This Middle Georgia hospital is donating used pacemakers to dogs in need: ‘This means everything’
Another heart beats because of Robert Driver.
Somewhere, the metal pacemaker that helped Driver’s own heart keep rhythm now ticks on in a furry, four-legged companion. The Macon resident is one of 41 Navicent Health cardiac patients who has donated a used pacemaker to a dog in need through a new partnership with the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“It’s kind of a cool feeling to know that out there someone who loves their pets as much as children is happy today because of what Navicent’s been able to do,” Driver said.
His own dog had suffered a third-degree heart block dysrhythmia decades before, but he hadn’t been able to afford a pacemaker at the time. Driver, 59, still regrets that he couldn’t pay for the procedure that could have saved his pet’s life. He didn’t want another loving pet owner to face the same misfortune.
When doctors replaced his pacemaker with a different model last year, Driver asked if he could save the device and donate it to a veterinarian. They agreed.
Driver’s wife, Terri Matula, connected the hospital’s cardiac team with the veterinary school at UGA to set up a system for other patients to do the same. Now, any Navicent Health patient whose used pacemaker has enough battery life left can donate their device to a pet, thanks to Driver and Matula, a cardiac nurse at the Medical Center, Navicent Health.
“I think it’s a neat opportunity to do something nice that doesn’t really cost anybody anything,” Matula said. “It’s just a win-win.”
Veterinarian James Buchanan implanted the first pacemaker into a dog in 1967. Hundreds of pets have received the life-saving device in the decades since.
But the procedure can be cost prohibitive if pet owners have to purchase a new pacemaker, said Dr. Gregg Rapoport, a veterinary cardiologist at UGA. The donations he receives from Navicent Health have helped to offset that cost a bit.
“It gets harder and harder for us to be able to do procedures like this at a cost that is affordable, and so, the pacemaker donation program will certainly allow us to continue to offer this at a cost of $3,000 to $3,500, as opposed to considerably more than that,” he said.
For many pet owners, a $3,000 procedure is out of reach. But for those who can afford it, Rapoport said, a pacemaker is an ideal solution. Dogs typically require pacemakers to treat irregular heart beats, also known as arrhythmias. Conditions such as third-degree heart block and sick sinus syndrome slow a canine’s heartbeat and can result in fainting episodes or even sudden death, he said.
“The good news is that dogs that require a pacemaker often have an otherwise healthy heart,” Rapoport said. “And so, if a pacemaker can be put in, then the dog can go on to often live a normal lifespan.”
The veterinarian has implanted pacemakers into both young and old dogs, and he said the procedures have a high success rate. UGA’s practice performs between five and 15 pacemaker surgeries each year, and serious complications arise in less than 5 percent of cases, Rapoport said.
Success rates range between different studies conducted over the years, but most research suggests the risk of fatal complication is low. One study found 80 percent of surveyed pet owners reported a “high degree of satisfaction” with the outcome of the procedure.
Athens resident Amanda Read would definitely recommend a pacemaker transplant to other dog owners.
Her rescue dog, Cooper, has always been quiet and calm. But a few months ago, she noticed the husky-malamute mix was more lethargic than normal.
Read brought Cooper to UGA’s veterinary hospital, where she learned he had third-degree heart block and wouldn’t make it much longer without a pacemaker. Read’s heart dropped.
An emergency room nurse, Read had treated enough patients with arrythmias to know how devastating the prognosis could be.
“It was heartbreaking,” she said.
When Read learned Cooper could receive a donated pacemaker, she didn’t even have to think about whether or not to go ahead with the procedure. She immediately said yes.
Cooper has since fully recovered, and Read said he’s energetic as he was four years ago. The dog’s appetite has returned, he plays outside more and he’s not afraid to stand up to his more rambunctious brother, Cash.
“I think he’s coming back,” Read said. “I really feel like the whole thing was revitalizing. And I’m very happy we did it.”
Read and her husband never wanted kids. Their dogs are their family, she said.
Read doesn’t know whose donated pacemaker saved Cooper’s life. She wishes she could say thank you.
“To somebody like me, this means everything,” Read said. “To see my dog happy again, that, it’s just priceless.”
Samantha Max is a Report for America corps member and reports for The Telegraph with support from the News/CoLab at Arizona State University. Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/smax1996 and on Twitter @samanthaellimax. You can also join her Facebook group. Learn more about Report for America at www.reportforamerica.org.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 9:28 AM.
