India has blood banks, transfusion guidelines for your furry friends, cattle

Pet parents are no strangers to frantic calls and social media posts seeking blood donations for dogs suffering from severe anaemia, tick fever, injuries from accidents, or complications after surgery. But most of the time, finding a donor is nothing short of a miracle. Thousands have often lost their four-legged companions due to instances where mismatched blood types proved fatal. Dogs have as many as 13 different blood types, making it a challenge to get a suitable match. Often, the absence of regulation and the unavailability of blood or plasma costs dogs and their lives.

Not just dogs, even for farm animals, which are of great value to farmers, such as cows, buffaloes, sheep, and goats, blood transfusions can be life-saving, as they often suffer blood loss from road accidents or parasitic diseases that necessitate the procedure.

However, the government has now formally acknowledged the need for blood transfusion and blood bank facilities for companion animals and livestock.

On the eve of International Dog Day, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying released the country's first 'Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Blood Transfusion and Blood Banks for Animals in India'.

The move is expected to streamline the process of donor selection, blood collection, component processing, storage, transfusion procedures, and monitoring, while ensuring ethical and safety safeguards.

WHAT SOPs FOR ANIMAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION AND BLOOD BANKS SAY

Key highlights in the SOP included the establishment of state-regulated veterinary blood banks with biosafety-compliant infrastructure, mandatory blood typing and cross-matching to prevent incompatibility reactions, and strict donor eligibility criteria.

The guidelines emphasise voluntary, non-remunerated donations with a Donor Rights Charter, integrate One Health principles to manage zoonotic risks, and provide standardised SOPs, forms, and checklists for donor registration, transfusion monitoring, and adverse reaction reporting.

Additionally, the ministry proposed a National Veterinary Blood Bank Network (N-VBBN) with digital registries, real-time inventories, and an emergency helpline, while promoting innovations like mobile blood collection units, cryopreservation, and donor-recipient matching apps, alongside incorporating training into veterinary education.

BLOOD DONATION FOR DOGS IN INDIA: HOW IT WORKS?

In dogs, blood types are classified under the Dog Erythrocyte Antigen (DEA) system. Of the 13 recognised groups, DEA 1.1, 1.2, and 7 are considered the most important in transfusion reactions. Dogs that are DEA 1.1 negative, 1.2 negative, and 7 negative are regarded as universal donors. Greyhounds are often ideal donors because many of them naturally lack these antigens. However, careful cross-matching is still recommended, as the first transfusion may be tolerated, but mismatches can cause severe or fatal reactions in subsequent transfusions.

Although India is an animal-loving nation which has a long tradition of revering animals, with concepts such as go-dhan and ashva-dhan, the development of veterinary healthcare has historically lagged behind that of human medicine. While solutions for common illnesses such as kidney disease in dogs or the need for timely transfusions exist abroad, they are still limited and rare in India.

However, a few dedicated facilities for animal blood banks exist in Punjab and Haryana.

Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, and Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Hisar, run dedicated animal blood banks, supplying blood, plasma, red blood cells and platelets for dogs, and also cattle such as cows, buffaloes, sheep, and goats, according to Kisan Tak – India Today Digital's sister portal on agriculture, livestock, and rural livelihoods.

A private blood bank for dogs operates at MaxPetZ veterinary hospital in Delhi-NCR, which has multiple outlets in the region. In cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, pet owners rely on WhatsApp groups, social media networks, and even dedicated platforms such as Bengaluru-based Blood4 Pet to connect donors with those in need.

At GADVASU, established five years ago with an investment of Rs 50 lakh, over 1,000 animals have already received blood and its components. The hospital sees up to 150 dog cases a day, and keeps four to five units of canine blood available at all times. Yet, the short shelf life of 35-40 days makes donor availability crucial, according to a report in Kisan Tak.

India's livestock and companion animal population is one of the largest in the world, comprising over 537 million livestock and more than 125 million companion animals. This includes nearly 28 million pet dogs, according to the Indian Journal of Community Medicine. Yet, donor shortage remains a pressing concern. Many owners reportedly hesitate to allow their pets or cattle to donate blood, fearing it will affect their health or reduce milk production in cows and buffaloes. LUVAS too is working to build awareness among cattle and pet owners about voluntary animal blood donation.

With the introduction of national SOPs, India has taken a significant step toward improving animal healthcare. For dogs, often seen as family members, this could mean a better chance at survival in emergencies.

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