Dog Organ Donation
Monday, January 11th, 2010Well, I am at a loss on this one. To say this is a Pandora’s box is an understatement. Yes, I am talking about organ donation for dogs.
The conversation started this morning when someone told me she had been asked to donate one of her dog’s kidneys to a littermate. I have to say I was a bit shocked, thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” To me, it is a no-brainer. I love my dogs, but wouldn’t want to put my dog through either the donor or the recipient surgery. Heck, Kirsten and I are pretty sure that we wouldn’t put one of our dogs through an amputation again after our dog Rex, but that’s another story.
Of course the friend telling me this story was initially shocked, but after some thought, she felt torn. “What if it was my own dog needing a kidney?” she asked. “How am I to give consent for a dog that can’t give consent?”
To me, this really is still a no-brainer. I can certainly understand why people grapple with issues such as this. It is a personal choice. I wouldn’t put my dog through this. Would you? What am I missing in this issue?