Your dog can save anothers life by donating blood through our UQ VETS Community Blood Donor Program.

Just like human blood donations, dog blood donations allow us to perform life-saving procedures, and every UQ VETS Hospital Hero donation has the potential to save two dogs lives.

We perform urgent blood product transfusions for immune-related conditions and a range of traumas such as injuries, or rat-bait ingestion and other toxicities. Your generosity ensures we always have ample blood products to hand for such emergencies.

Donation process

The blood donation process for dogs is similar to that of humans:

  1. We assess the behaviour of eligible donors to determine if theyre suitable for the donation procedure.
  2. We take a blood sample to screen for health issues and infectious diseases, and assess your dogs overall health.
  3. Successful candidates attend the UQ VETS Small Animal Hospital every three months to donate one unit (approximately 450 millilitres) of blood, which is separated into red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma.

As a thank you, we offer eligible donors:

  • a routine health exam before every donation
  • a three-month vet-recommended parasite protection at every donation
  • delicious canine-friendly treats during their visit
  • an annual complete health check
  • an annual general health profile and infectious disease blood screen
  • their photo displayed on our Hospital Heroes board in reception.

 

Take our eligibility survey

We currently do not require any new Hosptal Heroes for 2024. If you would like to enquire about our program in the future please reach out to us at uqvets.sa@uq.edu.au

What makes a dog eligible?

dog on hospital bed after giving blood

Help save a life

Your gift to our UQ VETS Community Blood Donor Program will help us ensure the continuation of this important program. Your generosity will save lives.

Give to our program.