New Delhi, Aug 25 : In a major step forward for veterinary healthcare, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Monday released India's first comprehensive national guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for blood transfusion and blood banks for animals.

Blood transfusion is widely recognised as a life-saving intervention for managing trauma, severe anaemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and coagulation disorders in animals.

However, until now, India did not have a structured national framework for veterinary transfusion medicine.

Most transfusions were performed only in emergencies, often without standardised donor screening, blood typing, or storage protocols.

The newly released guidelines aim to bridge this critical gap by providing a scientific, ethical, and structured framework for all aspects of veterinary blood transfusion.

This includes donor selection, blood collection, component processing, storage, transfusion procedures, monitoring, and safety safeguards.

The guidelines were developed after extensive consultations with the Veterinary Council of India, veterinary universities, ICAR institutes, state governments, practising veterinarians, and experts, ensuring that India's practices align with global best standards.

Under the new framework, state-regulated veterinary blood banks will be established with biosafety-compliant infrastructure.

Blood typing and cross-matching will be mandatory to prevent incompatible transfusions.

The guidelines also define clear eligibility criteria for donors, covering health, vaccination status, age, weight, and disease screening.

Emphasis has been placed on voluntary, non-remunerated donations with informed consent, guided by a Donor Rights Charter.

The guidelines integrate One Health principles to manage zoonotic risks and provide standardised SOPs, forms, and checklists for donor registration, transfusion monitoring, and reporting adverse reactions.

They also lay out a roadmap for creating a National Veterinary Blood Bank Network (N-VBBN) featuring digital registries, real-time inventories, and an emergency helpline.

Training modules for veterinary students, postgraduate programmes, and continuing education for practitioners are also included.

Looking ahead, the guidelines encourage innovations such as mobile blood collection units, cryopreservation of rare blood types, mobile apps for donor-recipient matching, and advanced transfusion research.

India's livestock and companion animal sector is one of the largest in the world, with over 537 million livestock and more than 125 million companion animals.

The sector contributes 5.5 per cent to the national GDP and over 30 per cent to agricultural GDP, playing a key role in food security, rural livelihoods, and public health.

With growing demand for specialised emergency veterinary care, these guidelines are expected to significantly strengthen clinical care, save animal lives, protect rural livelihoods, and advance animal welfare across the country.

Although advisory and non-statutory, the document is designed to remain dynamic, evolving with new scientific evidence, field experiences, and stakeholder feedback while maintaining high standards of animal welfare, biosafety, and public confidence.

/IANS