By now, we have well understood that animal blood banks work in a similar manner to those of human beings. Any injured animal is required to be taken to the blood bank facility so as to ascertain whether it requires blood transfusion so as to save its life. Blood banks serve a number of areas and so, the success rate of pet emergencies in areas served by the blood banks is slightly higher than those outside the periphery. Blood is collected from the healthy animals by specially trained veterinary doctors and it is stored to be used later, in time of need. Most of the animals that donate blood regularly, thanks to their caretakers, are found to be healthier than the others.
The main need for a veterinary blood bank is because the demand for animal blood is higher than the current supply. Des Moines and its environs are served by the Animal Blood Bank of Iowa at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, ISU. The blood bank is fully stocked at the beginning of the year, but the supply gradually decreases as the year progresses owing to the huge demand. Veterinarians across the country have seen a surge in demand for animal blood in the wake of advanced technology. It is the caretaker’s responsibility to ensure that their animals are safe, so as to reduce the over-dependence on blood banks. This will make sure that only the very dire cases are served by the blood bank.
The Procedure:
For any animal to donate blood, it must be in good health, weigh more than 50 pounds, and be at least 3 years old. Such an animal can donate blood until it is 8 years old, especially dogs.
During the first visit, the blood type of your animal will be determined. This takes roughly ten minutes after the initial blood has been drawn from the animal. If you have a dog whose blood group comes under the universal donor variety, and you agree that it can donate blood regularly, the veterinarians will conduct various blood tests and an all-inclusive physical examination free of charge. After the physical examination is completed, blood sample will be collected along with the history of vaccination of the dog. In addition, heartworm prevention and deworming are also checked for. All these are done in a single day, but when the liver, endocrine functions, and kidney tests are done, the results are availed after 5 working days. {NOTE TO DEVELOPER: Kindly link endocrine functions to the article “Veterinary Blood Banks: Need of the Hour}
Blood Distribution
After the blood is collected from the animal in question, it is stored in a refrigerator. Some blood sample is separated from the rest, run down and spun to separate cells and plasma. These components are stored in a freezer until the need arises. The cells are mainly used in treatment of various disorders of the blood such as hemophilia and haemorrhaging resulting from trauma. The process is safe for your animal, so there is no cause of alarm. A large dog, for instance, can donate up to 475 ml of blood after every 2 to 3 months. However, it is recommended that the animal should rest for several days after the blood donation process.
