The Animal Hospital Blood Bank
Just like humans, if animals lose blood due to trauma, become anaemic, undergo major surgery, or get cancer, they can 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.
Because we treat many critically ill animals at our emergency clinic and the availability of blood often means the difference between life and death, 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?
Requirements for Dogs
- Between 1 and 7 years old
- 20kg, or greater
- Healthy and of appropriate body weight with a calm and relaxed temperament
- Current on flea preventative, ideally on heartworm preventative. (We will provide these).
- Current vaccinations
- Not on raw food diet
Requirements for Cats
- Between 1 and 8 years old
- Ideally 5kg, or greater, we will accept 4.5kg if very suited to being a donor
- Healthy with a relaxed calm temperament
- Current on flea preventative
- Current vaccinations
- 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 communitybloodbank@murdoch.edu.au or give us a call on 1300 652 494.