EDDIE the eight year-old Labrador is the ultimate blood hound after making seven life-saving blood donations to pooches-in-need

Now Eddie is putting up his paws in retirement after giving blood for the final time.

Eddie’s owner Wendy Narain-Denley, 42, a receptionist at Malmesbury’s George Veterinary Hospital, said: “He’s done really well. I’m very proud of him.”

To reward Eddie’s unstinting efforts on behalf of fellow canines the surgery team has presented him with a trophy and a bag of biscuits.

The big hearted hound’s first donation took place four years ago after another dog underwent an emergency operation and urgently required blood.

No other dogs were on hand so Ms Narain-Denley, who lives in Malmesbury, volunteered Eddie to her colleagues at the surgery, knowing he was a calm hound who would take it all in his stride.

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

She said that such calls were unusual and that a dog could only give blood every three months. In the circumstances, offering her pooch as a blood donor was not a massive commitment.

Now the surgery is seeking other Eddies to donate a drop of blood when the need arose.

To be eligible, a dog must be calm and willing to sit still without sedation while blood is taken from his or her jugular vein. The sessions usually last between ten to 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 emphasized that the team now needed more donors.

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

Anyone who feels their dog might meet the criteria and are interested in learning more about pet blood donations should call The George on (01666) 823165 or email mike.hollywood@georgevetgroup.co.uk