Call for national pet blood bank

Leading United Kingdom veterinarians state a national blood depository financial institution is needed to salvage the lives of ill and injured domestic dogs and cats.

The blood would be used for exigency injury lawsuits and during complex trading operations such as as unfastened bosom surgery.

Specialist Centres are now offering pet proprietors hi-tech treatments pioneered in human medicine, including hip substitutions and radiotherapy.

But they come up at a cost - with some proprietors disbursement one thousands of lbs to salvage a much-loved household pet.

Dr Kraut Davies, Council Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and laminitis of the biggest specializer veterinary referral pattern in Europe, said that pets were deserving more than than their commercial value.

"Animals make have got a immense benefit to the human population so we should be striving to assist the animate being for the animal's interest and also for the social welfare of the human attached to them," he said.

Mr Dan Brockman, an expert in cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal Veterinary College, London, said he was now carrying out respective unfastened bosom surgery processes a year.

Other surgical processes for domestic dogs and occasionally true cats - including bosom valve replacement, bosom valve repair, malignant neoplastic disease operations, and knee-, hip- and elbow-replacements - are becoming routine.

The cost of between £3,000 and £10,000 is met by pet coverage policies or by the individual.

"Pets should be considered a extravagance item," said Mister Brockman. "What we make is not for every owner. The of import thing is that portion of responsible pet ownership is to at least give thought to what you might make if your animate being became ill."

Critical care

Many such as trading operations relied on the "benevolence" of proprietors of big domestic dogs who were prepared to allow their pets donate blood, he said.

"One of the things that have held back critical attention in the United Kingdom have been an unwillingness to develop blood banking in the UK," Mister Brockman told newsmen at the Science Media Centre, London.

"It's not possible to have got a well functioning injury Centre without having blood merchandise support as in human injury medicine."

I would wish to see person monetary fund a non-commercial venture - that would be much better but it would be money

Dan Brockman, Royal Veterinary College

Mr Brockman said it should be possible to make a cardinal blood banking installation or respective regional Centres so that blood could be extracted, stored and moved to where it was needed.

"I believe it is only a substance of time; I really trust one will be put up." he added. "Personally, I would wish to see person monetary fund a non-commercial venture - that would be much better but it would be money."

Large domestic dogs of 25kg and above with a composure temperament are suitable as blood donors. The domestic dog is made to lie down, have a acerate leaf placed in a vena in its neck, and 400ml of blood is collected over the course of study of 10-15 minutes. A typical bosom operation would utilize three to four blood blood transfusions of this quantity.

Dr Kraut Davies said about 100-150 domestic dog owners, and about 100 vets, had signed up to a preliminary blood giver strategy launched on the internet. Critics of the thought have got raised commercial, legislative and ethical objections.