California Animal Blood Banks Program

As a result of increased specialization in veterinary medicine, the demand for animal blood products has risen dramatically. A safe and adequate supply of blood and blood component products for transfusion is vital to animal health. Commercial blood banks for animals produce and sell blood and blood component products, increasing the supply available for transfusions. The CDFA Animal Blood Banks program defines current standards of care and practice for veterinary blood banks and works to ensure that animal blood and blood component products sold in California are efficacious and safe.

Historically, California required commercial blood banks for animals to be closed-colony establishments. On January 1, 2022, Assembly Bill 1282, the California Pet Blood Bank Modernization Act, went into effect. This law aims to address the shortage of animal blood available for veterinary transfusion medicine in California and transition the state from closed-colony blood banks to community blood banks.

California Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) Division 5, Chapter 1.5 (Commercial Blood Banks for Animals and Biologics) and California Business and Professions Code (BPC) Division 2, Chapter 11, Article 7 (Community Blood Banks for Animals) are the State’s legal authority for enforcing state law and regulations pertinent to animal blood banks.