RVC awards pet blood donors to mark world awareness day

RVC has marked today’s (14 June) World Blood Donor Day by awarding a cat and dog for donations that have helped the lives of other pets.

The vet school’s registered charity, RVC Animal Care Trust, decided to mark the international day by announcing its own Pet Donors of the Year, which honours donors who have helped their fellow furry friends in need.

Each year, pets involved in the blood donor programme save and treat hundreds of other pets by donating their blood for use in operations and procedures at the RVC Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. The trust funds equipment and research to support the RVC blood donor service.

Winners

The feline Blood Donor of the Year is awarded to Paul Downey from Hatfield in Hertfordshire on behalf of Gru and Mitzy – his seven-year-old domestic shorthaired cats that have donated since 2016 eight and six times, respectively. Between them, they have helped 28 cats in their treatment.

Meanwhile, the canine winner is Jeffrey Kenyon’s eight-year-old lurcher Oliver, from Chipping, near Buntingford in Hertfordshire. He has donated 18 units of blood since joining the programme in 2018, helping at least 36 dogs and several cats.

The blood donor programme at the RVC has helped save hundreds since its inception in 2005, with 684 transfusions last year – including an annual record of 135 feline transfusions.

Goodwill

Charlotte Russo, head of transfusion medicine nurse at the RVC, said: “Our voluntary donation programme is totally reliant on the goodwill of local pet owners who bring their pets to donate blood.

“All donors are given health checks prior to donating and receive a full blood screening annually free of charge. All donors are also gifted a special blood donor tag in recognition of their support and receive a special gift when they retire.”

Vets with pets they think could become donors can find out more by visiting the RVC website.