Feline Blood Donor of the Year 2021
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is celebrating World Blood Donor Day on 14th June by honouring the incredible animal superheroes that donate to its blood donor programme. These heroic efforts help to save the lives of hundreds of pets every year. As part of this, its registered charity, the RVC Animal Care Trust, has presented 'Blood Donor of the Year' awards to two very special families of feline and canine blood donors in recognition of these life-saving donations.
From treating a pet after a road traffic accident through to managing a critical illness, these blood transfusions play a crucial role in the treatment and recovery of affected animals. The team have already had a very busy year of feline transfusions, administering 57 donations in the past 5 months alone, and carrying out a total of 148 transfusions since May 2020.
The Wood family have been awarded Feline Donors of the Year. They first became aware of the programme when their cat, Meadows, was referred to the RVC for treatment. Meadows sadly passed away, but since 2016, Margaret Wood has been bringing in her five British shorthair cats to donate blood. Rusper, Uffington, Forrester, Clover and Sir Redwood have made 25 donations between them, helping approximately 50 critically ill cats.
In a strange twist of fate, one of the Wood’s cats blood donations was able to save Mikey Matley, one of the RVC’s long-term blood donors who retired earlier this year. Mikey had been hit by a car and required a transfusion to survive and support him during surgery. Mikey has now been discharged and while he has a long road ahead, he is happy and recuperating at home.
Mikey’s owner, Rebecca, paid tribute to the blood donor programme and to life-saving donation provided by the Wood’s cats: “Mikey had very uncharacteristically not come in the night before, so it was likely he'd been lying out in the cold all night with the injuries and as a result he was in a bad state. We got him to our vet, who managed to get him stable enough for transfer to the RVC where he required two blood donations over the days after his surgery before he stabilised.
“Having been involved with the blood donor programme for so long, we knew he was in good hands, and we're so glad Uffington's family had also enrolled their cats and made the commitment to bringing their cats in to donate. It was so strange for us being on the receiving end on this occasion, but Mikey is now home and making steady progress. We are so grateful that Uffington's donation among others, helped bring him back home to us.”
Margaret Wood, owner and recipient of the Feline Donors of the Year award, said: “They love coming to donate blood and are spoiled rotten while they are here. This last year has been a challenge but my boys have given blood without me by their side very happily and have a good sleep in the car on the way home. My wonderful cats have now saved over 50 cats between them and that makes me so proud and is such an amazing legacy for my beloved Meadows.”
The pioneering blood donor programme helps to keep hundreds of critically ill animals alive every year. Over 200 heroic dogs and cats visit the RVC’s Small Animal Referrals Hospital to donate their blood. This year has been particularly challenging due to COVID-19 and restrictions brought in to keep the hospital safe. Despite this, pet owners have continued to support the service, ensuring the hospital has the blood it needs to support the variety and complexity of treatments offered at the RVC, including open-heart and spinal surgery, emergency and critical care and cancer treatment.
Charlotte Russo, Senior Transfusion Medicine RVN at the RVC, explains: “Every year we are blessed with so many fabulous donors and every single one of them deserves the Blood Donor of the Year award. The Woods are a long-term, dedicated donor family who have been on the programme for years and their pets have helped countless patients during their time with us.
“All five cats have been a huge help as we have been so busy with feline patients requiring transfusions over this last year and they have had a huge impact on our ability to help them all. We are so pleased to honour them in this way.
“Despite COVID-19 restrictions both pets and owners have risen to the challenge to ensure that vital blood donations continue to be available, and lives continue to be saved. We are so proud of all of them and are so grateful for their support.”
The RVC and Animal Care Trust rely exclusively on the goodwill of local pet owners who bring their pets to donate blood; they are not paid for this service. Donors are given health checks before donations and a full blood screening is performed free of charge annually. Donors are also provided with a special blood donor tag to recognise their support, and each receives a special gift when they retire.
The blood transfusion team is calling for more feline donors to join the programme. If you think your pet could be an RVC superhero, please contact the RVC Blood Donor team for further information.