Dr. Dan Hogan and his team at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, have been implanting new and used pacemakers into ailing dogs for several years. "Many people have never thought of donating or willing their pacemakers," says Dr. Hogan, adding that greater awareness of such donations would help increase the number of available devices and save animals' lives.

An estimated 4,000 dogs in this country need a pacemaker every year. New units cost up to $6,000 each, making them too expensive for many pet owners. Manufacturers often donate unused pacemakers when several months have expired from the shelf life of the power source. But only about one in ten dogs who need a pacemaker get one--partly due to a scarcity of donated devices.

"Sunshine" is one of the lucky ones. The nine-year-old German shepherd owes her life to Dorothea Edwards, a woman who died in February at age 80. Edwards had willed her pacemaker to a patient who needed it. After learning that federal regulations prohibited such donations, family members gave the device to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, where it was implanted in the dog's weak heart.

Veterinary cardiologists say that putting pacemakers in dogs can add five years to their lives. Pacemakers have also been implanted in cats and horses. For further information, contact your local veterinarian or the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine at 800-245-9081.