Results and discussion
General awareness and perception
The responses to the questionnaire showed that 57.8 % of participants were aware that dogs could donate blood , compared with 30 % in a recent study by Wilder and Humm [ 2 ] . It is recognised that this research study has been carried out on a small scale , and therefore is unlikely to be representative of the whole of the UK . However , the results from this study may indicate that knowledge of canine blood donation has improved (+ 27.8 %) since Wilder and Humm ' s study . As there is limited research to support this concept , more research would have to be conducted to validate this conclusion . Although these results were not anticipated , the study concluded that there is still a considerable gap in the public ' s knowledge of canine blood donation .
In this study , among the most common reasons given by owners for not volunteering their dogs as donors was a lack of awareness of the blood donation service and of the demand for canine blood donors . These responses reflect the limited donor availability in the UK and the need to raise awareness of this service . In many cases , owner awareness of canine blood donation was derived from personal experience or the experience of family and friends , rather than through advertisements or other external information about the service . The emotional psychology of human blood donors was studied in the medical literature by Ferguson et al . [ 3 ] , who highlighted that previous emotional experiences can directly impact on a donor ' s behaviour and their decision to become involved with blood donation . It is possible that dog owners , too , may be more driven to volunteer their dog as a donor if they have witnessed the benefits of pet blood donation . However , this motivation cannot be relied on to increase the canine donor pool , as a large percentage of owners ( e . g . first-time dog owners ) may not have such an emotional connection . This emphasises the need to educate all dog owners about the importance and benefits of blood donation .
When asked about awareness of PBBUK , only 35.7 % of participants stated that they had heard of the charity . This suggests that although many respondents said they were aware of canine blood donation , they may not be aware of PPBUK or the donation process . A study by Ryan and Ziebald [ 4 ] explored the idea of owners intertwining their understanding of human medicine with that of veterinary medicine . Human and veterinary medicine do have some parallels in the way they diagnose and treat diseases , so it is possible that this idea may have influenced responses in this study ; owners may have extrapolated information from their understanding of human blood donation and applied it to companion animals . The results obtained in this study may therefore indicate that participants ' previous knowledge of human blood donation may have led to assumptions about canine blood donation .
Educating owners
Owner awareness of canine blood donation is dependent on owners receiving the relevant information , in particular donor criteria , how to register their dog as a donor , and the location and frequency of donation sessions . Of the dog owners who were previously aware of PBBUK , 49.1 % gained awareness of the charity through discussions with veterinary staff . This contradicts the findings of Wang and Murison [ 5 ] , who concluded that veterinary practices could do more to promote canine blood donation . This is a significant result and would suggest that veterinary practices are improving awareness of PBBUK through effective advertisement material and / or discussions with clients . Many veterinary practices can now volunteer their facilities to be used as blood donation sites . This enables the veterinary practice to advertise the service and invite their clients to bring their dogs along to donate blood in a familiar setting . Additionally , clients should be encouraged to come along to a PBBUK session without their dog having to donate , to give them the opportunity to witness the blood donation process , with a view to deciding whether to volunteer their dog as a donor in the future .
Not all dogs will be suited to blood donation . Mullan [ 6 ] states that veterinary professionals must advertise with care and weigh up any potential risks to the donor . Although adverse effects are rare , they can be further minimised by ensuring that the animal is healthy and has the correct temperament . Veterinary professionals should make clients aware of the risks associated with blood donation . If a dog owner goes on to have a poor experience of blood donation , it may affect the relationship between the client and the veterinary professional , which may have a negative impact on future veterinary visits . Veterinary professionals will know their patients well and should select donors based on their observations , which will in turn protect the interests of the animal [ 7 ] .
It must be recognised that this study sampled only a small population of dog owners . It would be beneficial to carry out further research examining veterinary practices , to assess the effectiveness of their advertisement of PBBUK . The author identified that owner awareness of canine blood donation can be improved through more effective advertisement . The NHS successfully increased the number of human blood donors by presenting information in several forms , such as social media , radio , newspaper and television advertisements . Similarly , veterinary clients regularly engage with social media , so this could be an effective platform for sharing information on canine blood donation with a wider audience . Research conducted by Knight [ 8 ] suggests that 52 % of veterinary clients regularly interact with their veterinary practice via social media and will also access practice news . Clients prefer to be kept informed about veterinary news , and will share posts they find interesting or raise awareness on a specific subject [ 9 ] .
38 Veterinary Nursing Journal