Pet project: let your dog save a canine life By: Cierra Bettens Posted: 4:09 PM CDT Monday, Jul. 10, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/07/2023 (1175 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sarah Dalrymple didn’t know that canine blood donors existed until her own furry friend needed a transfusion many years ago.

She wasn’t alone. According to a 2019 study by Vet Record, around 70 per cent of pet owners surveyed were unaware dogs and cats could donate blood.

Now, as the business manager of the Canadian Animal Blood Bank, it’s something she thinks about nearly every day.

“Awareness is still our biggest challenge as an organization. Just not many people know about us,” Dalrymple said.

The Canadian Animal Blood Bank welcomed pooches and their owners to the Wildewood Golf Course last week to raise money for animal blood transfusions. For $300, players got to participate in a 9-hole scramble while supporting a good cause.

Dalrymple said around 30 dogs and 43 golfers showed up to support the first-of-its-kind fundraiser in Manitoba.

Dr. Ken Mould, a veterinarian and president of the Canadian Animal Blood Bank, founded the organization — then called the Manitoba Animal Blood Bank — in 1996, in partnership with Red River College Polytechnic and the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association.

“When I was a young veterinarian, I had a patient who was in need of blood products, and I had difficulty accessing them,” Mould said. “It inspired me to do something about that, and so I convinced our provincial veterinary association and Red River College to provide the initial funding so that we could start collecting blood from donors and processing that blood for sale to veterinarians.”

“When I was a young veterinarian, I had a patient who was in need of blood products, and I had difficulty accessing them… It inspired me to do something about that.”–Dr. Ken Mould

It expanded to five provinces. Twenty-seven years later, the organization has collected more than 23,000 animal blood donations and boasts a network of more than 900 active donors across nine depot locations.

The idea to host a golf fundraiser sprung while Mould was vacationing with a Canadian Animal Blood Bank board member in Scotland, where it’s common for golfers to play alongside their canine companions.

“Seeing how both golfers and dogs were enjoying that overseas, we thought we should introduce that concept as a way of raising funds,” Mould said.

To begin the donation process, animal blood bank volunteers screen each dog for size, disposition and the presence of blood-borne diseases. After they’re cleared, they can partake in a donor drive.

For new doggie donors, the first round can be daunting. Luckily, the volunteers are trained to make the process as easy and painless as possible — and it always ends with a treat.

Due to the time and resource commitment to screen each dog, the blood bank asks pet owners to commit to at least eight donations. However, many don’t stop there.

“We have many dogs who have donated 15 or 20 times or more,” Mould said. “I thought that it might be more difficult to collect blood from dogs after they’ve donated a number of times, but in fact, it gets easier. They know what it’s about and they know they’re going to get treats and lots of attention when they donate blood.”

Those without canine companions can still support the cause.

Dalrymple said financial donations will go toward blood-processing costs and the purchase of equipment. Additionally, the blood bank is always looking to expand its dedicated roster of volunteers to lend a hand at donor drives.

“I always say that not every dog can donate blood, but every dog needs blood,” Dalrymple said. “Donating funds really helps.”

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca