Page 6 - Paws and Hooves - Spring 2024

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Page 6 - Paws and Hooves - Spring 2024
P. 6

years of








                                  innovation










       The RVCÐÂÔÂÖ±²¥™s Blood Donor Programme was created to         Donating without sedation
       ensure a reliable blood supply for our critically ill   This is now standard practice at the RVC and has
       patients. From the beginning, the welfare of our donors   improved the donation experience for all our feline friends.
       has been of paramount importance. The RVC has          Through our work, vets around the world are recognising
       worked hard to research improvements to the blood      that just like dogs, cats donÐÂÔÂÖ±²¥™t need a general anaesthetic
       donation and transfusion process. By sharing this work   to give blood.
       with the veterinary community, we hope to improve the
       welfare of our donors, and donors worldwide.
                                                                We published the worldÐÂÔÂÖ±²¥™s first
                                                                protocol for acquiring feline
                                                                blood donations without

                                                                cats being sedated.



                                                              Dog-to-cat blood transfusions
                                                              We published some of the largest reports on
                                                              xenotransfusions, where dog blood is used as an
                                                              effective way to treat cats. Before our first study,
                                                              information about xenotransfusion was scarce and
        BB2 gives blood
                                                              outdated. Xenotransfusions can only be used once, and
       2004                  2005                 2008                  2010                  2012




       Launch of the RVC     First feline blood   The Blood Donor team   First recorded       The RVC Animal Care
       Blood Donor Programme  donation and        acquires a director of   unsedated feline    Trust begin fundraising
                             transfusion          Transfusion Medicine,   blood donation      for the Blood Donor
       First canine blood                         Dr Karen Humm         with cat Richocet     Programme. First
       donation and transfusion  5 feline                               (pictured top right    appeal purchased a
                             blood donors         The first full time blood
       19 canine donors                                                 with owner Karen)     blood bank freezer for
                             6 feline blood       donor nurse joins the                       plasma products, which
       36 canine blood       transfusions         team, Robyn Taylor                          is still in use today!
       transfusions
                                                  Robyn develops a
       Canine blood products                      technique using a
       can be stored.                             sterile tube welder
                                                  to create smaller
       0 dedicated blood
       donor nurses                               blood units for our
                                                  smaller patients.
        Marty


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