Two heroic pets and their families have been commended.
To mark World Blood Donor Day (14 June), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has announced its Pet Blood Donors of the Year.
Celebrating the cats and dogs who donate blood to be used in operations and procedures, the RVC's registered charity – the RVC Animal Care Trust – has given two families of canine and feline blood donors the award in recognition of their donations.
Recipient of the Feline Donor of the Year award, five-year-old Weasley, has made 10 donations since owner Mandie signed him up in 2018. After spotting an appeal for donors, Mandie knew that Weasley could be a good candidate.
“As a nurse myself, I understood the importance of donating and it just made perfect sense to me to sign him up,” Mandie explained.
“We are a nation of animal lovers and it’s just such a thrill being able to help another animal in need.
“Not enough people know about animal, especially feline, donors. Weasley is an absolute hero! He is so comfortable donating and looks out for Spock, our English pointer who also donates.
“The team give him a thorough health check and take blood, all while giving him lots of fuss and attention- he loves it!
“The Blood Transfusion team are so professional and amazing at keeping the pets calm. They assess them first and see if their temperament is suitable and they won’t be unduly stressed. Weasley has been so chilled so he definitely was an ideal candidate!”
The Canine Blood Donor of the Year award was given to Spike, a six-year-old collie who has donated 13 times since joining the transfusion service in 2019, and his family.
Daughter of Spike's owner Pauline, Katie Matthews, said: “Mum saw an appeal online asking for blood donors, and particularly this breed, so he went in for some tests to check that he was suitable and he’s been going in ever since.
“He absolutely loves donating! Even through lockdown when we couldn’t go into the hospital with him, he would skip in to see his favourite nurse without a thought for us waiting outside!”
Katie commented on the importance of pet blood donors, and discussed how special it is to know that Spike has helped other dogs and families: “It’s such a rewarding service to be a part of and we love hearing from families whose pets have been saved thanks to Spike’s blood.
“We received one letter at Christmas and it was one of our favourite gifts that year.
“One patient, a springer Spaniel called Harry, needed 4 blood transfusions earlier this year for Immune mediated thrombocytopenia. Treatment is ongoing but we’re pleased to report that he responded well and that’s with huge thanks to Spike and his precious donation of blood”
The RVC Blood Donation programme carried out almost 700 transfusions over the past year, with the help of over 200 brave cats and dogs and their owners.
Charlotte Russo, head of transfusion medicine nurse at the RVC said: “We always need more feline donors - big happy relaxed cats!
“We are also always looking for more blood group ‘negative’ canine donors - so Dobermans, greyhounds, flat coat retrievers, German shepherd and ‘Staffies’ are often ideal.
“As always, if someone has a big happy relaxed dog of any breed and they meet the requirements – we would very much welcome them!”
Anyone interested in signing their pet up for the programme can find further information on the RVC website.
Images (C) Royal Veterinary College
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
