Blood bank for dogs opening in Kent

Donation days will be held at Pennard Vets, Maidstone

Published 24th Aug 2024

From today in Kent, your dog can become a blood donor.

The blood bank service is just the one for human's but for dogs.

Your dog must weigh more than 25kg and be between the ages of one and eight to become a donor.

The donation days will be held at Pennard Vets in Maidstone, and it's just like the human blood service.

Megan Cooper works for Pet Blood Bank UK.

"We want them to come along to our donation sessions. It's a lovely experience - they get lots of fuss and tummy tickles," she says.

She says giving having reserves of blood for dogs is essential:

"Just like humans, dogs need blood if they are sick or have injuries. So we need to make sure the blood is there for vets across the country who need it."

Megan tells us she encourages dog owners to get their dogs involved.

"We need to make sure we keep having more dogs come forward. Through age and their own health, some of our donors retire each year," she says.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.