When your pet needs a blood transfusion: Govt’s plan to set up a network of blood banks for animals

What do the draft guidelines say, and what are the implications for the animal husbandry and dairying sector, as well as pets?

Why are SOPs needed for blood transfusions in animals?

India is home to a very large livestock population of 536.76 million, according to the 20th Livestock Census conducted in 2019, and is also seeing a boom in the practice of keeping pets or companion animals.

Livestock include cattle, buffalo, goats, and sheep, as well as animals such as horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, camels, and pigs. India has the world’s largest population of cattle and buffalo, and the second-largest population of goats. The population of companion animals is estimated at 125 million, according to the draft guidelines.

The livestock and companion animal sector plays a pivotal role in the country’s agricultural economy and rural livelihoods. The animal husbandry and dairying sector contributes about 30 per cent of the agricultural GVA and 5.5 per cent of the national economy.

Given this context, there is an urgent need to formalise critical and emergency veterinary care services, including blood transfusion support across species, the draft says. Blood transfusion, it says, is “increasingly recognized globally as a life-saving intervention, essential for managing trauma, severe anemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and coagulation disorders”.

India, the draft notes, “lacks a national regulatory framework and standardized protocols guiding veterinary transfusion medicine with structured blood banking and transfusion practices”. Most animal blood transfusions are dependent on “hospital-available or client-owned donors, without consistent screening, blood typing, or standard operating protocols”.

According to the government, the SOPs will address this situation “by providing structured, ethical, and scientifically sound guidance on donor selection, blood collection, processing, storage, transfusion procedures, and safety monitoring”.

How much blood does the average animal carry, and how is animal blood categorised?

The volume of blood in both humans and animals ranges between 7 per cent and 9 per cent of body weight. Transfusion is required when the volume of blood falls below this level.

Cattle have 55 ml of blood per kg of their body weight, and at an average weight of 300 kg, each head of cattle carries 16.5 litres of blood. Dogs, horses, goats and sheep, pigs, and cats carry blood volumes of 86 ml, 76 ml, 66 ml, 65 ml, and 55 ml respectively.

Like humans, there are a large number of blood groups in animals, produced by species-specific antigens on the cell membrane of their red blood cells. There are 11 blood groups in cattle, 9 in dogs, 8 in horses, and 4 in cats, according to the draft guidelines.

How will the animal blood banks be stocked?

As per the draft guidelines, donor animals — whether canine, feline, or livestock — must meet laid-down criteria for being able to donate blood. These include:

General health and suitability: The animal must be clinically healthy with no signs of systemic illness, and be free from tick-borne and vector-borne diseases.

Age and weight requirements: Donor dogs must be between 1 and 8 years of age, with a minimum body weight of 25 kg; cats must ideally be of age between 1 and 5 years, with a minimum body weight of 4 kg, and not be obese; livestock must be selected from among healthy adults on the basis of species-specific clinical norms.

Vaccination and reproductive health: Donor animals must be fully vaccinated, especially against rabies, and should have been regularly dewormed. Female donor animals must not be pregnant or recently lactating.

Frequency of donations: Dogs are eligible for donation every 4-6 weeks, cats every 8-12 weeks. A minimum 30-day interval between successive donations is mandatory, as per the guidelines.

And where will the veterinary blood banks be located?

The veterinary blood banks will be hosted at veterinary colleges and universities, referral hospitals and polyclinics, large veterinary diagnostic centres, and multi-speciality animal hospitals operated by the government. The veterinary blood banks will function round the clock, according to the draft.

Under the guidelines, institutions operating veterinary blood banks must maintain the following records for at least five years: donor registration and informed consent forms; donor health screening and testing records; blood collection and labeling forms; component processing logs; inventory, storage, and expiry tracking; transfusion monitoring and reaction management forms; post-transfusion outcome assessments; and waste disposal and biosafety logs.

By what mechanism will the various components be integrated into a cohesive system?

The draft document envisages the establishment of a National Veterinary Blood Bank Network (N-VBBN) under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The N-VBBN will provide four core services:

* Digitally integrated donor registries, which will have details on species, breed, location, and blood type.

* A real-time inventory management system that will map the availability of whole blood and components across participating centres.

* A helpline and online portal to connect veterinary clinics, hospitals, and donors in emergency situations.

* A standardised set of practices, reporting formats, and adverse reaction logs across all registered blood banks.

The draft SOPs also envisage the development of a mobile application for donor-recipient matching, and scheduling and logistics support in the future.

Can owners charge for blood donations made by their pets or livestock?

No. The draft document prohibits monetary incentives to pet owners or livestock owners for the donation of the animal blood.

“Voluntary, non-remunerated donation must be the cornerstone of veterinary blood banking. No monetary incentives should be offered to pet owners or livestock keepers,” says the draft.

However, the consent of the owner is mandatory for every donation.