Pet Blood Bank is the UK’s first and only charity dedicated to providing a national blood service for pets. At the heart of its work are the owners who bring their much-loved dogs to donation sessions across the country, each one helping to save another animal’s life. From there, blood is processed at the charity’s Loughborough centre, separated into vital products, and stored ready for when vets need it most. By combining compassion with around-the-clock service, Pet Blood Bank ensures that no pet has to go without lifesaving treatment in their most critical moments.
Client: Pet Blood Bank UK
Project: Pet Blood Bank Mobile App Development
Platform: Umbraco, Mobile (iOS & Android)
When Pet Blood Bank first approached us, they had a simple but urgent challenge: how to make it easier for pet owners to donate blood. As the UK’s only charity dedicated to providing a 24/7 blood service for animals, their work quite literally saves lives. But with demand from vets growing and the process of recruiting and retaining donors proving time-consuming, the existing systems weren’t keeping pace. For many pet owners, the act of donating was still buried in admin—phone calls, paperwork, and scattered communications—when it needed to be straightforward, reassuring, and rewarding.
Our answer was to design a mobile app that would put the power to donate right into the hands of pet owners. More than just a booking tool, it needed to build trust, educate first-time donors, and make the experience as seamless as possible. We worked closely with Pet Blood Bank to understand the journey of a donor—from learning about eligibility, to finding a donation session nearby, to celebrating their pet’s contribution afterwards. The “big idea” was to combine all of that into one intuitive platform, helping donors feel part of something bigger while giving the charity a scalable way to reach more people.
Of course, the journey wasn’t without its challenges. Compliance was front of mind from the outset, with strict welfare and data requirements shaping how the app handled information. At the same time, we had to balance the needs of different stakeholders, donors, veterinary partners, and the internal team, each with their own priorities. And like many charities, Pet Blood Bank needed a solution that was impactful but also sustainable, both financially and operationally. These obstacles forced us to be creative, designing features that worked hard for every user while keeping the build lean and adaptable.
The result has been a game-changer for the charity and its community of donors. Appointments surged in the months after launch, with more first-time donors signing up and, crucially, more of them returning to give again. Pet owners could now see their pet’s donation history, receive reminders, and celebrate milestones—creating a sense of pride and connection that went far beyond the act of giving blood. For Pet Blood Bank, the app unlocked better visibility of donor activity across the UK, helped streamline session management, and ultimately ensured that more vets had access to the blood products they needed, when they needed them.
Looking ahead, Pet Blood Bank sees the app as just the beginning. With plans to expand functionality from urgent push notifications for rare blood types, to loyalty rewards and even partnerships with vet practices the charity is building a digital ecosystem that matches the scale of its ambition. What started as a way to simplify donation has become a foundation for growth, helping Pet Blood Bank bring its life-saving mission to even more pets and owners across the country.
