IACUC Guideline IX
Guidelines for the Use of Cattle as Donors of Whole Blood

1. For these guidelines, a blood donor is considered one that has not been specifically identified to be associated with the protocol for which it is donating blood. Only cattle of mature body size or frame (16 months of age or older) should be used as donors of blood for Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)-approved activities.
2. Unless otherwise justified by the experimental protocol, animals identified as blood donors should be free of any clinical disease, which would make them unsuitable, and potentially jeopardize their health.
3. At the facility, which the animal is housed, a log should be maintained which include the identity of the any animal used as a blood donor. This log should contain dates, volume of blood collected, IACUC number, last name of principle investigator, and the name of the person collecting the blood.
4. The person collecting the blood must have suitable experience and approval prior to conducting this procedure. For each protocol, it is the responsibility of the principle investigator to submit documentation to the Office for Research Protections (212 Kern Graduate Building) indicating the training and/or experience of the person conducting the blood collection. Training and approval of an individual conducting blood collection can be either the principle investigator or the Clinical or Attending Veterinarian.
5. A donor animal must be properly restrained while the blood collection procedure is being conducted. Type of restraint will depend on the behavior of the animal, existing equipment for a given facility, and volume of blood collected. Safety for both the animal and person collecting blood, must be practiced at all times.
6. The site from which the blood will be drawn must be free of manure or dirt and saturated (wiped or sprayed) with either 70% alcohol or a 10% povidone iodine solution prior to venipuncture. Blood collection will only be allowed using a sterile needle of an appropriate size (gauge and length) to collect the volume needed. A separate needle needs to be used for each animal. The tail vein may be used to collect volumes of blood up to 20 ml, the jugular vein must be used for larger volumes.
7. The quantity of whole blood collected from an individual animal should not exceed 500 ml per week and 1,500 ml per month, unless permission is granted by the Attending Veterinarian. Minimum time between blood collections of this maximum quantity (500 ml) is seven days. Smaller quantities could be collected more frequently, but the total volume must not exceed the monthly limit (1,500 ml).
8. Care should be exercised during and after blood collection to prevent hematoma formation at the venipuncture site. Adequate needle length to avoid trauma during collection and adequate pressure on the site after needle withdrawal should be practiced. For jugular venipuncture, it is suggested that a 1.5", 18G or 16G needle be used for collecting volumes <100 ml, and a 2.0 to 3.0", 16G or 14G needle be used for volumes >100 ml. For tail venipuncture, a 1.0", 18G or 20G needle is recommended.
9. In order to asses the status of an animal determined to be a blood donor, whole blood packed cell volume (PCV) will be monitored and recorded in her health records. The PCV should be initially assessed when making the determination as to an animal's suitability to serve as a blood donor. The PCV should then be re-evaluated and recorded periodically throughout the period an animal serves as a blood donor. Depending on the duration of a particular study, it is recommended that PCV be measured routinely every six months or after 3.5 L of blood has been collected, whichever comes first. Animals with a PCV < 28% should not be used as donors.

Last Revised by the IACUC on 12/13/2001
Last Approved by the IACUC on 12/08/2008