Be a lifesaver for dogs

BIFF looked awful. This normally gregarious eightyear-old Maltese cross dog was dull and lethargic.

His owner had noticed a small bruise on his side when he had been chewing a toy and rushed him straight to us.

Some might have considered her overly cautious. Perhaps even paranoid. But she knew from experience it was the right decision.

He was in big trouble. We hardly needed the results of the blood sample to confirm it. There was one thing he needed. Without it, death was certain. It wasn’t the first time Biff had been in this perilous position.

It all started when he was four months old. After being microchipped, he developed a massive swelling on his neck. It was blood. Up to then, no one could have known that Biff suffers from haemophilia, a potentially fatal condition that affects his blood’s ability to clot. Luckily for him, a charity called Pet Blood Bank, set up in 2007, were able to supply blood for his first life-saving transfusion.

This time, they came up trumps again. Thanks to blood collected by PBB from canine donors at organised sessions nationwide, Biff recovered fully.

PBB Founder and head of professional and clinical services, Wendy Barnett, said: “We were delighted to hear Biff is once again on the mend, and that we were able to help.

“It was incredibly poignant to hear about Biff as we were making preparations for World Blood Donor Day 2017. It really highlighted the difference blood can make, especially in the context of time, and Biff is testament to all our amazing canine lifesavers and their championship show in Springwood Park, Kelso, at 11.30am. Scottish Beagle Club’s championship show in Lanark Agricultural Centre at 10am. Caledonian Dandie Dinmont Club’s championship show in Jedburgh Town Hall. Scottish Great Dane Club’s owners, who give up their time to make the difference to others.”

But here’s the rub. In order to continue saving dogs like Biff and thousands more, PBB need to collect more than 2700 units of blood annually. As medicine improves, so the demand rises. You can help.

Like us, dogs have positive and negative blood types and the demand for negative remains a real challenge for PBB.

From their research, we know that negative blood types are more common in certain breeds, including dobermans, greyhounds, boxers, German shepherds, flat-coated retrievers, Airedale terriers, Weimaraners, lurchers, American bulldogs, English pointers, English bull terriers and mastiffs.

To become a donor, your dog needs to be over 25kg weight, fit and well, any breed and aged between one and eight.

For more information visit www.petbloodbankuk.org open show in Springwood Park, Kelso, at 11am. FUTURE SHOW: July 8 Greenock & District Kennel Association’s open show in Lanark. Schedules from Mrs. M. Shaw, 1 Mayfield Drive, Howwood, Renfrewshire, PA9 1BJ. Tel 01505 703309. Entries close June 20.