Why blood donors are in demand
Meet our team.
Kristen Annunziata
DVMDr. Kristen Annunziata’s special interests in emergency medicine include endoscopic foreign body retrieval, laceration repairs, feline urethral obstructions, endocrine diseases and toxicities.
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, New York City, NY
- Clinical Rotation, Ohio State University, Columbus
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
- Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Outside of work, Dr. Annunziata loves traveling, interior decorating, photography and watching true crime television. She and her husband have two human babies along with two scruffy mix canines named Enzo and Noir.
Allison Kwasek
CVTAllison Kwasek has been in veterinary medicine for nearly 20 years, with her experience taking her through many aspects of the field. She found specialty medicine to be her passion. She was drawn to blood banking by the need of the hospital and as she learned more about the service she fell in love with it. Allison finds it very gratifying to make a proactive change within the community.
Allison has a long history The Seeing Eye, a guide dog school with a large community of volunteer puppy raisers who have been a huge addition to the Paramus Blood Bank.
In her free time, you can find Allison enjoying her personal zoo of dogs, cats and kids.
Ally Dearth
LVTAlly Dearth has been in veterinary medicine since 1990. She began in general mixed practice until 2004 when she started her emergency and critical care career.
In 2017, the Paramus critical care service introduced a dialysis service which in turn sparked the conception of their blood bank. Because dialysis requires access to a large volume of both packed red blood cells and fresh, frozen plasma, this immediate need for blood products catapulted the donor program into existence.
Beginning in 2023, Ally’s primary focus has been managing and growing the community blood bank program. Ally finds the hard work rewarding knowing that the blood products we produce are used to help sick dogs and cats recover and return home to their families. With the advancements of veterinary medicine, transfusion medicine is quickly becoming an integral part of the equation, and she is honored to be involved in this growing segment of veterinary medicine.
“The BluePearl Paramus blood bank would not exist without the generosity of our volunteer donor families. Thank you to everyone who helps support our mission of providing safe and screened blood products to pets in need!” – Ally Dearth, LVT
What can I expect?
Eligibility
- If your pet meets all eligibility criteria, complete the online registration, which inclues a medical history questionnaire.
- If all requirements are met, a member of the blood bank team will contact you to review your pet’s information, explain the blood donation process, answer questions, and schedule a pre-screening appointment.
Pre-screening appointment
- During this complimentary appointment, a member of the blood bank team will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have.
- An exam and behavioral assessment will be performed by a licensed veterinarian to ensure your pet is healthy and has a friendly, calm disposition.
- A blood sample will be drawn for initial pre-screening lab work to complete your pet's full health check, obtain their blood type, and to screen for any infectious diseases.
Results
- A member of the blood bank team will contact you with the lab work results. If all results are within the expected range, your pet will be officially enrolled in the program and we'll schedule their first donation appointment.
- When you arrive at the hospital, our team will meet with you to review any changes in your pet’s medical history and answer any questions. Most owners choose to drop off their pet for the day, but you're welcome to stay for the donation. The donation itself takes about 10 minutes, though the entire process lasts approximately an hour.
- A pre-donation health check will be performed, which includes a complete physical exam by a licensed veterinarian and a blood test to assess Packed Cell Volume (PCV) or hemoglobin. This will determine if your pet is clear to donate.
- With your consent, a small amount of sedative may be given to your pet to help them relax, if needed.
- While your pet is comfortably situated on a table, a small area of fur on their neck will be removed and the skin at the collection site will be cleaned.
- Blood is collected from the jugular vein, with the donation process lasting approximately 10 minutes. For canines, the standard collection volume ranges from 300ml to 450ml, depending on their weight. For felines, the standard volume is 53ml.
- Your pet is closely monitored with tenderness throughout the entire donation process by our loving team.
- After the donation, a bandage is placed over the collection site and your pet's vitals are taken.
- Your pet will receive plenty of TLC from our team as well as treats for their hard work!
- We recommended that your pet rest for the remainder of the day before returning to their normal routine the following day. For dogs, a harness should be used afterward.
- If you choose to receive notifications, you will receive an email alert when your pet’s blood is used to save or improve another pet’s life. You may receive multiple emails, as each donation can produce up to three blood products!
