COLUMBIA, Mo., May 23, 2008
Surgeons Save Rescue Dog With Pacemaker
Mo. Vets Install Device In Search-And-Rescue Labrador Diagnosed With Heart Blockage
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Allison Brown, 5, whispers "goodnight" to the family's chocolate labrador, Molly, refering to the famous "Unsinkable Molly Brown," Tuesday, May 20, 2008, in the Brown family home in Saginaw, Mo. (AP/The Joplin Globe, T. Rob Brown)
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Photo Essay Dog Saves The Day Pooch named Velvet keeps stranded climbers warm until help arrives.
Surgeons at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine on Thursday installed a pacemaker in the 5-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever's heart. She needed the surgery after being diagnosed with a complete electrical heart blockage.
Owners Allen and Alicia Brown of Saginaw were overwhelmed with offers to help pay the more than $2,500 in surgery, vet and travel costs after The Joplin Globe reported on Molly's need for the pacemaker.
Medical technology company Medtronic Inc. donated the device, and a Kansas businessman offered to anonymously pay up to $2,000 of the cost.
"It surprises me greatly," Allen Brown said. "There's just been such an outpouring of public support for her."
Molly was scheduled to return home Friday and be confined to her crate for two weeks. She will have limited activity for the next two months, but should be able to return to full-time rescue work after that, Allen Brown said.
The Browns are volunteers with the Newton County K-9 search-and-rescue unit, which doesn't have a budget. Allen, a paramedic, and Alicia, a nurse, put in hundreds of hours searching for bodies during emergencies. The unit has five certified dogs and three others in training.
The Browns noticed that the usually energetic Molly, whose full name is The Unsinkable Molly Brown, became lethargic and out of breath last month. Veterinarians believe she had a heart attack.
Allen Brown drove Molly to Columbia on Tuesday night after her heart rate fell to 38 from a normal 80.
The couple have five dogs, but only two are trained as rescue dogs. It can take about two years to train a search-and-rescue dog for both live body and cadaver retrieval, and buying a fully trained one can cost up to $20,000.
Patrice Graham, another member of the K-9 search-and-rescue team, spearheaded efforts to help the Browns pay for the surgery.
"I know that everyone is tight, but these people do a lot of volunteer work," Graham said. "If she could save one more life or recover one more body for a family, it would be worth it."
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 22 CommentsPosted by newster1 at 12:34 PM : May 24, 2008
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I have one of those too....Just love her...If I have to carry her around I will do it until she indicates she is done.....
Posted by msay3
Yes, they do, been there, bought the tee shirt many times and soon with two 11-1/2 yr old dogs, one of whom has been slowing down rapidly since last summer- harder to get up, get up the steps, less continent but she enjoys her food, treats and is not in pain.
Posted by cdfoxtrot
You are putting yourself in the dog''s shoes, the dog likely ENJOYS the business of the work- most dogs enjoy doing what they were trained to do or naturally do.
The DOG will indicate when its time to stop
And to those who begrudge this dog her pacemaker, think of the fact that she has worked to rescue or recover humans for her whole life. Plus, if we can give this to the likes of D-ick Cheney, why not this poor dog?
STUPID
As director of the pacemaker registry, Dr. Sisson contacts manufacturers to request donations of pacemakers, matches donated pacemakers with needs nationwide, and collects data from board-certified veterinary cardiologists about the conditions and
outcomes of all pacemaker surgeries. He''s currently working on article that will report on 5 years of data from the registry.
The prognosis for dogs with pacemakers depends largely on how healthy the dog is other than having an abnormal heart rhythm. A pacemaker often extends the life of the dog 3 to 5
years. Young dogs that receive pacemakers because of congenital heart blockage typically do very well.
The cost of the pr ocedure is about the same as the cost of bone plating--surgical
repair of a fractured leg in a dog."
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle_pf.cfm?id=177
led the way for a blind man from the 85th floor of one of the twin towers to safety right before it collapsed. This took enormous concentration, given the fire, smoke, and horrendous things going on all around him...If it were not for that dog, that person would not have made it out alive.....
Also, there is the story of Velvet, another rescue dog that kept her victims warm by lying next to them on Mount Hood until they were rescued.....These animals risk their lives for us, and they deserve the love and respect (and any medical care possible) they are due.
Excellent points you make! Thanks! I''ve been in Canada now for 8 years and tend to forget how large the impacts of a heavily litigious society can be....
One thing we surely agree on, and I must admit embarrassment for not emphasizing it more: (I''ll be so bold as to quote you)
"I for one am REAL happy for the dog"
Cheers!
This is the kind of story I really like reading.
youtube.com/user/dersheeple
Posted by bobbyduck1
Last time I checked dogs cant file LAWSUITS against doctors or hospitals if something goes wrong, they also cant sue veterinarians and even if the vet KILLS your dog, in most states the only thing you could collect is the amount equal to the value of a similar dog, puppy or replacement- almost always less than $1,000.
Comparing veterinary care with human care is comparing a Yugo with a Porche or apples and oranges, vet clinics do not have the expensive equipment, diagnostic tools, staff, facilities, insurance and all the rest human hospitals do.
So then the $40,000 that it cost my brother for the same procedure several years ago, the extra $37,500 was for um oh wait, I get it...Porsche payments!
bobbyduck1
First of all, the dog got a USED or otherwise obsolete pacemaker whose battery and circuits were still usable but not considered safe or to have a lifespan left long enough to use in a human who could live another 50 years.
THAT is why the device was $2,500 instead of $40,000- it was not brand new and has no warrantee, but for a 5 year old dog whose normal lifespan is around 12 years- the device very likely could last long enough for a normal lifespan.
Since you know nothing of the other people posting here your comments as to our worth are uninformed and exactly the kind of slam that you are railing against.
Of course I''m happy for the dog! Who wouldn''t be? I hope it live another 15 years and saves many lives while also being healthy and happy.
I read articles here and have my take and speak my mind in order to provoke discussion. That''s what these blogs are for.
And without putting too many personal details about myself out on the net, I will positively state that my accomplishments during my careers have saved more American lives than any 100 rescue dogs could even if they all lived until they are 25!
So two out of 3 bloggers here saw a direct connection to human health care in America.
Would you, the minority, care to address the majority or would you prefer to spout off more? I assume not, it''s much easier to spout away blindly....
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