A canine blood donor clinic at Vanier College

We all know about blood donor clinics, but few of us have likely heard about canine blood donor clinics.  Yet, during the week of November 19 to 22 the Vanier College Animal Health Department will hold three Canine Blood Donor Clinics during the Hematology Labs of the 3rd year Animal Health Students.

Dogs can donate blood
Dogs can donate the same quantity of blood as a human does.  In fact, the same blood collections bags and equipment are used.  After the collection the blood is processed into its ‘parts’ or components which are:  red blood cells and plasma. One blood collection can be split up into 2 units of packed red blood cells and two units of plasma. This means that a single donation can potentially help save the lives of 4 dogs!  Packed red blood cells can be kept refrigerated for 5 weeks and plasma can be kept frozen for a year.  A donor dog can safely donate blood every 2-3 months.

Conditions for being a canine blood donor
A canine blood donor must weigh at least 25 kg, be between 1 and 7 years, be in good health and up to date on vaccination and heartworm preventative.  He also requires a relaxed temperament and be willing to lie still for the 10 minutes required to collect the blood. The 14 canine blood donors for this clinic belong to Vanier faculty, staff, students and graduates of the Animal Health Technology program.

The CABB and Centre vétérinaire DMV helping
Beth Knight from the Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB) and Vanessa Turcot Lamarche from Centre vétérinaire DMV will be volunteering their time to help with the actual blood collection and processing.

Great opportunity for learning
“The Hematology Students will have a wonderful opportunity to perfect their clinical and hematological skills,” says veterinarian Dr. Stephanie Laett who teaches the Hematology course.  “Groups of 2 to 3 students will be assigned a specific donor dog.  The students will open and complete files, perform a General Physical exam, scan and record microchip information, and perform the preliminary blood tests under Veterinary supervision.  They will do a complete blood count, heart worm test, as well as determine the blood type of the donor dogs using both the Rapidvet and the Alvedia blood typing tests.  Throughout the procedures the students will be in charge of the comfort and well-being of the donor dog.”

Two pet food Companies; Medi-cal Royal Canin and Hagen have provided complimentary dog food for the donor dogs in support of this project.  Each donor dog will receive a credit of one unit of blood product, should they need blood at some point in the future from either the CABB or the DMV!

Comparing blood typing tests
The Clinic will not only allow students to work with the donor dogs but will also involve a mini research project to compare two different blood typing tests.  It will also serve as a pilot project to investigate the possibility of setting up a satellite canine blood donor clinic of CAAB in Québec.