Page 10 - Paws and Hooves - Spring 2024

Canines to the rescue

How dog-to-cat blood donations at the RVC are

revolutionising transfusion medicine

Millie, a six-month-old cat, was brought into the While Millie was supported with anti-viral medication for FIP,
RVC’s Emergency and Critical Care Department her anaemia remained critical. With time of the essence,
with acute anaemia and hypoglycaemia. Millie’s the team decided to give her a canine blood transfusion.
symptoms were so severe, that she needed three This process is called xenotransfusion. The transfused red
blood transfusions to have a chance of survival. blood cells from Willow, a border collie, increased Millie’s
With not enough suitable feline blood products blood oxygen levels. The average lifespan of transfused
immediately available, the RVC Blood Donor canine red blood cells in felines is four days, but this gave
Programme bought Millie extra time by using the team the time they needed to find Millie a feline blood
canine red blood cells for one of her transfusions. donor. This was the last transfusion Millie would need.
Upon arriving at the RVC, Millie suffered a hypoglycaemic
seizure. In addition to her low blood sugar, Millie didn’t have
enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around her body. The donor team were
Her first blood donor was a cat called Neville. Although this fantastic with Neville. He always
helped, she was still in a critical condition and her condition came home happy and full
deteriorated again. The clinical signs Mille was showing were
due to the disease feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) which is of treats. Knowing that his
caused by a coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus donation has helped save the
stay in the gastrointestinal tract and don’t cause serious
disease. However, occasionally mutations of the virus can lives of other cats makes me
affect its biological behaviour making the disease much feel very proud.
more serious. FIP is nearly always fatal without therapy.
– Nicole, Neville's owner

Millie was discharged after ten days, and completed her
12-week course of anti-viral medication for FIP at home.
FIP used to be untreatable, but now, with newer therapies,
over 80% of cats treated at the RVC for FIP survive. It
is a major advancement in veterinary medicine. Millie’s
additional complications
of hypoglycaemia and
anaemia made her recovery
even more extraordinary.
So many came together
to save Millie’s life. From
the collaboration of
researchers, specialists,
residents and nurses at
the RVC and our feline and
canine blood donors, to you,
our wonderful supporters.
Millie Neville Willow

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