Page 10 - Paws and Hooves - Spring 2024

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Page 10 - Paws and Hooves - Spring 2024
P. 10

Canines to the rescue






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

       revolutionising transfusion medicine


       Millie, a six-month-old cat, was brought into the      While Millie was supported with anti-viral medication for FIP,
       ºÚÁÏÉç’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 ºÚÁÏÉç 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 ºÚÁÏÉç, 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 ºÚÁÏÉç 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 ºÚÁÏÉç and our feline and
                                                                                         canine blood donors, to you,
                                                                                         our wonderful supporters.
                       Millie                   Neville                      Willow

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