We are aware of an ongoing investigation into allegations of dogs being kept on ‘blood farms’ in Portugal. It goes without saying that we are horrified and deeply saddened by these allegations and will always stand against such practices.
Animal welfare is at the heart of everything we do at Pet Blood Bank and we have exceptionally high standards with regard to this. The health and wellbeing of our donors is paramount and we find the allegations of blood farming extremely troubling and upsetting.
Pet Blood Bank is strictly regulated by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and we hold a license to be a blood bank, which involves regular inspections of how we run our donation sessions and wider service.
Most of our donors are owned and brought along to donate by members of the public who support our cause. Every single donor’s welfare is closely monitored throughout the donation process. They receive a full health check from our vet, annual blood screens, and lots of fuss, attention, and treats from our wonderful team. We focus on making every donation session a hugely positive and enjoyable experience for all our donors, whether they donate or not. And if a dog shows any signs at all of being unsettled, unhappy, or anxious, we stop immediately.
In addition to publicly owned dogs, we also work with greyhound rehoming kennels to run donation sessions, which are open to publicly owned retired greyhounds and dogs currently under each kennel’s care. Like us, these kennels take welfare extremely seriously and will always prioritise the wellbeing of every dog. These dogs are not kept for the purpose of donating blood, they are dogs awaiting rehoming which may donate before going off to their forever homes, and many of them will return to continue their donation journey after leaving the kennels.
At Pet Blood Bank, we are extremely proud of the standards to which we hold ourselves and the way we run our service to ensure every dog enjoys donating. We see this reflected in our community and the lovely, generous feedback they consistently give us.
As one of our donor owners put it, ‘The team are all amazing. You are made to feel very welcome and very valued. My dog always gets a good fuss and is spoiled rotten. They always make sure that you and your dog are comfortable before starting the donation process. They talk you through the procedure every step of the way so you know exactly what's happening. I couldn't ask for more.’
That is what Pet Blood Bank is all about and why we will always stand against any practices that violate a dog’s welfare or treat them as an item to be used.
