The Pet Blood Bank – Can your dog donate?
The Pet Blood Bank – Can your dog donate?
An anxious wait in the Veterinary Surgery reception make the signs, pictures and display boards more interesting when trying to keep the mind busy, the information on the Pet Blood Bank is very informative and definitely worth sharing.
A UK based charity that’s been running since 2007 The Pet Blood Bank exists to help save the lives of pets in need. With welfare at its heart, it is led by a professional team that are truly dedicated and passionate about their cause. You can read lots about them here https://www.petbloodbankuk.org/
So, can your dog donate and do dogs have blood types?
There’s an online criteria list but here are the details from their website.
For your dog to be a blood donor, they must meet certain criteria. Your dog’s welfare is always our priority and so for them to become a lifesaver, they must be:
- Fit and healthy
- Between one and eight years old
- Weigh more than 25kg
- Have a good temperament
- Have never travelled outside of the UK and Ireland
- Vaccinated or have an annual titre test after the first year booster*
- Not on any medication
*Due to covid, we have relaxed our vaccination criteria and dogs who are behind on their vaccinations will still be eligible to donate.
What type of dog makes a good donor?
In addition to meeting our donor criteria, we are looking for dogs who are confident and happy being handled. They should enjoy meeting new people and be comfortable going to the vets. Your dog needs to be willing and happy to take part in the donation process and show us this through their behaviour. We want your dog to love coming to see us, to enjoy being a donor, and be enthusiastic about the process. This is why confident dogs who like meeting new people and getting attention make excellent donors.
Dogs that are energetic and full of beans are very welcome. As long as they have a reasonable level of obedience and are confident, they usually go on to become great donors. Dogs like this often surprise their owners by being able to lie still for the donation.
If your dog is anxious or nervous, wary of new people, or fearful at the vets, we would encourage you to support us in other ways. Dogs like this may find the donation process stressful. The welfare of your dog always comes first.
If your dog meets the above criteria, we would love to hear from you. Please complete our registration form and we will be in touch soon.
Yes, dogs have blood types
Just like humans, dogs have different blood types. The two groups we test for are DEA 1 positive and DEA 1 negative. Our service is managed very carefully by blood type and we particularly need dogs that are more likely to have negative blood type to register with us. This is because this blood type can be given to all dogs in an emergency. Find out about blood types in dogs and what breeds are more likely to have negative blood type.
If you think your canine family members can help potentially save the life of another dog, please have a look at the website and make an enquiry. Pet Blood Bank UK are also working with cats and Alpacas – check out the details and find out more here: www.petbloodbankuk.org
