Patient Story – Apollo

APOLLO  

Apollo participated in a feline blood donating session at Mulberry House Vets. He is a very relaxed cat and his owners were happy for him to be a donor, particularly as their own dog had received a life saving blood transfusion 3 years earlier.

Prior to his donation, Apollo had a full health check, including heart scan and blood tests to make sure he was fit and healthy.  The session was run by two specialist vets from the Animal Blood Bank based in Portugal. They were incredibly gentle with Apollo and talked his owners and our team through the whole process. He was an absolute superstar and enjoyed lots of cuddles and treats throughout his day.

The Pet Blood Bank for dog donations is well established in the UK however feline blood is very difficult to source. Apollo’s full unit of blood will be taken back to Portugal where they have the only laboratory in Europe able to process feline blood. It will then be tested and prepared for transfusion before being distributed to emergency veterinary centres ready to be used for a cat facing a life threatening emergency.

Mulberry House Vets is very proud to be one of the first centres hosting a donation session and we look forward to hosting more in the future.

Eligible cats are:

• Relaxed with travel and examination
• 1-8 years of age
• Over 5kg but not overweight
• UK born and not travelled abroad
• Healthy without current or long-term health conditions
• Up to date with vaccinations
• Never received blood products as a patient