Thinking of setting up your own blood donation programme in your practice? These are the factor

Thinking of setting up your own blood donation programme in your practice? 

These are the factors you need to consider when accepting cats and dogs into the programme! 

Th ideal blood donor should be in good health, in good body condition and  on the large size (but not obese) so that a decent amount of blood can be taken! They must be up to date with their vaccinations to ensure they are not harbouring any infectious diseases that could be passed on to the recipient. No travel outside of the country is essential for the same reason. Cats ideally should be from single cat households and live indoors only - this reduces the risk of FeLV and FIV being a concern. 

It is essential that any donor on the programme has never had a blood transfusion. 

These patients will require iv catheter placements and prolonged restraint for bleeding, they must be placid, easily handled and not highly strung. They should not find the process of donating blood scary and stressful. 

Pre-blood donation checks:
PCV + TP/TS + General health/recent illnesses + blood pressure + the last time they donated blood. 

Always attempt to rule out underlying heart disease in cat before accepting them onto a donation programme - donating blood can kill cats that have heart disease,