How your dog could save lives of others as a pet blood donor
IT WORKS JUST LIKE NHS SERVICE FOR HUMANS – BUT WITH DOGGY TREATS INSTEAD OF TEA AND BISCUITS!
DOG owners are urged to consider taking their pets to donate blood, with every donation being able to save the lives of up to four pets.
The Pet Blood Bank works similarly to the NHS blood donation service for humans, and last year there were 3,000 donations of blood made by dogs.
However, unlike the service for people, not many people know about the blood bank and how their pets could make a big difference.
The service primarily focuses on dogs, who are able to donate a unit of blood up to six times a year, as they are “more efficient in replenishing their blood” than humans.
But they also help arrange blood donations for other animals, including cats and alpacas.
Speaking on behalf of the Pet Blood Bank, which is based in Loughborough but offers sessions in Nottingham, Nicole Osborne said: “We run fairly similar to the human blood service, so the dogs come along with their owners and they are first checked by a vet to make sure they are healthy.
“We take a small blood sample from them to make sure they are OK, then they go into the session to donate 450ml of blood and that takes around five to 10 minutes.”
She explained that the session is focused on being a “positive experience” for the dog donors, and that for 45 minutes they will get non-stop attention from a group of people and constant treats.
At the end of the session they will also have the dog version of the tea and biscuits human donors get – water and a well-earned snack.
Pets are then given a goody bag to take home which contains a toy and some treats.
On their first visit, each dog is also given a red bandana to spread awareness of the blood bank, and they will receive a badge every 5th visit.
Dogs have two blood types, either positive or negative. However, negative blood is more sought after as it can be given to all dogs, with breeds most likely to have this blood type, including border collies, American bulldog, German shepherd, greyhound and lurcher.
Lisa Bucks, of Nottinghamshire, has been taking her black Russian terriers to donate blood for several years.
She said: “I’ve got Eric now who will be doing his 22nd donation on March 3 and he’s the second dog I have had donate. His big brother donated 16 times as well.
“The only reason I found out about it is a friend of mine shared a post on Facebook that one of her dogs had to have emergency surgery and needed a blood transfusion, so I thought how do they do that and then I found the Pet Blood Bank.
“I looked into it and the requirements of the dogs have to be 25kg which rules out so many dogs and I at the time I think my Amos was 75kg, so off we went.”
She described the experience as being “fantastic” and praised the staff for “always putting the dogs first.”
She continued that her dogs love going because “they are spoilt rotten and they get loads of treats”, adding “It’s nice that you get that reassurance that they are getting health checks as well”.
Lisa says she usually donated in Retford but that there are appointments across Nottinghamshire.
She explained that as Eric is turning eight years old this year he will soon be retiring from donating blood, but hopes to reach his 25th donation beforehand.
Lisa stated: “The main thing the Pet Blood Bank do is they put the animals first every time.
“They take a dog expecting it not to donate on its first visit, they just want to get the dogs used to the session. They always put the dogs first.”
Nicole added: “We put a lot of effort into making it a really good positive experience.
“We closely monitor them to make sure they are happy with the process and are showing us that they are excited to be there and giving them lots of attention and treats.
“Lots of dogs enjoy coming to the donation sessions and if we have any signs of stress then we stop the donation immediately.”
As well as keeping a close eye on them, dogs are also given a local anaesthetic cream to reduce any possible discomfort of giving blood.
She added: “They have the complete attention of five people for 45 minutes which for a dog is heaven.”
Following the recent XL Bully ban the breed is no longer able to donate blood.
This is due to the dog being required to wear a muzzle in public, and it is not safe for a dog to wear a muzzle whilst going through the donation process.
However, any dogs who are between one and eight-years-old who weigh at least 25kg, and are fit, health and enjoy meeting new people can donate.
When asked what she would say to someone unsure about donating, Nicole replied: “Please come along and give it a try, because it’s one of those things that is a unique experience.
“Unless you give it a go, you will never know if it’s something your dog will enjoy or not. It really goes such a long way, you never know when it might be your dog that needs blood, so if you have a dog that might be suitable to donate.”
In addition to knowing they are helping others, another key perk of taking your dog to donate blood is that you can get a free health check every time you donate.
Nicole explained: “Recently a dog came in to donate and we picked up on an abnormality in their blog.
“That led to the dog getting early treatment for a condition that they would not have picked up on and they ended up needing a blood transfusion as part of the treatment.”
More information on signing your pet up as a donor can be found on the Pet Blood Bank website www. petbloodbankuk.org, but upcoming sessions include in Retford on March 3 and in Nottingham on March 17.