The London Cat Clinic, a number one 24/7 veterinary follow and hospital completely for cats, has partnered with Portugal-based ‘BSA-Animal Blood Bank UK’ to determine the UK’s first blood financial institution for cats.
Dr Jeremy Campbell, founding father of The London Cat Clinic and an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Feline Medicine, lately returned from two days working with the BSA – Animal Blood Bank UK in Porto to enhance the method of feline blood donations within the UK. The BSA is the primary feline blood financial institution licensed within the UK by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
Dr Campbell says he’s now “cautiously optimistic” about this essential facet of feline healthcare within the UK.
“We have been collaborating to streamline some parts of the donations course of required particularly for UK feline blood donations, which was an important success. And we are actually able to forge on and develop this important and actually life-giving course of for all our feline sufferers within the UK.”
According to Pet Blood Bank UK, just one% of vets presently have entry to cat blood merchandise, and there are solely 18 feline donor practices within the nation. This has made it more and more difficult for vets to supply well timed and probably life-saving transfusions to their feline sufferers. In addition, many veterinary practices are unaware of the existence of any feline blood donation programme within the UK.
Dr Campbell mentioned: “Cat blood donations are important for saving the lives of many feline sufferers who want blood transfusions on account of trauma, surgical procedure, or illness. Cats have three main blood teams: A, B, and AB, and every group has completely different antigens and antibodies. Giving the fallacious blood sort to a cat can have critical and even deadly penalties, so it’s essential to match the donor and recipient blood varieties earlier than transfusion.
“Many individuals are unaware that cats can donate blood and assist different cats in want. Cat blood donations are a comparatively secure and easy process that may actually imply the distinction between life and demise for the cats that require them.”Dr Campbell added: “We urge cat house owners to contemplate donating their cats’ blood and assist us create a greater UK cat blood financial institution provide that may save many cats’ lives.”
Dr Rui Ferreira, Director of the BSA – Animal Blood Bank UK, mentioned: “Our expertise after working with greater than 20 veterinary universities and among the most famed ICU models on the planet has confirmed to us that blood parts could make an simple distinction within the consequence of critically unwell sufferers. Our objective is to assist as many animals as attainable, guaranteeing that none of them die on account of issue in accessing blood transfusions or a scarcity of dependable sources of blood parts. In the UK, this scarcity of blood parts is, sadly, nonetheless a actuality.
“We want to thank veterinary specialists together with Dr Jeremy Campbell and Dr Samantha Taylor (at International Cat Care) for supporting our initiative and serving to to adapt the protocols to the UK. We are very grateful for his or her enormous contribution and for the partnership with
The London Cat Clinic.”
The BSA has extraordinarily excessive requirements of blood part security and donor welfare. The organisation is efficiently working donations in 4 completely different nations and with a number of donation groups. BSA is accredited as cat-friendly by the International Society of Feline Medicine, and is the one Veterinary Blood Bank with such a distinction. Its ‘Fear Free’ certification – veterinary coaching to alleviate concern and misery amongst sufferers, has been recognised by the house owners of its 10,000 blood donors. In addition, the superior processing amenities at BSA have been a game-changer for guaranteeing the standard and security of cat blood merchandise.
To discover out extra, please electronic mail The London Cat Clinic at electronic mail hello@thelondoncatclinic.co.uk utilizing ‘FAO: Dr Jeremy Campbell Re: Blood Donor Programme’ within the title line.
