14 June World Blood Donor Day (PBBuk)

On 14 June 2012, award winning Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) will join countries from across the globe to celebrate World Blood Donor Day and recognise the silent unsung heroes who save lives every day by donating blood.

‘Every blood donor is a hero’ is the theme for this year’s World Blood Donor Day and Pet Blood Bank UK is calling for Brits to remember all of our canine heroes up and down the country who regularly donate their blood to help save lives.

Just like the human blood service PBBuk relies entirely on donors and owners who want to help ill or injured dogs. The registered charity is appealing for more willing dog donors to come forward by asking dog owners, who may already give blood themselves, to register their dogs to donate too.

PBBuk has discovered that many pet owners get their dogs to donate blood due to their own dedication to giving blood, and feel a great sense of pride that their beloved pets are also helping to save lives.

A few facts about Pet Blood Bank UK

• Award-winning Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) is the first service of its kind to collect, process, store and supply canine blood products for vets
• PBBuk recently celebrated its 5th Birthday
• Blood transfusions are an essential, life-saving procedure in veterinary practice and every unit of blood donated can help save the lives of up to four dogs
• Over 3,500 canine donors are currently registered and the team hold three sessions a week across the country
• Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) has collected nearly 6,500 units of blood, saving the lives of up to 30,000 dogs
• The first ever dog to donate blood for PBBuk was a Lurcher called, Seamus from Durham
• Last year 164 specially organised dog donor sessions were held at local vet practices throughout the UK
• The charity has increased collections from 657 in 2007 to 1,696 in 2012, with an average growth of 25% year on year
• Did you know? The following breeds primarily have negative blood: Airedales, American Bulldogs, Boxers, Doberman, English Bull Terriers, Flat Coated Retrievers, Shepherds, Greyhounds, Lurchers, Mastiffs various breeds, Pointer (English), Weimaraners.

Background on PBBuk

Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) is the first service of its kind to collect, process, store and supply canine blood products for vets. This pioneering initiative was launched in 2007 with support from Vets Now, the UK’s leading provider of out of hours care for animals, after a change in legislation made it possible for vets to store pet blood.

Blood transfusions are an essential, life-saving procedure in veterinary practice and every unit of blood donated can help save the lives of up to four dogs. Just like the human blood service PBBuk relies entirely on donors and owners who want to help ill or injured dogs.

The registered charity stores the blood products at its processing centre in Loughborough and couriers it across the country to vet surgeries and animal hospitals. This means that vets have blood products on hand when they need it most to provide transfusions, during surgery or to treat major traumas and disease. Before it was set up, vets had to carry out a transfusion at the same time as operating on another dog, so having a constant supply speeds up treatment.

Last year 164 specially organised dog donor sessions were held at local vet practices throughout the UK, where owners were encouraged to bring along their dog to ‘donate a pint’. It takes 10 - 15 minutes for a vet to collect 450ml of blood.

Can my dog donate?

Your dog could be a potential lifesaver donor if he:
* Weighs more than 25 kilos
* Has never had a blood transfusion
* Has a good temperament and isn’t nervous of people
* Enjoys being around people
* Is up-to-date with all vaccinations
* Has never travelled abroad
* Is aged between one and eight
* Is fit and healthy

Did you know?

Just like humans dogs also have different blood groups – positive and negative. PBBuk is currently running low on negative blood, and is appealing for more negative donors to come forward.

The following breeds primarily have negative blood:

*Airedales
*American Bulldogs
*Boxers
*Doberman
*English Bull Terriers
*Flat Coated Retrievers
*German Shepherds
*Greyhounds
*Lurchers
*Mastiffs various breeds
*Pointer (English)
*Weimaraners

References

*Pet Blood Bank UK was recently crowned Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the Scottish Business Awards (February 2012)

To register your dog for a session, please visit

www.petbloodbankuk.org

or phone 01509 232 222 or 0844 800 9925 (5p/min)