Veterinary staff in Balgowlah are calling on residents to register their pets as blood donors, amid a growing need for life-saving transfusions at SASH Northern Beaches.
Ongoing Demand for Pet Blood Donations in Balgowlah
A 24/7 veterinary hospital in Balgowlah is urging local pet owners to support a critical need for animal blood donors. Staff at Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH) Northern Beaches say they are facing increasing demand for transfusions to treat dogs and cats with acute injuries, surgical blood loss, or autoimmune conditions.
Expansion of Services and Local Presence
SASH Northern Beaches, located on Roseberry Street in Balgowlah, is the newest facility in the SASH network and the first specialist-led, round-the-clock emergency animal hospital based in the Northern Beaches. While its services also extend to nearby areas such as the Lower North Shore, the hospital is primarily positioned to meet demand within the Northern Beaches region.
The purpose-built site includes departments for surgery, internal medicine, critical care, anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, and behavioural services.
Since its launch, the Balgowlah location has joined SASH’s broader effort to build its in-house blood bank, first established in 2007. The Balgowlah team is now actively seeking community participation to meet local transfusion needs.
Criteria and Process for Donating
To ensure safety, dogs must meet specific health and behavioural criteria. Eligible dogs are generally aged between 1 and 7 years, weigh at least 14 kilograms, preferably over 25 and be in good health with no history of major illness or transfusion. They should also be friendly, vaccinated, and able to lie still for up to 10 minutes.
For cats, donors must weigh over 4 kilograms, be aged between 1 and 8 years, and be indoor-only pets. Sedation is standard for feline donors due to their naturally anxious behaviour.
Pets are screened through physical examinations and blood testing to confirm they are suitable for the program.
Local Capacity and Benefits for Owners
Currently, most donors come from pets owned by SASH veterinary staff. However, with a large local population of medium to large dog breeds, staff believe there is significant untapped donor potential across the region.
Donors receive veterinary checks and blood testing—usually valued in the hundreds—as well as their choice of premium pet food or parasite prevention products.
Lifesaving Implications
Blood collected from donor animals is processed into red cells and plasma. Each dog donation may assist multiple recipients. SASH states that if donated blood is not used at the Northern Beaches location, it is transported to other SASH clinics across Sydney as required, ensuring it is not wasted.
Veterinarians note that transfusions are commonly needed for pets undergoing tumour removal surgery, suffering from anaemia, or affected by poisoning or immune-related blood disorders.
Community Involvement Encouraged
The team at SASH Balgowlah is working to build stronger community engagement by encouraging residents to register eligible pets as blood donors. Only animals that meet specific health and behavioural criteria are accepted, with temperament and medical suitability assessed during screening to ensure donor welfare.
Pet owners in Balgowlah interested in registering their animals can contact the SASH Northern Beaches hospital directly or submit an expression of interest through its official website.
Published 14-May-2025
