Guidelines and SOPs for Blood Transfusion and Blood Banks for Animals released by GOI

Pashu Sandesh, 25 August 2025 

The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under the  Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying released the “Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Blood Transfusion and Blood Banks for Animals in India”. Blood transfusion is globally recognized as a life-saving intervention, essential for managing trauma, severe anaemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and coagulation disorders in animals. 

Yet, until now, India lacked a comprehensive national framework for veterinary transfusion medicine. Most animal transfusions were performed in emergencies, without standardized donor screening, blood typing or storage protocols. These Guidelines/SOPs bridge this critical gap by providing a scientific, ethical, and structured framework for donor selection, blood collection, component processing, storage, transfusion procedures, monitoring, and safety safeguards in animals. 

Developed after wide consultations with the Veterinary Council of India, veterinary universities, ICAR institutes, state governments, practicing veterinarians, and experts, the document also aligns India’s practices with global best standards. This first-of-its-kind national framework provides a structured, ethical, and modern foundation for animal blood transfusion and blood banking in India—saving animal lives, safeguarding farmer livelihoods, and advancing animal welfare.

Key highlights of the Guidelines & SOPs include:

· Establishment of state-regulated veterinary blood banks with biosafety-compliant infrastructure.

· Mandatory blood typing and cross-matching to prevent incompatibility reactions.

· Donor eligibility criteria including health, vaccination, age, weight, and disease screening norms.

· Emphasis on voluntary, non-remunerated donations and informed consent with a Donor Rights Charter.

· Integration of One Health principles to manage zoonotic risks.

· Standardized SOPs, forms, and checklists for donor registration, transfusion monitoring  and adverse reaction reporting.

· A roadmap for establishing a National Veterinary Blood Bank Network (N-VBBN) with digital registries, real-time inventories, and an emergency helpline.

· Incorporation of training modules into BVSc & AH curriculum, postgraduate programs and Continuing Veterinary Education.

Looking ahead, these guidelines encourage innovation through mobile blood collection units, cryopreservation for rare blood types, mobile applications for donor-recipient matching, and advanced transfusion research. With advancements in veterinary diagnostics and therapeutics, there is a rising demand for specialized emergency veterinary care, particularly blood transfusion support across species.

The release of these guidelines marks a significant milestone in India’s veterinary healthcare ecosystem strengthening clinical care, saving animal lives, protecting rural livelihoods, and advancing the cause of animal welfare nationwide. Developed as an advisory and non-statutory framework, the document will remain dynamic, evolving with new scientific evidence, field experiences and stakeholder feedback while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, biosafety and public confidence.

Are these guidelines legally binding? No. The SOP is advisory and non-statutory, developed by DAHD to guide institutions and practitioners. It is a dynamic document that will evolve with new science, field experience, and stakeholder feedback.