Plus-Hex CLINICAL
ABSTRACT The charity Pet Blood Bank UK ( PBBUK ) has more than 11,000 registered canine blood donors , but advances in life-saving veterinary medicine have increased demand for blood products , leading to supply shortages .
This study investigated dog owners ' awareness and perception of canine blood donation using a questionnaire , and then explored whether raising owners ' awareness and knowledge of canine blood donation influenced their decision to volunteer their pet to donate blood .
The findings show that dog owners generally lack awareness and knowledge of the canine blood donation process , and that the provision of appropriate education is fundamental to increasing the number of canine donors .
Veterinary professionals may be able to increase the current donor pool through effective advertising and promotion in practices and by allaying the concerns of owners , such as those highlighted in this study .
Keywords blood , donation , transfusion , donor , pet blood bank , PBBUK
Introduction
Advances in veterinary medicine are enabling more complex and specialist life-saving treatments to be carried out successfully , but they often rely on the availability of blood products .
In 2020 , the charity Pet Blood Bank UK ( PBBUK ) had over 11,000 registered canine blood donors , providing around 5,000 units of blood to veterinary practices across the UK each year [ 1 ] . However , pressure on these supplies is increasing as demand for blood products continues to rise .
As with human blood bank services , PBBUK relies on public generosity ; in this case , the reliance is on pet owners volunteering their dogs as canine blood donors . However , canine blood donation is a relatively new concept , so donor uptake is slower , probably because information about the service is not widely accessed by dog owners .
Exploration of the current understanding of dog owners about canine blood donation may help to identify gaps in their knowledge . This information could then be used to identify how best to improve awareness of canine blood donation among the general public , to encourage the recruitment of more donors to the canine blood donor register .
Aims
This study aimed to analyse dog owners ’ awareness and perception of canine blood donation and to understand what motivates dog owners to volunteer their pet to donate blood .
Materials and methods
Participants
To take part in this research study , participants had to own a dog . A questionnaire was completed by 161 respondents in January 2020 , all of whom were located in England or Scotland . The respondents granted permission for their responses to be used in the study .
Ethical approval
This study was granted ethical approval from Edinburgh Napier University ' s School of Applied Sciences Research Integrity Committee .
Data collection
The software NoviSurvey ( 2007 ) was used to design and construct the questionnaire . The questionnaire incorporated the use of open and closed questions to collect a diverse range of responses . Owner perceptions of blood donation were initially obtained through a series of questions relating to their awareness of canine blood donation .
The participants were then shown a PBBUK video , What happens at a Pet Blood Bank UK donation session , to increase their knowledge of the blood donation process . After viewing the video , the participants were again asked similar questions about their opinion on canine blood donation , to assess whether their perception had changed with increased awareness .
Data analysis
The compiled data were extracted from NoviSurvey and recorded on an online Microsoft Excel ( 2016 ) spreadsheet . Minitab 15 ( 2007 ) was used to carry out statistical analysis in the form of graphs and percentages . Demographic data were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented as absolute percentages .
A chi-square test of independence was performed to examine the relationship between dog-owner perception of blood donation and the provision of information on the donation process . The relationship between these two variables was statistically significant , X ² ( 1 , n = 161 ) = 14.084 ( p < 0.01 ).
Volume 38 ( 6 ) • December 2023
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