Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) officials have urged residents to register their pet dogs as blood donors so they can be called upon in case of emergencies, recalling how human blood banks once transformed emergency medicine.
The university already runs a canine blood bank and organised a workshop on blood transfusion in pets and livestock.
The Department of Veterinary Medicine organised the one-day workshop, titled “A Practical Approach to Blood Transfusion in Pets and Livestock”, drawing participation from veterinary officers from the Department of Animal Husbandry, faculty members and post-graduation students.
Department head Sushma Chhabra said blood transfusion was increasingly being recognised as a life-saving intervention in veterinary emergency care. She added animals suffering from severe blood loss due to accidents, surgery, parasitic infestations, poisoning, haemorrhagic diseases and anaemia often required urgent transfusion.
Vice-Chancellor JPS Gill underscored the importance of such capacity-building programmes, and said the demand for specialised veterinary services was rising rapidly, particularly in emergency medicine and critical care.
He said training initiatives helped veterinarians stay updated with modern diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, ultimately leading to improved animal welfare, enhanced livestock productivity and better healthcare outcomes for pets and farm animals.
Participants attended expert lectures and hands-on practical sessions, covering donor selection, blood collection techniques, grouping and cross-matching procedures, product storage, handling protocols and safe transfusion practices.
Blood transfusion unit in-charge Sujata Turkar stressed the need to foster a culture of voluntary blood donation and urged pet owners with healthy adult dogs to register their pets as donors.
