Charlotte Russo, Head Transfusion Medicine RVN

The RVC Blood Donor Programme, which was based within the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA), has grown significantly since being established, 20 years ago. This expansion has included a significant increase in the number of donations and transfusions being performed and also an expansion of the dedicated team.

Consequently, the success and growth of the Blood Donor Programme has meant that it has surpassed the capacity of the hospital space, necessitating the need for a new, purpose-built facility.

Donated blood is often split into red blood cells (for anaemic patients) and plasma (used for dogs and cats with low levels of clotting factors). Plasma is also often useful in critically ill patients to support their circulatory system. In addition, our blood donor nurses also make special products to help patients with inherited diseases where they lack specific clotting factors, such as haemophilia.

The products that the Blood Donor Programme produces enables the clinical teams at RVC Small Animal Referrals to help hundreds of animals every year. The blood products are collected, prepared and delivered to patients via the Transfusion Medicine Service (TMS).

Prioritising welfare and comfort

The foremost priority of the Blood Donor Programme is the welfare and wellbeing of our invaluable blood donors. We aim to, whenever possible, conduct blood donations without the need for sedation. This is a practice well established with dogs and one we successfully extended to cats in 2013.

Achieving non-sedated donations from feline donors, which is dependent on them having a suitable temperament, necessitates an environment purposefully designed to facilitate this approach.

The requirement for the new facility, therefore, was not only driven by the expansion of our team but also by the value of an optimal setting that maintains the welfare and comfort of donors. This includes dedicated donation rooms catering to the needs of cats and a separate donation room for dogs.
The new facility is just outside the QMHA, creating a tranquil and less bustling environment than within the hospital. Our intention was to provide a space where donors won't perceive it as a clinical setting, fostering a more relaxed atmosphere.

Alongside the dedicated feline and canine blood donation rooms, the new facility incorporates office space for the team and a laboratory for the processing of donated blood. The onsite laboratory enables the team to process blood into a diverse array of blood products, catering to patients of various sizes with different conditions that demand specific products.

The new facility has been part funded by the Animal Care Trust, the RVC’s registered charity.