RVC to celebrate animal blood donors on World Blood Donor Day

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC), home to the largest and busiest animal hospital blood donor programme in Europe, is encouraging animal donors and their owners to come forward on Thursday 14 June 2018, to celebrate World Blood Donor Day.

Year on year, the RVC facilitates transfusions, which help keep thousands of critically ill animals alive. The RVC can only meet these high demands with the invaluable help of its donors, who are being celebrated on World Blood Donor Day.

The RVC launched its Blood Transfusion Service at its referral hospital – the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA) – in 2005, to address the demand for blood necessary for veterinary operations. The QMHA offers a wide range of complex treatments, such as open-heart surgery, spinal surgery, and cancer treatment.

This programme is funded through the Animal Care Trust (ACT), the RVC’s registered charity which specialises in improving animal health and welfare.

Funding has provided cutting edge equipment to make this service possible and has supported the development of transfusion medicine.

Professor Dan Chan, professor of emergency and critical care medicine at the RVC, said: “The RVC’s Blood Donor Programme is a very valuable part of what we do at the QMHA. Blood donations have helped us to save hundreds of animals’ lives, and this number is increasing year on year.

“We are always looking for new donors, so if you think your dog or cat might be suitable, please check our criteria online at Blood Donor Programme.”