Dog Blood Types and Dog Blood Donation
WRITTEN BYAja Senestraro, DVM Veterinarian Dr. Aja Senestraro is a holistic veterinarian based in Seattle, Washington. As the founder of Sea to Sky Holistic Vet she is privileged to…,Is there really such thing as a blood transfusion for dogs? Yes, dogs suffering from severe blood loss or blood diseases can receive blood transfusions from another healthy dog to help them recover. But matching them up is a little more involved since there are dog blood types than in people, and the types are more complex. Here’s everything you need to know about dog blood types and how dog blood transfusions and donations work. Do Dogs Have Different Blood Types? Yes, they do. In fact, over a dozen different dog blood types have been found so far, and we’ll probably continue to find more types with more research. Blood types in dogs are genetic with complex inheritance patterns. Each blood group is inherited independently, which means that a dog could have any combination of the 12+ blood groups. This creates variability in which blood types are most common depending on geographic area and breed. Even though there are many dog blood types and possible combinations, the one called “dog erythrocyte antigen 1” (DEA 1) is the most medically important. Some dogs are negative for DEA 1, but if they’re positive, they can have one of two forms—DEA 1.1 or DEA 1.2.
