Did you know dogs and cats can also need blood transfusions during surgery or in emergency situations such as road traffic accidents?
In the last two years the first canine blood bank has been set up in the UK (pet blood bank uk). This has meant that sourcing blood is much easier than in the past and this service is regularly used by our Hospital. However, it is still as important as ever to have our donor team here at Grove Lodge, as the blood bank sometimes runs low on supplies and can't deliver until the following day after ordering. This is sometimes fine if the blood is required for a planned procedure where blood loss is likely but in other situations such as road traffic accidents we need blood almost immediately! Blood can only be stored for a relatively short period of time and we are very conscious not to waste this valuable resource so we will continue to need our donor team ongoing. We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to look at this piece about blood donation to see if your pet can help save the lives of other animals. Many thanks.