The Animal Hospital Blood Bank
Just like us, animals that lose blood due to trauma, become anaemic, undergo major surgery, or get cancer, may require a blood transfusion to survive. The Animal Hospital operates a fully stocked dog and cat blood bank program, providing small animal veterinary patients with the best possible transfusion care.
The availability of blood can often be the difference between life and death, and because we treat many critically ill animals. we are always looking for cat and dog donors to help save the lives of other animals.
All potential cat and dog donors receive a comprehensive health screen prior to being accepted onto the program. As part of the program, each donor must have an initial routine blood screen, followed by a yearly test. This is essential for the safety of the donor and to ensure a safe product for the transfusion recipient. Cats and dogs can donate blood every 8–12 weeks.
Does your pet have what it takes to become a blood donor?
Your dog must be:
- Aged 1-7 years
- Be 20kg or greater
- No previous blood transfusion
- Not on a complete raw food diet
- Calm, relaxed temperament
- Healthy
- Up to date with vaccinations
- Current with flea/tick/heartworm preventatives
- Available every 3 – 4 months for blood donations
Your cat must be:
- Aged 1-7 years
- Ideally 5kg but may accept 4.5kg
- Indoor – ideally
- Healthy
- Vaccinated – we will do FeLV and FIV test before each donation if cat is outdoor
- No previous blood transfusions
- Calm, relaxed temperament
- Not on a complete raw diet
- Currently on Flea/worm prevention
- Available every 3-4 months for blood donations
Ideally donor cats are indoor cats. However, we recognise that many cats are indoor/outdoor cats, and we take this into consideration.
To find out more about if your pet can donate, email our team or give us a call.
-sitting-in-front-of-tah-signage.tmb-300-sqcrop.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=eb6587e5_1 "dog (maybe a Labrador) sitting in front of TAH signage")