Dog blood donors wanted: Lancashire's Stanley House Vets calls for more pets to sign up to help others

Stanley House Vets in Barnoldswick has teamed up with the Pet Blood Bank UK to help poorly pooches amid high demand for blood transfusions.

The practice is creating a register of dogs that could donate blood and is appealing for more pet owners from all vet practices in the area to get involved.

The vets is now one of the Pet Blood Bank charity’s host donor venues where sessions will be held as soon as enough dogs are on the branch’s register.

Each donation of blood collected at the branch has the potential to help save the lives of up to four other dogs across Lancashire and the UK.

Portia Keates, co-ordinator at Stanley House Vets in Barnoldswick, was inspired to set up the charity partnership in memory of her beloved Greyhound Ryker, a champion pet blood donor who helped up to 50 dogs in his lifetime.

Portia said: “We have had clients whose dogs have needed blood transfusions. Like any emergency, you never know when you will need a service like this, so it is a really good cause to give back to.

“The Pet Blood Bank checks your dog’s health first which gives the owner peace of mind as well as knowing they are helping other dogs all over the country.

“We have a really strong community feel here at our surgery with a lot of regular clients who like to get involved in practice activities. We already have about a dozen dogs registered and we need between 40 and 60 before we can hold a blood donor session.

“Dogs don’t have to be registered with us to be involved. Their owners can be a client at any vet practice. They can simply pop into any branch or get in touch to register or find out more.

“Ryker really enjoyed it and the amount of blood he gave could have helped up to 40 to 50 dogs in his lifetime. The Pet Blood Bank likes Greyhounds because they are very good natured, calm and used to being handled by people during their racing careers. They also have a negative blood type which is rare. I have another Greyhound, Blake, who is two years old and is also a registered donor.”

Nicole Osborne, from Pet Blood Bank UK, added: “We are looking forward to meeting lots of new donors at Stanley House Vets in Barnoldswick and really getting the local community behind our mission to help save the lives of dogs across the country.”

To be considered as a donor they must be:

-Fit and healthy

-Aged between one and eight years old

-Weigh more than 25 kg

-Have a good temperament and happy being handled (bonus if they enjoy receiving attention and meeting new people)

-Have never travelled outside of the UK and Ireland

-Not on any medication

How the donation works

The donation takes up to ten minutes, but dogs will be with the team for about 35 minutes. Dogs receive a full health check from the Pet Blood Bank vet before donating and receive treats and lots of fuss throughout the appointment, as well as a goody bag and toy to take home.

Anyone interested can contact Stanley House Vets for more information or to register.