Dozens of dogs have donated their blood in a bid to help other canines across the country.
The donor session, organised by charity Pet Blood Bank UK, was the first at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh.
And around 20 dogs gave a pint of blood each.
It will be stored for future operations and transfusions and go towards saving thousands of pets each year.
The animal patients had to be fit and healthy, between one and eight years old, weigh more than 25kg and have a good temperament.
They also had to be vaccinated and not on any medication.
Jan Dixon, 44, a vet with the Scottish Pet Blood Bank UK team, said: “Donating blood saves hundreds of pets’ lives every year.
“It’s our first time at the vet school and it was quite busy. We were fully booked.”
“The patients are great. They are very friendly dogs, happy to donate and always happy to return. I think they liked the attention.”
“It’s been running for about 10 years across the UK now but a lot of people don’t know about it.
“Some dogs have been over 20 times and they are still wagging their tales when they come to see you.
“It’s also nice when the donors and the recipients meet up somewhere down the line.”
Launched in 2007, Pet Blood Bank UK is the only charity that provides a canine blood bank service for all veterinary practitioners across the UK.
Once retrieved, the blood is taken to their processing centre in Loughborough where it is separated into red blood cells and plasma products, and then stored ready for despatch.
Catriona Nicolson, 50, a nurse from Dalkeith, Midlothian, took her two dogs to the event — Nash, a German Shepherd, four, and Gus, a Labrador Golden Retriever cross, two.
She said: “I wanted to do something useful and help others dogs. Thankfully, my dogs have never needed any blood donations.
“You never know, your own dogs might be in an accident and they could be in a situation where their life depends on a donation.”
“I think it’s a great idea. They take about 500ml out of each dog and they get a goodie bag to take home.
“We’ve got an appointment to come back next year.”
