Did
you know that there are pacemakers for dogs, just like there are pacemakers for humans?
The first pacemaker was installed in human hearts in 1960; around 1968, dogs
started to receive pacemakers, too. The first canine pacemaker surgery was performed
at the University of Pennsylvania. These days, it is estimated that as many as 300
dogs receive a pacemaker every year.
Pacemaker implants
keep the dog's heart beating regularly. This unit, half the size of a pack of cards
-- is inserted under the dog's skin. With electronic signals, it encourages the
defective heart to beat at a more normal rate. Without a pacemaker, these beloved
pets would not survive, because their heart cannot keep enough blood circulating to
provide sufficient oxygen to muscles, the brain and other organs.
This xray shows a pacemaker installed between the muscle layers
on a dog's neck, with a pacemaker lead affixed to the inside of the dog's heart. The
pacemaker sends an electrical impulse to the dog's heart through the lead, stimulating it
to beat more regularly.
Where do dog pacemakers come from? In the
past, they were donated by the families of humans who had a pacemaker implanted and who
had passed away; the used pacemaker would be implanted in the dog. However, many of
the pacemakers donated this way, as generous as it is, can rarely be used as a pacemaker
for the dog. This is because the lead, when implanted in the human host, tends to
get human tissue to grow around it, entangling the lead so much that it can't be removed
without detailed dissection and cutting. Usually the funeral home technicians do the
removal and they don't have the skill to cut the lead out so carefully; they end up just
cutting the lead itself to remove the pacemaker. Without the lead, the pacemaker can
not be used; sometimes only the battery is useful in these pacemakers. A better
source of pacemakers for dogs is from medical supply firms, who might donate unused human
pacemakers for the dogs when the pacemaker's shelf life expires. Just because it is
too old to use in a human doesn't mean it can't help a dog for many, many years.
If you know anyone who works for a medical supply firm, why not ask them to donate expired and unused pacemakers for use in dogs? The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine accepts unused pacemaker donations for this purpose. If you have a source of these pacemakers, please contact the Cardiopulmonary Chief of Staff, Dr. Chris Adin, at (352) 392-4700 (press 1, then press ext 4740). Thank you for your help!