IN THIS ARTICLE WE WRITE INFO ABOUT BLOOD DONORS DOGS, It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the donor service for human health, but few people know that in veterinary medicine blood donation sometimes saves the lives of four-legged pets. Whatever the modern methods of treatment, the latest medicines – nothing can replace whole donor blood or its components. Only when faced with the need for a blood transfusion for their pet, the owners think about the importance of blood banks for animals.
BLOOD DONORS DOGS
Who can become a donor?
Donation is allowed for clinically healthy vaccinated animals, with regular treatments for parasites, examined for viral and blood-parasitic infections, at the age of 1 to 5-7 years, outside the period of pregnancy and lactation.
For cats, the minimum weight is 4.5-5 kg, for dogs from 5 kg, with the obligatory determination of the blood type, and for dogs and the Rh factor. The recommended frequency of donation is no more than 1 time in 6 months.
How is the donation process?
For cats, it is important to properly prepare the donor for the visit to the veterinary clinic and for the procedure itself.
It is advisable to give the cat a sedative (prescribed by a veterinarian) before arriving at the veterinary clinic, you can also additionally treat the transfer with a spray with pheromones or sedatives, prolonged fasting is not required, but since most often the donation procedure is carried out under sedation (anesthesia), it is better to feed the cat no later than 4 hours before going to the vet.
In the veterinary clinic, the donor cat will be examined by an anesthesiologist, evaluate the test results and decide whether donation is possible on that day. If there are no contraindications, in calm conditions, the cat will be placed with an intravenous catheter (the jugular vein in the neck is more often used), drugs for sedation will be administered, and the blood sampling procedure will begin. Donation is carried out in the intensive care unit under the supervision of a veterinary resuscitator and an anesthesiologist.
In rare cases, it is possible to carry out the donation procedure without anesthesia if the cat has a calm disposition and is not under stress.
The amount of blood taken depends on several factors:
- the weight of the donor cat (it is safe to donate no more than 10% of the cat’s weight, for example, if a cat weighs 6 kg, then it can donate no more than 60 ml of blood);
- general condition during the procedure (temperature, frequency and depth of breathing, tolerance to anesthesia);
- hemodynamic parameters during the procedure (blood pressure, pulse, saturation, heart monitor readings);
- if the donation is targeted, that is, for a specific recipient, then only the required amount of blood will be taken.
After taking blood, the lost volume is replenished with physiological solutions, sometimes with the addition of vitamins and colloidal solutions. The donor cat is returned to the owners after complete recovery from anesthesia, with normal vital signs (level of consciousness, temperature, pulse, pressure, respiratory rate).
Upon returning home, it is advisable to provide the cat with rest in a warm, calm place and feed it with more high-calorie food at the time recommended by the anesthetist.
Donor dogs tolerate the procedure of blood sampling a little easier, and often anesthesia is not required for this. But before a visit to the veterinary clinic, it is also advisable to give a sedative (appointed by a veterinarian), and you can apply sprays and collars with pheromones.
Blood is taken from large veins, the volume is calculated according to the same criteria as for cats.
If anesthesia was not used, then you can feed the donor dog immediately after donation. It is advisable not to load the donor dog for 2-3 days on walks.
Storage of donated blood
If the donation is targeted, then the received blood is immediately transfused to the recipient. Preliminary, a test is carried out for the compatibility of the blood of the donor and the recipient.
If donation is made to a blood bank or on the eve of a transfusion, then the blood is stored in a special bag with anticoagulants and a preservative under the required temperature conditions. Blood can be frozen and stored until the preservative expires.
Educating pet owners about the importance of blood donation is the key to saving the lives of pets facing severe illness or acute blood loss.
Many blood banks apply special conditions for donors, for example, they provide tests and examinations free of charge. Recently, holding the “Donor Day” in large veterinary centers is gaining popularity.
For the donor, the procedure is not dangerous if the above rules are observed, and for the owner it is an opportunity to conduct a medical examination for their pet and provide invaluable assistance to the sick pet and its owner.