A LIFELINE UNDER THREAT: NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY ANIMAL BLOOD BANK FACES CLOSURE

For 26 years, a quiet but vital service has been saving the lives of dogs across New Zealand. Now, it may be forced to close — and pet owners may not realise what they stand to lose until it is gone.

A Service Built on Need

The New Zealand Companion Animal Blood Bank was founded in 1999 by Massey University research veterinarian Dr Neil Marshall and his wife Sandy, established originally to meet the growing demand for blood from the university’s emergency after-hours hospital. Today, under the ownership of director Paul Mitchell and veterinarian Dr Kelly McDermott, it remains the only facility of its kind in the country.

The blood bank distributes to approximately 10% of veterinary clinics nationwide through a contract with SVS Veterinary Supplies — a quiet but critical thread in New Zealand’s animal healthcare network.

The Greyhound Connection

The blood bank’s donor model depends almost entirely on greyhounds — and therein lies the problem.

Greyhounds are considered universal donors for all dog breeds, making their blood exceptionally valuable in veterinary medicine. The blood bank has worked closely with greyhound rehoming programmes, including Nightrave Greyhounds in Aorangi, with blood drawn every four to six weeks depending on demand and each dog’s condition. Every donation took just four minutes, preceded by a veterinary check.

What set this programme apart, Mitchell explains, was the traceability and oversight that came with working alongside the racing industry. Staff knew each dog’s full history — where it was born, where it had been, its complete vaccine record, and any changes in behaviour or routine.

“We know these animals and we know their health,” he says.

Now, a proposed Racing Industry Amendment Bill that would effectively ban greyhound racing in New Zealand threatens to dismantle that donor base entirely. As existing greyhounds retire and fewer dogs enter rehoming programmes, Mitchell warns their supply would steadily shrink — and eventually disappear.

A Dog Named Jean

For Carterton resident Cindy Johnston, the blood bank was not something she thought about until the day she desperately needed it.

When her four-year-old golden retriever Jean was diagnosed with kidney failure, a blood transfusion from the bank — with a high iron concentration — brought Jean’s levels up enough to administer the IV treatment needed to temporarily filter her blood.

“They treated my dog as their own,” Johnston says.

Over the following weeks, Johnston made three more visits before accepting the difficult truth that she was only buying time. When the moment came to say goodbye, there was only one person she wanted by her side.

“The only person I wanted to do it was Dr McDermott.”

Johnston now worries about what the loss of the blood bank would mean for other pet owners and vet clinics across the country — a service, she says, that you never think about until the moment you need it most.

A Call for a National Solution

The SPCA is urging the government to establish a national, volunteer-based pet blood bank and registry. Senior science officer Dr Alison Vaughan points to international models — including the United Kingdom’s Pet Blood Bank — as proof that community-based programmes can provide a reliable and sustainable supply without depending on the racing industry.

In such systems, healthy dogs donate every two to three months under full veterinary supervision, while continuing to live normal lives at home.

“Many owners do not realise their pets could donate blood to save lives,” Vaughan says.

She adds that quality is determined by veterinary protocols rather than the source of the blood, and that volunteer-based programmes already incorporate strict health screening, blood typing, traceability, and controlled processing and storage.

Both Are Needed

Mitchell agrees that a national donor programme is necessary — but insists it cannot replace a dedicated blood bank.

Community donation programmes are invaluable in emergency medicine, he says. But blood banks perform component blood therapy — the process of separating whole blood into red blood cells and plasma — a more advanced level of care that requires dedicated facilities and rigorous quality control.

The answer, he believes, is not one or the other.

“The sector needs to work together,” he says. “We have the same goal.”