The attitude of veterinarians towards transfusion medicine and determination of donor potentials of cats and dogs in Istanbul/Turkey.

The demand for blood products increases day by day due to the developments in animal transfusion medicine. Therefore, new strategies are developed to create adequate sources. It was observed that animal owners who came to our small animal blood bank are generally wary of the voluntary donor program, and both theoretical and practical information about transfusion medicine are requested by the veterinarians. In the present study, the knowledge and perspectives of the veterinarians on animal blood banking and blood transfusion have been surveyed by a questionnaire. The awareness of the veterinarians and the pet owners has been raised by means of meetings and brochures. Additionally the donor potential of the pets, which were brought to the clinics, has been investigated; and the ratios were 52 % and 45 % for the dogs and cats, respectively. The blood typing has been performed for the animals, which are suitable for blood donation, and a “living” blood bank has been developed.