A LABRADOR who has given blood to other dogs seven times is putting his paws up after his final donation.

The selfless pooch, Eddie, is owned by Wendy Narain-Denley, from Malmesbury.

Wendy, 42, works as a receptionist at The George Veterinary Hospital in Malmesbury and has been volunteering Eddie to give blood for four years.

She said that eight-year-old Eddie was a very calm dog and she was extremely proud of him for donating seven times in what can be an uncomfortable procedure.

To say thank you for his efforts, the team at the surgery presented Eddie with a trophy and a bag of biscuits.

Eddie’s first donation was after another dog had an operation and needed blood in a hurry. No other dogs were on hand and Wendy offered Eddie as a potential source.

She said: “I heard they were in need of blood donors and he fitted all of the criteria, so we thought we’d give it a go. He did it fine and we managed to save that other dog.

"Since then we’ve been called in the afternoon, in the morning and even in the middle of the night, but it’s such a good thing to do.

“It’s rather amazing really that he’s sat there and let us do that to him all those times. He’s a very good boy.”

Wendy explained that calls were rare and that a dog can only give blood every three months, so signing up a pooch as a donor was not a huge commitment.

To be eligible to donate, a dog must be calm and willing to sit still without sedation while blood is taken from their jugular vein, in a session usually lasting between 10 and 15 minutes.

Potential candidates must also be younger than eight years, weigh more than 25kg and have not given birth to any puppies.

A partner at The George, Mike Hollywood, said Eddie would be missed and added that the team needed to secure more donors as soon as possible.

"Most of the time it does seem to be dogs that need blood," he said.

"In 21 years, I've done one transfusion to a cat.

"We try to have at least a couple of donors. People are very good and generous with their time, but sometimes it's just not feasible."

If you think your dog might meet the criteria and are interested in learning more about signing your pet up for blood donation, call The George on 01666 823165.

Alternatively, you can send an email to mike.hollywood@georgevetgroup.co.uk