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Pet Blood Bank freezes blood product prices
The charity works 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure blood products are available.
Fundraising means it will not be increasing its prices.

Pet Blood Bank UK is to freeze the prices of its blood products, after fundraising support enabled it to not increase its prices.

Donations have also meant that the charity can continue to subsidise costs of fresh frozen plasma, and provide free blood products to veterinary charities.

The price freeze is a result of fundraising that Pet Blood Bank UK has received throughout the year, including donations from veterinary practices, individuals and business across the country. The charity says that these donations help with the significant running costs involved with its work.

The cost of living crisis has also made affordable access to vital veterinary services a concern for many.

Pet Blood Bank UK was set up to provide a blood service for pets, advancing blood banking and transfusion medicine.

It runs blood donations sessions across the country, where owners can bring eligible pets to give blood. These donations are then transported to Loughborough, where it is separated into different products and stored ready for veterinary use.

The charity operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that blood products are always available.

As well as supplying blood products, Pet Blood Bank UK also shares knowledge and offers free education to veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses. It works with veterinary professionals to protect high welfare standards for all pets.

Katrina Wilkinson, managing director of Pet Blood Bank UK, said: “Our hope is that as the charity continues to grow and we build our support, we will be able to continue making these lifesaving blood products as accessible as possible.

“A huge thank you to all our veterinary colleagues who support the charity and help us to make our mission possible.”

Image © Shutterstock

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 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.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.