India just launched national guidelines for animal blood transfusions
India recently launched its very first national guidelines and SOPs for animal blood transfusions.
The idea? Make sure every veterinary blood donation, storage, and transfusion across the country follows the same safe standards—so animals get better care when they need it most.
Who can donate, how to store blood safely
The guidelines spell out exactly who can donate (think: healthy pets with updated vaccines and no diseases), and stress that donations should be voluntary with proper consent.
There are step-by-step instructions for everything—from picking donors to storing blood safely and handling any side effects.
Digital registries and real-time tracking of available blood
A big highlight is the upcoming National Veterinary Blood Bank Network.
This means digital registries, real-time tracking of available blood, and using "One Health" ideas to help prevent diseases spreading between animals and humans.
Until now, most animal transfusions were rushed emergencies without clear rules—this changes that.
Emergency care for animals is set to get an upgrade
With these guidelines in place, emergency care for animals is set to get a serious upgrade.
Livestock survival rates could go up—a win for farmers—and there's room for cool innovations like mobile collection vans or matching donors digitally.
It's a big step toward making sure our furry (and not-so-furry) friends get the medical support they deserve.