A transfusion using products from the blood bank would double the price. Forseille says having the blood bank at NAIT will ensure students in the Animal Health Technology program get valuable experience in transfusion medicine. Although its original mandate was to only provide blood products for Manitoba veterinarians, it soon became obvious that blood was needed throughout the country. In 1998 it became a national blood bank. It's run through Red River College with satellite clinics near Oakbank and Steinbach.
Dogs donate every three months.
The clinic collects an average of 40 units of blood per month which is processed into components such as plasma and red blood cells.