DOGGY donors at a Solihull veterinary centre have donated enough blood to save the lives of 44 sick and injured canines.
Following a call for help from the national charity Pet Blood Bank UK (PBB), 11 dogs and their owners visited Willows Veterinary Centre in Highlands Road, Shirley, to donate pints of precious blood.
Like humans, dogs also have different blood types – DEA1.1 Postive and DEA 1.1 Negative.
Negative blood can be given to any dog whereas Positive can only be given to dogs with the same blood type.
But with 70 per cent of dogs having Positive blood types, maintaining blood stocks can be a challenge for the charity.
Julia Leather, operations manager at Pet Blood Bank UK, said: “We rely heavily on the generosity of donors and practices such as Willows, which provide us with a base.
“Each unit we collect can go on to help save the lives of up to four other dogs.
“Our lifesavers donate approximately a pint – the same as a human would donate – and the actual donation only takes about 10 minutes.”
Among the donors at Willows were Lurcher Tracer and Greyhounds Axis and Mercury, who attended the session with their owner Claire Martin, from Halesowen.
Claire said she first heard about PBB through a greyhound rescue centre and brings her dogs to donate every three months.
She added: “Tracer and Mercury are seasoned pros but this was Axis’s first time.
“The team were fantastic with him and put his welfare above anything else.
“I trust that all of my animals are in safe hands, which is the most important thing.
“Thankfully I’ve never been in the situation whereby one of my dogs has needed a transfusion but the gratitude from owners is phenomenal.”
Dogs are permitted to donate blood once every quarter, and Willows Veterinary Centre hold donation sessions every three months.
A fully qualified veterinary surgeon firstly carries out a full health and suitability check and if all is well, the dog will then go through to the donation room.
To become a donor, dogs need to be fit and healthy, between one and eight years old, weigh more than 25kg, have never travelled abroad, be vaccinated, not be on any medication and have a good temperament.
The next donation event at is on February 14.
Visit www.petbloodbankuk.org for more information about Pet Blood Bank UK and to register your dog.
