Dog Blood Donors

Your dog could do something amazing by giving blood. Find out what the donation criteria is below and register today.

Donating blood isn’t just for humans. Dogs can donate blood too and save their fellow canine lives. With some surgical procedures and complicated forms of medical treatment, a dog may need to be given blood, which means other dogs need to donate.

At Clent Hills Vets, our nursing team is compiling a list of viable dog blood donors in Worcestershire so that when a canine donation is needed, we have a number of dogs we can call upon.

Just like with humans, there must be a sufficient period of time between donations, which is why we’re looking for multiple canine donors. In emergency situations especially, when time is critical, having a list of local dogs who may be able to donate, could literally save another dog’s life.

As well as caring for the dog requiring the donation, the health and wellbeing of the dog donating blood is also of paramount importance to our team. This is why we only accept canine blood donors that fit within a certain criteria.

To be a blood donor, your dog must: 

• Be fit and healthy
• Be aged between 1 and 8 years 
• Weigh more than 25kg
• Have a good temperament
• Be relaxed in a veterinary environment 
• Have never travelled abroad
• Be vaccinated
• Not be on any medication 

When a donation is needed, if selected, your dog would need to have their blood tested in order to become a viable donor.

Why do dogs need blood?

Dogs can need blood for a variety of reasons including trauma, surgery, poisoning, anemia, bloat, sepsis, IMHA, a ruptured spleen and a low platelet count.  

Is the blood put in storage?

Unlike the National Pet Blood Bank Charity, we don’t keep stocks of blood on-site, so each donation request is for a specific dog requiring blood at that time. 

What happens when my dog gives blood?

On arrival, the vet will do a physical examination of your dog and take its health history. They will then clip and clean an area on your dog’s neck and take a small blood sample, which will be tested to ensure they are fit to donate. Once this has all been completed your dog will then donate blood.

Things to consider-

• Your dog’s fur will be clipped in the area where the donation will be taken from
• Your dog will need to be comfortable with lying still on their side during donation (This can take up to 15 minutes)
• Your dog will need to be relaxed
• Your dog will need to rest and be looked after post donation for 24 hours