Blood Transfusion For Cats

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  • What is a blood transfusion?

    A blood transfusion is a life-saving procedure where blood or blood products from a donor are given to a cat to treat a medical disorder. This may be whole blood (containing all four components of the blood) or blood components (plasma, platelets, etc.).

    Blood is a part of the circulatory system which comprises of blood, blood vessels, and the heart. It carries oxygen and nutrients around the body and removes waste products such as carbon dioxide. The average 5kg cat has about 325ml of blood.

    Blood has four components; red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets.

    • Red blood cells (RBC/erythrocytes) – The most abundant cell in the blood, RBC’s are disc-shaped, concave cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, and carry carbon dioxide from the tissues
      back to the lungs for oxygenation. Their red colour comes from hemoglobin (Hb), which is an iron-containing compound.
    • White blood cells (leukocytes) – These cells are responsible for fighting infections from bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
    • Plasma – Plasma is the pale/straw coloured liquid component of the blood. It is made up of water, proteins, electrolytes, and sugars and its primary role is to transport blood cells around the body. Plasma
      also transports nutrients, antibodies, waste products, blood clotting factors, and hormones. Cats with blood clotting disorders usually receive plasma transfusions.
    • Platelets (thrombocytes) – Small, disc-shaped cells whose function is to bind together and form clumps to plug damaged
      blood cells.

    Indications

    A blood transfusion may be necessary for the following reasons:

    • Loss of red blood cells due to destruction (immune diseases, poisoning) or blood loss (trauma, internal bleeding, parasites, surgery etc.)
    • A decrease in the production of red blood cells.
    • Low white blood cell count (leukopenia), due to cancer, some infections, autoimmune disorders, kidney or liver failure, certain medications, congenital disorders.
    • Blood clotting disorders.

    Cat blood types

    • A is the most common group
    • B is less common but occurs in some breeds of purebred cat
    • AB is extremely rare

    The type of antigens (markers) on the surface of blood cells determine the blood group. So, if you have a cat who is blood group A and he receives blood from a type B cat, naturally occurring alloantibodies in the recipient’s blood will cause an immune response due to the type B antigens on the red blood cells of the donated blood. Therefore when receiving blood, the following must occur.

    • A group cats can only receive type A blood.
    • B group cats can only receive type B blood.
    • AB group cats can receive blood from type AB blood or type A blood.

    blood groups in cats

    Furthermore, in 2007 a new antigen known as MiK was discovered. Most cats have the MiK antigen on their red blood cells, however a small percentage of cats do not have it, and if they receive a blood transfusion from a cat who does have the MiK antigen a reaction may occur, even if both the donor and the recipient have the same blood type (A, B or AB).

    Testing is usually able to be performed in-house and only takes a few minutes to perform, with a small amount of blood. In addition to testing the blood groups, cross-matching (BCM) may be performed to determine the compatibility of the patient and donor blood. This is even more important if the cat has received a blood transfusion in the past.

    Where does the donated blood come from?

    The donor cat may be a practice cat who permanently resides at the veterinary surgery (a homeless cat who the practice adopts). Often cats owned by the staff of the veterinary practice will use their cats to give blood.

    More and more veterinary surgeries are keeping a list of cat guardians who are willing to have their cat donate blood upon request which takes the pressure off one or two practice cats and means they always have a standby supply of
    emergency blood. Pet blood banks are also starting to become more commonplace in the US and the UK.

    Blood donor requirements

    Not all cats are suitable blood donors; the donor cat should meet the following criteria:

    • Be in good health with no pre-existing conditions.
    • Weigh at least 4kg.
    • Be fully vaccinated.
    • Indoors only.
    • Be free of parasites and up to date with parasite treatment.
    • Screened for FIV, FeLV and Mycoplasma hemofelis.
    • Have a packed cell volume of >35%.
    • Not be pregnant or lactating.
    • Donor cats should have a calm disposition.

    Blood donations from dogs

    There are at least two cases where a cat has received blood from a dog as a last resort, which is known as xenotransfusions. Dogs have eleven blood groups; however, cats don’t have naturally occurring antibodies to canine blood.

    Xenotransfusions have been used when no other options are available, and the cat will die without an immediate transfusion. This is the last resort; ideally, a cat should receive a feline blood donation.

    How is a blood transfusion administered?

    The donor cat should not have eaten 4-6 hours before taking blood to reduce the risk of vomiting during sedation, and the veterinarian will check the cat’s blood pressure. A needle will be placed into a large vein, usually the jugular
    (in the neck). Collection of the blood usually takes around 30 minutes. Once the blood donation has finished, the donor cat is monitored for signs of low blood pressure. Extra fluids are often given to the donor cat just before or at the time of collection. Approximately 50ml of blood will be taken (around 1% of body weight). It will take about 30 minutes to collect blood from the donor cat. A cat can only donate blood every three months.

    Initially, blood is given at a rate of 0.5mk/k/per while being closely monitored to watch for complications. Your veterinarian will monitor the heart rate, blood pressure, capillary refill time, respiration rate and watch for rash
    and vomiting. If the recipient shows no adverse reactions, then the amount of blood given is increased to 10mk/k/per hour. It takes around four hours in total.

    A reaction can occur during the procedure or several hours afterwards. Close monitoring is necessary.

    Complications

    Outlined below are possible side effects to both donor and recipient. There are two types of side effects that may occur in the recipient.

    Immune-mediated and non-immune-mediated.

    Acute hemolytic reaction (AHTR)

    Cause:

    This occurs when the recipient has pre-existing antibodies to antigens in the donor cat’s blood due to mismatched blood. I.e., a cat with type A blood receiving a transfusion of type B blood. This destroys the donor red blood cells in the blood vessels.

    Symptoms:

    Fever, low blood pressure, restlessness, tachycardia (rapid heart rate), difficulty breathing, cyanosis, abnormal bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, oliguria, hemoglobinuria, hemoglobinemia, shock, and collapse.

    Delayed hemolytic reaction (DHTR)

    Cause:

    Usually occurs >24 hours after the transfusion has occurred, caused by an immune reaction to minor red blood cell antigens.

    Symptoms:

    There are usually no clinical signs other than a loss of transfusion efficiency.

    Allergic (urticaria)

    Cause:

    IgE antibodies reacting to plasma protein resulting in mast cells releasing histamine.

    Symptoms:

    Rash (urticaria), redness, itching.

    Allergic (anaphylactic)

    Cause:

    IgA antibodies reacting to plasma protein resulting in a severe allergic reaction.

    Symptoms:

    Low blood pressure, tachycardia (fast heart rate), bronchospasm (narrowing of the airways), collapse.

    Febrile

    Cause:

    Antibody reaction to donor white blood cells or platelets.

    Symptoms:

    Elevated body temperature is the most common symptom.

    Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO)

    Cause:

    Caused by a rapid transfusion of a large volume of blood, the circulatory system becomes overwhelmed.

    Symptoms:

    Dyspnea (difficulty breathing), heart failure, high blood pressure, swelling.

    Pulmonary edema

    Cause:

    Fluid can build up in the lungs if the cat receives too much blood.

    Symptoms:

    Dyspnea (difficulty breathing), open-mouthed breathing, rapid breathing, crackling sound in the lungs, blue-tinged gums.

    Transfusion-related sepsis

    Cause:

    A cat can become infected due to an infection in the donor cat’s blood.

    Symptoms:

    Fever, low blood pressure, shock.

    What happens if a reaction occurs?

    The blood donation will need to stop if the recipient shows an adverse reaction. Administration of oxygen, steroids, and antihistamines may be necessary.

    Author

    • Julia Wilson, 'Cat World' Founder

      Julia Wilson is the founder of Cat-World, and has researched and written over 1,000 articles about cats. She is a cat expert with over 20 years of experience writing about a wide range of cat topics, with a special interest in cat health, welfare and preventative care. Julia lives in Sydney with her family, four cats and two dogs. Full author bio