Packed canine red blood cells (RBCs) stored in the anticoagulant-preservative solution citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine (CPDA-1) were studied at 1,10, 20,30, and 40 days. The extracellular concentrations of potassium and sodium, erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume, and osmotic fragility increased during storage (P < 0.05). There was a decrease in the pH, plasma concentration of g!ucose, and erythrocyte concentrations of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) and adenosine-5'-triphosphate (P < 0.05). Erythrocyte 2,3-DPG concentration decreased by 54% within the first 24 hours of storage (P < 0.001). Posttransfusion viability (PTV) decreased from !M% on day 1 to 46% on day 40 (P < 0.05).The PTV of the RBCs stored for 10 and 20 days complied with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard.Although there are marked biochemical and hematologic changes in stored packed red blood cells (pRBCs), 20-day-old units may be expected to be of acceptable quality. The sharp decrease in 2,3-DPG concentration suggests a reduction in oxygen carrying capacity in erythrocytes stored as pRBCs. Hyperkalemia occurs during storage of pRBCs and does not appear to be associated with high intraerythrocytic potassium concentrations. (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1988; 2:126-132) THE USE OF blood components rather than whole blood for replacement therapy has become a common practice in canine transfusion medicine. Separation of a unit of whole blood into packed red blood cells (pRBCs) and fresh-frozen or platelet-rich plasma facilitates storage and increases the utility of donated blood. Specific component hemotherapy avoids hypervolemia in anemic, normoproteinemic patients and polycythemia in nonanemic patients with coagulation factor deficiencies, hypoalbuminernia, or thrombocytopenia.The methodology currently recommended to prepare and store canine blood components has largely been extrapolated from human transfusion medicine tech-