How does blood donation work?

Preparations

Before your dog can donate blood, you need to prepare for the blood draw. Our staff at the Blood Bank will shave and carefully clean a small area on your dog's neck. There is a blood vessel (the jugular vein) that we use for the blood draw. The dog will then lie down on its side. As the pet owner, you will be there throughout the visit to support and keep your dog company.

The blood donation

First, a needle is attached to the newly shaved and washed area of ​​the dog's neck. The needle is attached to a tube that leads to the blood collection bag. When donating blood, around 450 ml of blood is collected. The actual blood donation takes between 5–10 minutes. The dog usually does not show any signs of discomfort from the needle prick. When the right amount of blood is collected, the needle is removed and a compress is pressed against the area where the needle was placed. Afterwards, the dog is allowed to stand up.

Afterwards

Your dog has now donated blood! The dog will receive praise, treats, water and a moment of supervision before you can go home. When you are home, it is good to take it easy for the next few days, but normal exercise is recommended.

The donated blood

Once the donated blood has been collected, the blood is first allowed to "rest" before being divided into different parts, i.e. components. The blood is divided in order to be able to use it better when giving blood to animals. For example, you can give an animal a certain blood component that it is lacking. The shelf life is also longer.

After resting, the blood bags are centrifuged in a refrigerated centrifuge to divide the blood into different components. Centrifugation causes the erythrocytes to be packed at the bottom of the bag and the plasma at the top. These layers are then transferred to separate bags using a press. Once the blood is separated, the erythrocyte concentrate is stored in the refrigerator and the plasma is frozen. The donated blood can then be used for animals in need.