Japan turns to stem cells as vets struggle with blood shortage for dogs

Veterinary clinics in Japan are grappling with a shortage of blood for canine patients, prompting scientists to investigate whether stem cells might offer a viable alternative to animal donors. Unlike human blood, canine blood lacks a nationwide supply infrastructure in the country, forcing hospitals to source their own blood stocks for dogs in critical condition.

Takashi Mori, director of Daktari Animal Hospital in Kyoto, explained that while veterinarians once routinely employed dogs as donors, animal welfare regulations have made this practice progressively challenging. The hospital maintains a small blood bank with only three registered donor dogs, leaving supplies critically low. Mori lamented, "We just don't have enough blood."

The quantity of blood extracted from each dog depends on its weight, with sufficient intervals required between donations to safeguard the animal's well-being. In times of scarcity, hospital personnel sometimes enlist their own dogs for blood transfusions. The shortage has also compelled veterinarians to make harrowing choices during surgical procedures.

If a tumor ruptures during surgery, the released blood may be suctioned back into the dog's body, but this risk-freeing cancer cells if the tumor is malignant. Mori noted, "It's preferable to a dog dying during surgery due to insufficient blood transfusion." For dogs requiring regular blood transfusions, veterinarians sometimes have to inform owners that maintaining their pet's life will prove difficult.

Establishing a broader blood supply network encounters significant hurdles. Japan's pharmaceutical guidelines classify canine blood as a veterinary drug, imposing restrictions on its transfer and sale that complicate supply-sharing between hospitals in neighboring areas. Mori believes that merely loosening these regulations would not eradicate the core issue.

Despite appeals for blood donations, few owners are willing to have their dogs sedated and have blood drawn, rendering this approach impractical due to animal welfare concerns. The limited blood supply renders the prospect of a commercially viable large-scale blood bank unlikely. A research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University professor Shingo Hatoya is investigating if induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, could alleviate the persistent blood shortage for canine transfusions.

The team has been working to generate canine red blood cells from iPS cells, which have the potential to differentiate into various cell types in the body. In a July announcement, the team infused several proteins into canine iPS cells and cultivated them for nearly a month, resulting in cell structures resembling red blood cells containing hemoglobin, a crucial element of blood.

However, only around 3 percent of the original iPS cells transformed into red blood cell-like cells, indicating that the technology is not yet ready for clinical use. Professor Hatoya aspires to develop a system enabling dogs to receive blood transfusions without relying on donors, thereby enhancing the well-being of both dogs and their owners.