Brochures Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital Blood Bank | Page 2

Pets Need Blood Products Too
Just like humans, pets with traumatic injuries or with
certain medical conditions often need blood transfusions. Veterinary medicine depends on blood products. Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital Blood Bank is the
only 24-hour veterinary blood bank in the Denver
metro area. It provides life-saving blood products to
hospitals around the country. The demand for blood
products continues to increase and we are welcoming new canine donors into our program.

Donations
Donations are performed by our certified veterinary
technicians. A small square on the dog’s neck is
shaved and scrubbed for sterility. With the dog laying
calmly on its side, one unit is drawn. A single donation can be used for more than one transfusion because the blood can be separated into two components: red blood cells and plasma. The blood is then
stored until an injured or ill pet needs a transfusion.
Throughout the process the dog is comforted by our
staff. After the donation the dog receives a compli-