Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Demand for blood and blood products for animal treatment
We appreciate that there is a significant demand for feline and canine blood and blood products in the UK, and that supply issues can have negative consequences for animal health and welfare.
To ensure the welfare of donor animals as well as the consistency and safety of the product, the collection and supply of blood and blood products is restricted in the UK to authorised non-food animal blood banks (NFABBAs).
Authorisation follows a regulatory assessment and the weighing up of the benefits and risks of authorising the blood bank. This includes the benefits for recipient animals and the risks for donor animals (for example compliance with UK criteria for the selection of suitable donors and the methods for blood collection), recipient animals and other non?target animals (such as the risk of infectious disease).
Feline blood and blood products
We updated our Non-Food Animal Blood Bank Authorisation (NFABBA) guidance with criteria for feline blood banking in April 2022 to allow the supply of feline blood and blood products from authorised blood banks in accordance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (VMR).
We support the establishment of feline blood banks in the UK to increase the availability of feline blood products. Furthermore, we are working with the veterinary community to gain a better understanding of the clinical demand for blood products to inform our approach to the regulation of non-food animal blood banks and the alternatives to blood products.
Routine Veterinary Practice (RVP)
Under routine veterinary practice, feline and canine blood can also be collected and used in the treatment of animals by a veterinary surgeon where there is an immediate or anticipated clinical indication for the transfusion.
This is only acceptable on the scale of an individual veterinary practice or between practices in the same locality and it is usually done in the case of an emergency where the blood is needed and used immediately rather than stored.
The RCVS guidance on routine veterinary practice and clinical veterinary research covers specific information relating to undertaking blood transfusions, including the use of sedatives to enable the donation.
Importation of blood products from blood banks premises located outside the UK
Only blood and blood products collected from animals by the holder of a NFABBA in accordance with the VMR can be imported. This may include blood collected from animals in the UK by the holder of a NFABBA that is then exported to authorised premises outside the UK for processing before being re-imported for administration to animals.
A list of the current holders of NFABBAs can be found on the VMDs (Register of Specific Manufacturing Authorisation Holders