HOSPITAL-WIDE SERVICES

Blood Bank & Transfusion Medicine

Our on-site blood bank saves the lives of more than 100 animal patients every year

College of Veterinary Medicine > Veterinary Teaching Hospital > Hospital-Wide Services > Blood Bank

Blood Bank

Just as people can help save human lives by donating blood, cats and dogs can also give the gift of life to sick or injured animals.

At the veterinary hospital, we provide animal patients with blood transfusions from our on-site blood bank. Blood is typed and cross-matched to ensure the safest transfusions possible. Our program, which started in 1988, saves the lives of more than 100 patients every year.

Common reasons a dog or cat may need a transfusion

Anemia
Blood loss due to an accident or injury
Clotting disorders due to liver disease
Bleeding from accidental ingestion poison
Diseases, such autoimmune disease, causing the body to destroy its own red blood cells
Hemophilia or in other inherited bleeding problems

Give your dog or cat a chance to be someone’s hero

509-335-0711

The demand for blood continues to increase and we need the help of willing dog and cat volunteers. A donation of blood means giving the gift of life to an animal that is sick or injured.

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Can my pet donate blood?

Dog donors must be healthy and happy, greater than 60 pounds, between 1- 6 years old, and able to lie still for 10 minutes. We ask our donors to commit to the program for two years or up to 12 collections.
Cat donors must be healthy and happy, greater than 10 pounds, between 1-6 years old, and be friendly and easy to handle.

Hospital Stories | Health Topics

The woman behind WSU’s blood bank

March 21, 2024

Jane Wardrop didn’t pay much attention to the fact that veterinary medicine was a male-dominated profession when she applied to veterinary school at WSU in 1972.