Frequently Asked Questions:

How does blood donation work?

For Dogs: Potential donors visit ACCES to meet the staff, and have a brief exam with a veterinarian. A small amount of blood is drawn for typing (only DEA 1.1 negative blood is accepted). If blood typing results show the dog is eligible to donate, potential donors return for their first donation, and another small blood draw for further comprehensive screening. The donation itself takes only about 10 minutes, and you are asked to be present to help restrain and praise your donor.

For Cats: Potential donors visit ACCES to meet the staff, and have a brief exam with the veterinarian. A small amount of blood is drawn for typing and comprehensive testing (all feline blood types are accepted). If blood screening results are approved, donors are dropped off for their donation. Once the donation is complete, the owner may pick up their donor after 4 hours (to allow recovery from sedation.).

Is it safe?

At the ACCES Blood Bank the safety of our donors, owners, and staff is our top priority. To ensure the safety of the donor, we have a veterinarian check their heart and do a full exam prior to each donation. We also draw a small amount of blood and test it to make sure the donor's red cell volume is high enough to safely donate that day. There is a veterinarian and licensed technician on duty at all times. We will not proceed with the donation if we find it will be unsafe. Sometimes post-donation there is some minor bruising from the donation site, but this is minor and usually goes away within 2-3 days.

Do Dogs and Cats have different blood types?

For Dogs: Dogs are evaluated based on a system called Dog Erythrocyte Antigen (DEA). The primary antigen we look at is DEA 1.1, which is either negative or positive. DEA 1.1 negative dogs are considered universal donors, and their blood can be safely transfused into any other dog (similiar to type O in humans). At the ACCES Blood Bank, we accept only DEA 1.1 negative donors to ensure there are no transfusion reactions.

For Cats: Cats have only 3 blood types: A, B & AB. Most cats are Type A. About 5% of the feline population in the Puget Sound area are Type B, which makes this type of blood difficult to find and therefore very valuable. However, all blood types are needed because the demand for feline blood is high.

How much blood is drawn?

For Dogs: We take a full human pint, which is 450 mLs. It is safe for a 55+ pound dog to donate this amount of blood because they hold this volume of blood in reserve in the spleen. After about 4 weeks all that blood has been replaced back into the body, and after 6 weeks it is safe for the dog to donate again because the reserve volume has been replaced in the spleen.

For Cats: We take 53mLs from feline donors. Cats also have this amount of blood in reserve, but because they are so small we make sure to replace that volume of fluid after each donation with subcutaneous fluids.

How often can my pet donate blood?

Animals can safely donate blood every 6 weeks. However, at the ACCES Blood Bank, we only ask our donors to come in every 3-4 months, depending on your schedule and to give the donor plenty of time to fully recover. Due to high screening costs for potential donors, we ask for a 12-donation commitment, or about 1 donation every 4 months for 3 years.

What if my pet is on medication?

When your pet donates blood, any medication in their bloodstream gets transfused into the recipient as well. Some medications are unsafe to transfuse to other patients. Drugs such as steroids, pain-killers, or antibiotics disqualify animals from becoming donors. For a comprehensive list of reasons a donor may be unable to donate, see our disqualification form.

Will my pet be sedated?

For Dogs: Most dogs are able to sit still for the 10-minute donation with no problem, especially after they donate a few times and become used to the procedure. We ask you to be present at every donation to help keep the donor calm and still while we donate. It is important the donor is able to sit still for the entire donation because we draw the blood from the jugular vein.

For Cats: We do have to sedate cats in order to safely restrain them and access the jugular vein. Sedation is very light and tailored to each individual donor. It lasts only about 10 minutes, but recovery does take about 4 hours while the cat is still "groggy" from the drugs. During the donation we provide oxygen and constantly monitor the donor's vital signs for safety.

Why do animals need blood transfusions?

Many situations require the use of blood products, including animals that are hit by cars, eat rat poison, or are bleeding during surgery.Some animals have immune problems that cause them to have low red blood cells or platelets and need transfusions to get by until medications to correct the problem can take effect.

Are some breeds more likely to have the "universal" blood type than others?

Due to weight requirements, only medium to large dog breeds can be donors. Studies have shown that some breeds-such as Greyhounds, Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, German Shephers, and American Pitbull Terriers-are more likely to be universal donors. However, ANY dog could be a universal donor, no matter what breed, if it is purebred, or mixed, so we test everyone. Cats only have 3 blood types and all are needed, so any cat meeting the donor requirements may join the program.