What is the history of Pet Blood Bank UK?
Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) has been set up as the first UK charity which will collect, process, store and distribute pet blood products in the UK.

A change in legislation in October 2005 made it possible for vets to store pet blood.  Recognising this as an opportunity to develop a blood bank, Vets Now raised the funds to set up and support the PBBuk charity, which supplies dogs all over the UK with vital, lifesaving blood.

PBBuk will collect canine blood which will then be processed into various blood products and stored on the premises. The blood products will then be sold to veterinary practices across the UK. Any profits will be re-employed into educational programmes such as developing veterinary transfusion medicine within the UK.

Who are Vets Now?
Vets Now is the UK’s leading provider of Out Of Hours (OOH) veterinary emergency and critical care. With 27 clinics based throughout the UK the Vets Now clinics are open at night, at the weekend, and bank holidays, ensuring that in partnership with daytime veterinary practices, who have arranged for the special OOH service, that pets have access to a dedicated service 24 hours a day. The Vets Now service means owners do not need to worry if their pet becomes ill during the night or at weekends as they only work outside normal hours and their Vets and Nurses are fresh and ready to treat their pets. They also offer a free telephone advice service for clients worried about their pet’s health out of hours.

What role do Vets Now play in the Pet Blood Bank UK?
Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) is set up as the first UK charity which will collect, process, store and distribute pet blood products in the UK. Vets Now provide financial support and trained veterinary staff to help provide the PBBuk services.

Why are Vets Now doing this?
Vets Now are the leaders in pet critical care in the UK. Blood transfusions are an essential and common procedure and Vets Now realise the importance of developing veterinary transfusion medicine in the UK.

Where is the blood bank based?
The blood bank is based in Loughborough.

Who can donate?
Donations will be made at blood drives held at veterinary practices within a 2 hour drive of the PBBuk base. This allows blood to be collected, returned to the premises and processed in a suitable time frame.

What is new about this blood bank?
This is the first initiative of its kind in the UK. This breakthrough scheme means dogs all over the UK will have access to blood products through their veterinary practice.

Do the donating dogs have to be a specific age / condition of health?
The dogs must be between one and eight years old depending on their breed. They must weigh over 25 kg and be in good health. Dogs must never have travelled abroad, must have up to date with vaccinations and must never have received a blood transfusion.

How often can dogs donate blood?
The Pet Blood Bank UK will ask dogs to donate between 3 to 4 times a year.

Do dogs have blood types?
All dogs in the UK will be typed as either DEA 1.1 +ve or –ve.

Does donating blood hurt a dog?
No, most dogs don't even realise that they are donating blood! We do use local anaesthetic cream to prevent discomfort, in addition we find that by making lots of fuss and giving reassurance the dogs are very happy.

Why should people get their dogs to donate blood?
Owners should take their dogs to donate blood so that their blood will help other dogs in need. One donation can help as many as four dogs. And one day the blood bank may benefit their dogs if they were ever in the situation of needing blood.

How do people get in touch to register their dogs as donors?
Owners should contact the PBBuk on 01509 232222 or 0844 8009925 (calls to this number 5p/min)

How is the blood stored?
Each unit of blood is placed into a centrifuge and spun in order to separate its two main component parts – red blood cells and plasma.

Red blood cells are stored in a nutrient solution for up to 42 days in a fridge at a monitored temperature at 4’c.

Plasma is frozen and can be stored as fresh frozen plasma for one year and as frozen plasma for up to 5 years at minus 18’c.

Do dogs all across the UK have access to the blood bank?
Yes – all dogs in the UK have access to the blood as all veterinary surgeons have access to purchase blood from PBBuk.

Are there any plans of opening blood banks in other locations?
PBBuk hope that a mobile unit will allow PBBuk to travel away from the base to collect blood, process and store blood before returning it to the Loughborough base for storage and sale.

How much blood do dogs donate?
Dogs weighing over 25kg and above can donate up to 450mls.

Will this scheme eventually be rolled out to include other pets?
PBBuk hope to be able to include other pets – like cats – in the blood bank scheme in the future.

Why is it important for dogs to donate blood?
Just like people, sick and injured animals frequently need blood transfusions. In many cases, blood transfusions can save a pet's life. Blood is used for many purposes, including cases involving trauma, surgery and disease.

I run a one vet practice and would not use Packed Red Blood Cells every 6 weeks, what do you recommend?

We encourage veterinary practices to store our products in order to prevent their requirement becoming an emergency.  However, we understand that not all practices will have the facilities to do so, in which case we recommend practices within a local area sharing i.e. where there is maybe a referral or large veterinary hospital in the area there is local agreement between veterinary practices that the larger hospital stock basic blood products and then share as required with smaller local veterinary practices.

In addition it is important to note that Fresh Frozen Plasma lasts for 12 months stored at minus 18 and then is classed as Frozen Plasma for a further 4 years therefore storage of this product should be possible as long as a freezer is available.

What happens during the procedure & how long does it take?
For dogs, the blood donation process takes about 5-10 minutes, but you should plan on spending up to 30-40 minutes at a blood drive. This is what happens during the process:

• Dogs will receive a physical examination and health history will be taken.
• A small area of hair on your dogs neck is carefully clipped and cleaned.
• About a 450ml of blood is drawn (depending on your dogs weight).
• Once the donation has been made your dog will be brought to the refreshments area and, once at home, they may want to take it easy, but many will get on with their normal routine.