Canine Blood Transfusions

The pioneer of blood transfusions was an English Physician called Richard Lower. In the 17th century, 1666 to be precise, he reported the first transfusion between animals.

The first transfusion into a human patient was achieved by Jean Baptiste Denis.  He was the Physician to King Louis XIV and on June 15th 1667 he transferred 12 ounces of lambs blood to a 15-year-old boy suffering from a fever. The procedure when blood is transfused between the species is known as xenotransfusion.

In the same year, Richard Lower transfused blood to a clergyman called Arthur Coga who received a donation of whole blood from the donor who was also a living lamb.  Both patients survived therefore proving that the procedure was possible. There is no reliable record of the effects on either of the donors. The recipients of these early transfusions showed no ill effects and appeared to benefit. It is now considered that is because the amounts of blood transferred was relatively small so there was not a major issue with allergic reactions or rejection.

This was an age when ignorance and superstition were rife. There were those who believed that people with mental illness could be cured using this newfound knowledge and maybe it could lead to madness in others. This was a time when it was thought that if you swallowed an orange pip a tree would grow inside your stomach. It was, however, the start of what we now take for granted but for animals in particular we have to ask; why has it taken this long?

Bearing in mind that Richard Lower and Jean Baptiste Denis started this over 350 years ago, it wasn’t until the early part of the 20th century that safe transfusions took place in humans. This only occurred when the recognition of blood types and crossmatching took place.

Blood Groups

In humans, there are 4 blood groups A, O, B and AB but in dogs, it is a little more complex.

In dogs, there are 13 blood types to date (March 2022) and there will be more discovered in the future.

Further research will be needed for those of you who are interested in the technicalities but as we are then heading into the world of hemolytic transfusions, antigens and antibodies this is not the forum for this type in-depth discussion. For those of you who decide to research…..best of luck!!

The ideal dog donor is fit, healthy, vaccinated and not on any medication. Ideally, it would weigh in excess of 50 lbs. (you’re not going to get a lot of blood out of a Chihuahua!)  The donor needs to have a calm temperament as the procedure can last up to 20 minutes and a healthy dog can donate 5-6 times a year. The amount taken will be 450ml – roughly 1 pint Any breed of dog that qualifies can donate including cross-breeds (no discrimination!!) The breed that is most favoured is the Greyhound.

The ideal canine blood group is DEA1 negative

Each blood group is inherited independently therefore any dog can have up to 12+ combinations of blood groups. This is where things get complicated for veterinary surgeons. For a doctor, all they have to do is find which blood group the patient has and transfuse the appropriate amount.

For a veterinary surgeon, it can get decidedly complicated.

It is quite obvious that canine blood transfusions are the subject of constant updating as the veterinary profession grapples with the knowledge that the information that is available is changing all the time.

Unfortunately, the ability to access an animal blood bank is not always available to all veterinary surgeons worldwide.

You will need to check.

You may think your pet is suitable for donating or your pet needs blood, if this is the case the following options are available.

In the UK either contact your veterinary surgeon or the charity website petbloodbankuk.org or call  01509 232 222

Outside the UK contact your veterinary surgeon.

There is almost certainly information regarding what is available in individual countries on the internet.