Abstract
The value of donor blood transfusions in companion animal medicine has long been established - to the point that many universities and veterinary hospitals operate their own blood banks or blood donor programs for cats and dogs.1 Blood typing and cross-matching for donor-recipient pairs is well understood for many domestic species, but remains limited for most non-domestic species, including reptiles.1,2,5 While many veterinary message boards and texts reference the ability to administer blood transfusions to reptiles from a conspecific donor, the authors are not aware of protocols for accomplishing this treatment that are peer-review published for the Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina).4 The North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine (NCSU-CVM) Turtle Rescue Team (TRT) is a student-run organization of volunteers treating sick and injured native reptilian wildlife.3 While a variety of species are treated each year, the Eastern box turtle represents the majority of cases. Many of the patients presenting to the TRT are affected by injuries that cause blood loss, and patients range from mildly to severely anemic on presentation. Through years of experience, the TRT has developed a protocol for administration of whole blood transfusions to Eastern box turtles using healthy conspecifics of the same sex with mixed success. Three recent cases have been analyzed to establish a working protocol for donor blood transfusions in order to reduce clinical signs of anemia and improve prognosis. All turtles were severely anemic with a packed cell volume (PCV) of 2–3% due to trauma or surgery prior to receiving donor blood transfusions, and all received the therapy within 1–5 weeks of the diagnosis of clinical anemia. In each case, the transfusion initially improved the PCV by at least 250%. One case succumbed to blood loss due to a non-healing traumatic leg injury post transfusion. Bleeding in the remaining two cases was well controlled, and the PCV for each patient was improved by more than ten times the original measured level within 3–5 months post transfusion. One box turtle has since been released to its native habitat in North Carolina; the other is continuing to receive medical care with the TRT for recurrent aural abscesses.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the TRT for their efforts and dedication to the advancement of veterinary medicine, particularly for reptiles. Marina would also like to thank Elizabeth Massey and Erin Baxter for mentoring her toward developing this protocol and for encouraging her interest in acquiring a leadership role with the TRT.
References
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