November 04, 2007
UK Health: Call for national pet blood bank
Mr Dan Brockman, an expert in cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal Veterinary College, London, said he was now carrying out several open heart surgery procedures a year.
Other surgical procedures for dogs and occasionally cats - including heart valve replacement, heart valve repair, cancer operations, and knee-, hip- and elbow-replacements - are becoming routine.
The cost of between £3,000 and £10,000 is met by pet insurance policies or by the individual.
One of the things that has held back critical care in the UK has been an unwillingness to develop blood banking in the UK," Mr Brockman told reporters..."It's not possible to have a well functioning trauma centre without having blood product support as in human trauma medicine."
[photo not with above/ not a UK pet or pet owner]
Posted by Stubbornson at November 4, 2007 06:12 AM