Pet Blood Bank mobile unit helps keep lifesaving blood collections going during coronavirus crisis
The charity Pet Blood Bank UK has been able to continue providing lifesaving blood to vets during the coronavirus crisis, largely thanks to the mobile unit they acquired last year.
The mobile unit, which was kindly donated by Petplan Charitable Trust, has been a real lifeline for the charity. With many of their usual donation sessions in vet practices put on hold, the mobile unit has meant they can continue collecting blood during this challenging time. The mobile unit is a self-contained space where dogs can donate blood, like a mobile vet clinic. It was purpose built for running donation sessions and offers greater flexibility to the charity as all that is required is a parking space. While some sessions in vet practices have been able to go ahead, the mobile unit has meant that sessions that would have otherwise been cancelled have been able to continue. The unit allows sessions to run from the car park of a vet practice at a safe distance.
Donor dog Luna 
Many extra measures are in place to allow the service to keep going. One of these is that dogs now come into the session by themselves while owners wait in the car. This is a big change for the charity, which has always been very transparent in its operations. Support from owners has been overwhelmingly positive. This, along with the mobile unit and support from vet practices, means that lifesaving blood can continue to be collected.
Wendy Barnett, Clinical Director at Pet Blood Bank UK said, ‘We are doing all that we can to continue providing our lifesaving service to vets. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our donor owners, the vet practices we are visiting, and to Petplan Charitable Trust for the mobile unit that really has given us the means to keep going. Our blood stocks are lower than normal, but we continue to provide the blood needed for emergencies. We would like to thank everyone for their support and for being patient while we operate at a slightly reduced service level.’
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