The veterinarian behind Canada’s animal lifeline

He had just been appointed a member of the Order of Canada — one of the country’s highest civilian honours.

“It’s humbling,” says Mould. “It’s not something you expect. But it makes you stop and reflect.”

That reflection stretches back to Saskatoon, Sask., where Mould grew up and studied at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

“We had incredible faculty,” he says. “The strength of the faculty certainly gave us a sense that we were graduating from one of the very best veterinary colleges in North America.”

Mould’s education at the WCVM laid the foundation for a career that would span five decades — and eventually change the landscape of emergency veterinary care in Canada.

After earning his DVM degree in 1975, Mould joined a mixed animal practice in Winnipeg, Man. He was determined to work with a wide range of species despite “not being a farm boy,” jokes Mould.

For more than a decade, Mould treated everything from livestock to zoo animals but eventually shifted his focus to small animal care.

It was during this phase of his career that one particular case and a well-timed seminar would help him reveal a critical gap in Canadian veterinary care.

“I had a canine client who was severely anemic, and I had to administer blood,” says Mould. “It was life saving and great to be able to help this particular animal.”

Soon afterward, he attended a seminar by U.S. veterinarian Dr. Bernie Feldman, who spoke about blood banking in veterinary medicine. Feldman emphasized the importance of separating whole blood into components — red cells, plasma and platelets — and tailoring treatment to a patient’s specific needs.

“His seminar resonated strongly with me because of that [earlier] case,” says Mould.

At the time there was no reliable way to access animal blood products in Canada, so Mould took it upon himself to change that reality.

With support from Winnipeg’s Red River College and the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association, he helped to establish the Manitoba Animal Blood Bank. What started as a regional initiative soon grew nationwide as orders flooded in from across the country. Before long, the Manitoba Animal Blood Bank evolved into the Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB) that’s still operating today.

Over the past 30 years, the nonprofit organization has grown exponentially and now offers collection sites in six Canadian cities. To date, the CABB has facilitated more than 30,000 canine blood transfusions and maintains a roster of 2,200 active volunteer donors.

“When I started this work, I never really dreamed it would grow to this extent,” says Mould. “People love the idea that their dog might be able to help another dog. It’s a kind of community service that really resonates.”

Owners who want to volunteer their dogs are asked to commit to at least eight donations because of the extensive quality control measures involved — including blood typing, health screening and microchipping.

Operating on a national scale also brings logistical hurdles. 

“Blood is a time-sensitive product, and it’s important that we process it and distribute from areas that allow us to keep our product quality where it needs to be,” Mould explains. “There are huge shipping challenges in a country of our size, so you have to be collecting close to the sources of need.”

While the CABB focuses exclusively on canine donors, Mould and the CABB executive recognize the growing need for feline blood products. However, cat blood banking brings its own set of challenges.

“Cats don’t tolerate donation the same way dogs do,” says Mould. “It usually involves sedation, and we often have to establish donor colonies rather than relying on owned animals.”

Now retired from clinical practice, Mould continues to serve as the CABB’s first and only president. He’s quick to emphasize the organization’s success but adds that “there’s still lots more for us to do.”

Throughout his career, Mould also contributed to the veterinary profession by serving on the boards of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. These roles required travelling to meetings and events in Canada and in other parts of the world — opportunities that broadened his perspective on veterinary medicine and strengthened his commitment to advancing the profession.

As he prepares to return to the WCVM for its 60th anniversary celebration and give a featured talk at the welcome reception, he’s eager to reconnect with the place where it all began. Five decades after his graduation — and thousands of blood donations later — Mould is still guided by a commitment to service that has shaped every step of his career.

“Veterinary medicine gave us everything in our lives,” he says. “Everyone should find their own way of giving something back to the profession.”