Lifesaving Blood Donor

Can your dog donate blood?

Our donor criteria

For your dog to be a blood donor, they must meet certain criteria. Your dog's welfare is always our priority and so for them to become a lifesaver, they must be:

• Fit and healthy
• Between one and eight years old
• Weigh more than 25kg
• Have a good temperament
• Have never travelled outside of the UK and Ireland
• Vaccinated or have an annual titre test after the first year booster
• Not on any medication

What type of dog makes a good donor?

In addition to meeting our donor criteria, we are looking for dogs who are confident and happy being handled. They should enjoy meeting new people and be comfortable going to the vets. Your dog needs to be willing and happy to take part in the donation process and show us this through their behaviour. We want your dog to love coming to see us, to enjoy being a donor, and be enthusiastic about the process. This is why confident dogs who like meeting new people and getting attention make excellent donors. 

Dogs that are energetic and full of beans are very welcome. As long as they have a reasonable level of obedience and are confident, they usually go on to become great donors. Dogs like this often surprise their owners by being able to lie still for the donation.

If your dog is anxious or nervous, wary of new people, or fearful at the vets, we would encourage you to support us in other ways. Dogs like this may find the donation process stressful. The welfare of your dog always comes first.

If your dog meets the above criteria, we would love to hear from you.

Cat Blood Donation

If you feel your cat would be a suitable blood donor, please let us know. We are looking for large, healthy cats who enjoy being handled and spending time around people.

To be considered as a donor, cats should be:

• Fit and healthy
• Between one and ten years old
• Weigh more than 4kg
• Up to date with vaccinations
• Up to date with flea and worm treatments
• Not on any medication
• Have never travelled abroad
• Have never had a blood transfusion
• They can be indoor or outdoor cats