A HARTFORD vet has issued an SOS appeal for pet owners to help save the lives of other animals as it becomes a blood donor centre for dogs.

The Willows Veterinary Hospital has joined forces with the Pet Blood Bank UK, amid demand for blood transfusions to help ill dogs. 

A number of happy, healthy and confident dogs, who could donate, have already signed up at the Chester Road practice.

And practice manager Clare Sutton is hopeful more owners will respond to the appeal and join the blood bank's register.

She said: “Our team is really keen to support the Pet Blood Bank as we have seen first-hand how vital its work is in giving poorly pets a better chance of survival and recovery.

"We want to register as many dogs as possible to be able to hold our first blood donor session as soon as we can.

“People don’t have to be clients at Willows Hospital to be involved and their pets can be registered at any vet practice.

"They simply need to get in touch or visit our practice to find out more or register.”

Dr Emily Guest with blood donor OllieDr Emily Guest with blood donor Ollie (Image: Willows Veterinary Group)

As a host donor venue for the Pet Blood Bank charity, Willows Veterinary Hospital will hold sessions as soon as there are enough blood donors.

The practice is a tier three Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons small animal hospital, meaning it is available 24/7, 365 days a year and provides emergency care out of hours with dedicated clinical night teams.

As such, some of the hospital’s seriously ill or injured patients require blood transfusions, which has prompted the team's passionate support of the Pet Blood Bank.

Each donation of blood collected at the practice has the potential to help save the lives of up to four other dogs across Cheshire and the UK.

Dogs that enjoy meeting new people and receiving attention make excellent donors, according to the Pet Blood Bank. They must also be happy and willing to lie on their side, while being held in place by a charity member during the donation process.

Other criteria includes that they must also be:

  • Aged between one and eight years old
  • Fit and healthy
  • Weigh more than 25kg
  • Have a good temperament and happy being handled
  • Have never travelled outside of the UK and Ireland
  • Not on medication

Dogs will receive a full health check from the Pet Blood Bank team before they donate blood which takes up to 10 minutes. The whole appointment lasts about 35 minutes, with the donor receiving lots of fuss and treats.

Anyone interested can contact Willows Veterinary Hospital for more information. Pet owners can register their pet directly with the Pet Blood Bank here.