– January is national blood donor month, a time to honor and encourage people to donate. It’s not just humans that can donate, your furry companion’s can help out, if they meet specific requirements. Dogs must weigh more than 50 lbs, cats more than 10 lbs.

This concept may be new to some, but Dr. Meghan Respess, the National Blood Bank Director at BluePearl Pet Hospital, says it’s been around for centuries.Dr. Respess said,

“It’s not uncommon to be like, I’ve had animals my whole life and have never heard of blood transfusion, or blood donations in veterinary medicine, but lucky for you, it’s because you haven’t been in a situation that require blood transfusion.

 Everyday animals have surgeries or are facing an illness where they need a blood transfusion. Some local animal hospitals have to rely on their personal pets, or each other in a time of need. Others rely on pet blood banks.”

She said,”unless you’re in a rotation of getting blood products on a regular basis, it can be a challenge to get these products, as I mentioned, in emergency and critical care medicine, or specialty medicine like oncology, we use products on a weekly, daily basis there has been an increasing demand in animal blood, as families keep their pets alive longer. That’s why BluePearl Pet Hospital is raising awareness about the blood donations. They hope to become a self sufficient blood bank.”

If you’re interested in volunteering your animal, ask your veterinarian if that is something they do, or contact the BluePearl Pet Hospital.