The Veterinary Tissue Bank makes urgent plea for more pet donors, as Sue Corfield explains…
Thousands of dogs could be denied vital surgery as a result of a severe shortage of canine donors. This is mainly a result of the impact of Covid-19 and the inability of pet owners to maintain face-to-face contact with their veterinary surgeons during lockdown. Although there was a lack of awareness of the pet donor programme prior to the pandemic, which exacerbated the situation.
The Veterinary Tissue Bank (VTB) – the first of its kind to be established in Europe and the UK – is turning away requests for bone grafts from veterinary surgeons as they don’t have donor bone and tissue available to meet the demand.
As a result, they are putting out a plea to pet owners and veterinary practices to contact the tissue bank when a pet is nearing the end of its life, and if it meets the criteria for donation. The pet may have been euthanised as a result of a behavioural problem, an accident, or a medical reason. Most pets are suitable for donation, provided they have a vaccination history and are free from malignancy, systemic infection, and autoimmune disorders.
The donor bone and tissue grafts are provided to orthopaedic veterinary surgeons to use to help, potentially thousands, of pets in need of transplant surgery to repair injuries such as fractures and ligament ruptures.
VTB runs an ethical donor scheme, and there is no financial benefit to the owners. However, VTB will cover the cost of cremation. Pet owners can also find comfort in their time of bereavement in the knowledge their pet has gone on to help others through the gift of tissue donation.
Peter Myint (VTB) said: “We are currently experiencing a desperate shortage of pet donors following the impact of Covid-19 and are hoping that veterinary practices will encourage pet owners to come forward to sign their pet on as a donor.
“We appreciate that it is a difficult subject to raise when the pet passes away, but often it can give owners comfort to know their loss will benefit other pets in need. We also encourage pet owners to register their pets as donors in advance and use our complimentary donor pet tags, highlighting their pet’s “donor” status. This makes it easier for vets to have the sometimes-difficult conversation when the pet passes away.”
How it works
At the time of donation, the owner needs to sign the consent form. There is an opti
