Blood Typing
In our practice, we frequently encounter cases of anemia (low blood count) in dogs and cats. Most anemias are mild and can easily be corrected by treating the underlying cause such as intestinal parasites and malnutrition. Others are severe that a blood transfusion is often required to extend the life of the patient. Cases of severe anemias are often complicated that replacing blood is needed in order for treatment of other problems to succeed.
Prior to blood transfusion, donors and recipients are blood-typed and cross-matched to determine compatibility of their blood. In our hospital, blood-typing and cross-matching in dogs is usually done with a test kit. We get the results in a few minutes.
Donors are selected basing on their body weight and volume of circulating blood. A donor's body weight should be at least 20 kilograms regardless of breed. Generally, donors with lower blood volumes need to donate more blood compared to those with higher blood volumes. A potential blood donor should have enough blood volume to sustain itself after blood extraction.
Knowing your pet's blood type is important. A predetermined blood type saves us time in selecting available donors by narrowing them down to a group with the same blood type. Although incompatible blood transfusions can be done in life-saving circumstances, this can only be done once because the recipient's body will develop antibodies against this particular blood group and will react dangerously if given a second transfusion of the same incompatible blood group. Therefore, succeeding transfusions should be matched for compatibility before transfusion.
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