unit of blood donated, your companion animal is also eligible to receive one of the following:

• $50 account credit

• 3 months flea/tick/heartworm prevention

Because of the high cost in annual screening, we require a commitment of one year to the blood donor program, during which time your companion animal must stay in compliance with donor requirements (up to date on vaccines, flea/tick/heartworm prevention).

Your companion animal may be eligible to donate every 6 to 8 weeks. However, you may not be called in every 8 weeks. This is dependent on available inventory and in-patient demand for blood use. We will work around your availability schedule and your pet’s needs.

For the safety of our recipients, our blood donation bags are premade by specific manufacturers. We do not alter these bags. For this reason, each donation has a standard amount blood that needs to be collected. Our weight requirements are in place to ensure safe donations. Dogs may donate 450 to 500mls while cats will donate 53mls of whole blood.

The most common complication is a hematoma (a bruise) at the site of venipuncture. Just like people, dogs and cats can experience some nausea, light-headedness, lethargy, dizziness and fainting. Some dogs will experience diarrhea associated with changes in their routine and diet the day of donation.

If your companion animal receives sedation, they may be quiet for the remainder of the day but should resume normal activity and energy levels by the following day.

If your companion animal is rambunctious or nervous, we may send you home with complimentary anti-anxiolytics like trazodone or gabapentin for mild sedation so you may pre-medicate your companion animal before blood donation. This will also cut down on the amount of sedation we may need to administer.

We recommend not using a neck lead for at least 24 hours after a blood donation. The use of a body harness or gentle leader is encouraged.

Severe complications are rare, however if your companion animal is unresponsive or has profuse vomiting, please bring your them into the ER. Our blood bank falls under the umbrella of our emergency critical care department, which is open 24/7. You may bring your blood donor companion animal back to be assessed by one of our emergency doctors at any time of day. All costs of complications are covered by the hospital.

Another item to keep an eye on is the blood draw site, to ensure no developing or continued bleeding. If this occurs, apply pressure and bring your blood donor animal back to the hospital.

To reduce the chances of re-bleeding, keep your companion animal calm for the remainder of the day. Just like people, no heavy exercise. We recommend using a gentle leader or body harness to alleviate any pressure applied to the neck area.

We also recommend keeping your companion animals collar off for 24 hours. If your companion animal must wear a collar, please make sure the collar is washed and clean to reduce the chances of developing a hot spot.

Our blood bank coordinators will reach out to you 24 hours after a blood donation to follow up with you to see how well your companion animal tolerated the blood donation and/or sedation. Please let us know if your companion animal appears to experience any excessive sedation or nausea, as this can be addressed during their next blood donation.

Yes, they do!

Dogs have 12 blood types that we know of. We only check for dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA 1) as this is the blood type that can cause the most reaction if not typed correctly with the recipient.

Cats have 3 blood types; Type A, Type B and Type AB. Most cats are Type A. As with dogs, new discoveries with cats are being made and a new blood group called MiK has also been identified.

Just like people, animals may need blood in surgery, when they have suffered a trauma, contracted an infectious disease, been exposed to a toxin or because they develop an autoimmune disease. Blood transfusions occur almost daily here at Veterinary Specialty Hospital for a variety of reasons.