Is this possible?     It might surprise you to know that the answer is “Yes”

When suffering from severe anaemia a dog can be treated with a transfusion of blood from another dog.

Anaemia can result from blood loss due to trauma or damage to red cells from toxins, disease or autoimmune conditions. A dog can receive a first-time transfusion of blood from another dog without being typed or cross-matched. There is no need for anaesthesia and a typical transfusion lasts from 1-4 hours.

Restoring blood cells and volume will alleviate symptoms so that the cause of the anaemia can be addressed.

A dog that has once had a transfusion will need to be cross-matched in any future transfusions, so this would be an important fact to inform your vet.

Cats can also benefit from another cat’s blood if anaemic, but here close cross matching is important.

Dogs can be volunteered to be donors. Details can be found from the “Pet blood bank” – a charitable organisation that has information on canine blood donors. If your dog meets the following criteria:

• Fit and healthy
• Between one and eight years old
• Weigh more than 25kg
• Have a good temperament
• Have never travelled abroad
• Vaccinated
• Not on any medication

then this organisation, or your local vet would be interested to hear from you.