Cat and dog dubbed heroes for being blood donors to pets in need

• A ginger moggie cat and an English pointer dog are neing called heroes by animal lovers for being regular blood donors to pets in need.
• Their human mom, Mandie Pannell, saw an appeal to give blood while she was in a vet clinic.
• The cat and dog are always relaxed when they are donating blood, according to the proud owners.

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A cat and dog in England are being hailed heroes for being regular blood donors. Weasley, a five-year-old Ginger moggie, has already donated 10 times while six-year-old Spock, an English pointer, has donated five times.

Their mom Mandie Pannell saw an appeal to donate blood while she was waiting in a vet clinic. Mandie, a university nurse educator, and her partner Thomas Mills say they are so proud of long-time donor Weasley that he’s been qualified for a special hero award.

“Weasley is absolutely a hero,” Mandie said. “He’s so good with blood donations. He looks after the dog – especially when he’s scared – and he looks after our younger cat, who we are hoping will donate when he turns one.“

Mandie added that Weasley’s been comfortable in donating. He’s been entered for the Petplan Pet Awards, in the Hero Pet of the Year category. Mandie hopes that doing so would help spread the word about animal blood donors.

“Not enough people know about animal – and especially feline – donors. And it’s just a nice thing to be able to help someone else’s animal out.”

When Mandie met Thomas, he already had his dog, Spock. Thomas found Weasley on the website Gumtree for Mandie’s “surprise birthday present.” He was named after the Weasley family in Harry Potter because “he’s ginger and he’s trouble!”

Mandie said: “ Weasley and Spock also have a very close bond from the get-go.

“They’re like siblings – even if they sometimes hate each other. But they can also be really sweet together.”

Mandie signed the pets up as blood donors after she had to take Weasley to the Royal Veterinary College when he limped home with a wound on his back leg in 2018.

Once Weasley recovered she sought out more information.

The ginger cat gets a thorough health check from a vet. The service also assesses the animals beforehand to ensure they are suitable to be blood donors.

Mandie said: “Weasley has been so chilled – he’s an ideal candidate. We can often hear him purring from the next room and he gets so much attention there that I think he quite likes donating!”

Spock became a blood donor around the same time. For dogs, the process is quicker, as they do not need rehydration fluids afterwards.

Neither pet has ever required sedation.

“[The organization] is also excellent at dealing with the worries of an owner – as sometimes it’s like with children, when the parents are more worried than the child.

For Mandie, “the idea of another pet owner not having access to the blood that could save their beloved animal” breaks [her] heart. She’s happy that her pets can help some other animals in need.

Source: Mirror.co.uk